What about the usage when someone says they are "gaming the system"? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaming_the_system "Words be nimble, words be quick, words resemble walking sticks" On Sat, Feb 6, 2010 at 5:48 PM, Ray Buck <rbuck@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Words seem to have a way of changing their meaning. Remeber our discussion > of the word, "posh?" > > It reminds me of something I heard years ago: "If racing is the sport of > kings, is dragging the sport of queens?" > > All sorts of double entendres in there...whichseems to be what you're > railing against. > > Just to toss another spanner (or would that be a wrench, with or without > monkey?) into the works, www.dictionary.com defines gaming this way: > > 1. gambling. > 2. the playing of games, esp. those developed to teach something or to help > solve a problem, as in a military or business situation. > > > This is what Meriam-Webster has to day about it: > > Function: noun > Date: 1501 > > 1 : the practice of gambling > 2 a : the playing of games that simulate actual conditions (as of business > or war) especially for training or testing purposes b : the playing of video > games > > And in case you should reject those and demand the use of Webster's lexicon > here's that definition (which includes "play") and as it says, is an > umbrella term including computer game usage. > > > > Gaming > > Noun > > 1. The act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the > payment of a price for a chance to win a prize); "his gambling cost him a > fortune"; "there was heavy play at the blackjack table". > > Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights > reserved. > > Date "gaming" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before > 1350. ( references) > > Synonyms: Gaming > > Synonyms: gambling (n), play (n). ( additional references) > > Specialty Definition: Gaming > > Gaming is an umbrella term that includes a number of special hobby game > types: > > Role-playing games > Live-action roleplaying games > Wargaming > Board games > > Computer- and video games It is increasingly used by casinos and the > gambling industry as a euphemism for gambling. > > I find it interesting that the last entry in Webster's is a circular > reference to the 16th century origin of the word. > > Take it with a grain of salt flats. > > r > > > > At 01:44 PM 2/6/2010, you wrote: > > In Ray's writeup on building his Supercomputer he was discussing his video > board and used the word "gaming". Since I am an author words are very > important to me. Their meanings should not be blurred. Sigh. I am like a > fish swimming against the overwhelming current of inanity. > > "Gaming" means gambling. Nothing more and nothing less. Any tack on current > meanings will probably be lost in a few years. > > But for now, if you are playing games perhaps you should just say "Playing > games". > > Rick Draganowski > The old curmudgeon > > (Soli Deo Gloria) -- Chris Lindh http://www.PartsForSpeed.com Rules: Please play nicely with others. -List members page (text & pic links): http://www.myelcamino.net/eclist.htm -List members page (all pics): http://www.myelcamino.net/ec_list.htm