Is it "fan game" or "fangame"?

[Vitiman]

Here's a purely semantics question for you: How do you choose to spell it? I think a large portion of people in this community would spell it as "fangame", sans the space. But have you ever noticed spell checkers mark that as not really a word? Furthermore, take a look at the MFGG logo. Or hell, just ponder on the acronym for a moment: if it were "fangame", wouldn't it be MFG? Now, I'll level with you and say acronyms can be weird and don't always play by set rules. It's all down to aesthetic choices. Also, it was named by a teenager in 2001, so I'm thinking MFGG's acronym is not an accurate reflection of the spelling... except, look a little closer at any MFGG logo: below the acronym. Wouldn't you know it, MFGG officially spells it as "fan games"! Well I'll be dipped.

So then that begs the question: if most people spell it as one word, but then most sources seem to suggest two is more 'correct', how do you personally spell it? Do you have a preference? Do you alternate? Ever since I noticed this little quirk, I've found myself casually alternating it from that point onward. Funny how that works!

[SonicKade2048]

I choose to say "fan-game" with a hyphen, deriving from "fan-made". I'm a bit of a nitpicker so I think it's a matter of grammar. Consider character names being spelled like the US "Mega Man" vs. the JP "Rockman". It doesn't make a difference at the end of the day, they're both correct usages.

I also think two Gs in the acronym rolls off the tongue better. I don't think "fangame" should be denounced as one word; I'd even capitalize it as "FanGame" if needed. I prefer using the hyphen, though, "Mario Fan-Games Galaxy" makes the most sense to me.

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[VinnyVideo]

Hmm, an interesting query indeed!

I'm pretty consistent in using "fangames" nowadays. On the other hand, I leaned toward "fan game" when I first discovered MFGG.

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[KrystalPhantasm]

tbh I know that the MFGG logo spells it as 'fan games', but:


I will always say 'fangames' instead of 'fan games', and I personally will be stuck on this hill on the end of time that I will occupy myself

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[littlelum]

The Internet likes to stick to words together quite frequently, so it feels more "Internet" to say "fangame". Plus, it helps to distinguish it from games about fans.

[Q-Nova]

I always type it as "fangame". I don't know, it feels like a habit I have. I feel like I see "fangame" way more often than any other spelling, though it's kinda funny when you consider that "fan games" is right in the name of this site.

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[Luigibonus]

Both to me are valid terms! Fangame is what I personally use, but fan game also works. You're just describing it with an adjective in that case.

[Q-Nova]

I decided to look into an early iteration of MFGG (via the WayBack Machine) to see how they handle this word. In the main page, they say (bold added for emphasis) "Home of the biggest collection of Super Mario Bros. fan games and Super Mario Bros. game making resources." Throughout most of the site, though, they don't use "fan game" or "fangame", instead they usually write "game". The links page is an exception, where "fangames" is used in the description for The Moogle Cavern. Note that both pages linked are from June 2002.

In a copy of what appears to be the earliest iteration (possibly a prototype) of MFGG, neither "fangame" nor "fan game" is used outside of the title and links page (where "fangame" is used a couple times). Instead, "game" is used, much like in the iteration I linked at the beginning.

Speaking of that Emulation Zone-era iteration I linked, the Wayback Machine won't let me view an archive made before June 2002. They show earlier versions, but when I try accessing them, I get taken back to June 2002. Does anyone know why this happens? I remember seeing the earlier copies long ago.

Quillax Ship - Where you can download all of my cool, keen mods and super-marvelous fangames!