This text was recently cut from the project that Will and I have been working on for the past couple of months.
Don’t use a space or a hyphen when writing “roleplaying,” as in, “roleplaying game.”
1) As compound words develop in English over time, the tendency is for two-word compounds (”ball room”) to first become hyphenated compounds (”ball-room”), and finally to become one-word compounds (”ballroom”). Advancing “roleplaying” to the linguistic endgame makes the hobby seem more advanced, more legitimate.
2) “Roleplaying game” is parallel with “board game,” “miniatures game,” “card game,” and the like.
Does this make you curious?
Good.
You know, I’ve struggled with this because almost every spell check program I’ve encountered wants to add a hyphen, but the AP stylebook doesn’t seem to have a rule for this, most likely because the Associated Press doesn’t spend a lot of time writing about roleplaying games.
ME
Actually, the problem is not that people are wrongly typing roleplaying-game, but that ‘roleplaying’ itself is still hyphenated. Look it up! It’s still role-playing. That’s why spell-check rejects it.
Fang Langford
Come see my new consolidated blog: scattershotgames.com
But that is what they are arguing… you shouldn’t write it as role-playing,,, it should just be roleplaying.
ME
Oh, sorry.
Wait, are you sure? Don’t the examples ‘board game’, ‘miniatures game’ and ‘card game’ mean “as opposed to ‘board-game’, ‘miniatures-game’ and ‘card-game’?” No, that’s wrong too. Sorry.
I took a moment to check; I couldn’t find a print dictionary (or their website) who use ‘roleplaying’, ‘roleplay’ or ‘roleplayer’ without the hypen. Since publishers use those to edit my manuscripts, I’ll just have to keep hyphenating ‘role-playing’ if I want to get printed.
Fang Langford
Come see my new consolidated blog: scattershotgames.com
p.s. I think “advancing ‘roleplaying’” ahead of all print dictionaries does the opposite of making it sound advanced or legitimate. It already is legitimate (check it out: Hasbro makes millions with them); why do we need to make ourselves look juvenile and ignorant? (ie changing, or not reading, the dictionary).
The words “board” and “card” describe what kind of “game” you’re talking about, but they are singular words. There’d be no hyphen.
Compound adjectives get hyphens for clarity. The reason “role-playing” traditionally gets hyphenated is because it is a compound, describing the kind of “game.” What do you play? A role. It is a role-playing game.
But the dictionary isn’t edited by people who check every damn thing. It reflects actual usage, and we—actual users—are saying the hyphenation is no longer necessary. Roleplaying is now a compound word, even if only as jargon. We’re making the argument.
You’re right!
I did an horrible job expressing that we are at the point were the compound is rising up in actual usage, but the official is still hyphenated. And that people will still need to use both.
I’m grouchy today and mistook Jeff as saying that everyone should move – right away – to the compound. I appreciate the growth of language (like microwave becoming a verb) and wasn’t comfortable with a rallying cry (at least not this early in the morning).
Again. Sorry for going off on this topic. You are of course right. The language is growing (and I’m getting old, eh?). ^.^
Fang Langford
I’m curious. Should we be guessing? My guess is you’re making a style guide for people writing games, or writing about them. Lord knows some kind of interoperability standard grammar (or even just a published stab at one) would be helpful in both promoting/expanding and researching/deepening the hobby.
Good guess, Nicholas. Although a style guide for people writing games is desperately needed (and something that I’ve thought about writing in the past), it’s not the project at hand.
Anyone else?
A gamer’s dictionary?
ME
Closer.
Ummm,,, gaming dictionary for the girlfriends/boyfriends of gamers?
Guide to promoting roleplaying games?
Valiant guesses! Hard to judge if you’re getting closer or warmer at this point.
In all fairness, from the snippet I posted, I’d be shocked if anyone was able to hit the thing right on the head. But I think it’s safe to say that you’re in the neighborhood. (Or, perhaps, a nearby suburb.)
Roleplaying Games for Dummies??
Can I guess?
No, Phil, you may not.
I’ve always felt kind of annoyed when I see roleplaying hyphenated. But perhaps some people still hyphenate it because adding a hyphen makes that insidious squiggly red underline disappear (for those who use spell checkers).
In any case, I’ve just discovered your blog today, and I must say that I’m hooked. Keep it up with the great articles!