The Word "Controller" - Rant

[Yasashii]

I have this pet peeve about the naming of a certain PC and console peripheral. Specifically, the controller. Upon hearing the word you probably imagine the DualShock or the Xbox 360 one or whatever.

The thing is that if you take the noun "controller" and turn it into the verb "control" you don't communicate to the recipient what exactly you control a thing with. For instance if someone said: "I am able to control this vehicle in this game very well", would you know what they control it with? Probably not, especially since the term "vehicle" can mean a lot of things. If it's a car, then it may be a wheel. If it's a plane, then it may be a joystick, and so on and so forth.

Why, then, is it so immediately obvious that when a person says: "I like this controller very much", they mean a gamepad?

Yes, gamepad (or, alternatively: joypad). That word makes much more sense, doesn't it? It's a pad. It has buttons and stuff on it. You use it for games. Gamepad.

And yes, I know that these days controllers aren't really pads anymore. They used to be back around the NES era. But still, it makes more sense than controller, because this is the definition of the word on dictionary.com:

Quote

a remote piece of hardware used to direct or control an electronic device

A controller, then, could be anything you use to control the game with. This includes the keyboard, mouse, joystick, wheel, motion sense things etc. The definition of the word "gamepad", on the other hand, is as follows:
 

Quote

a handheld input device used in video games to control the movement of graphic elements on the screen, usually having buttons and a directional control.

I know that the term "input device" could also have many meanings but it's specified that it's handheld, which pretty much narrows it down to a single peripheral (well, mostly, but you get the point). That's an ideal situation for a single word - it has a single meaning, so potential confusion is avoided.


For all this, though, using the term "controller" is NOT an error. There are two primary approaches to language:

• Prescriptive - You should rigidly use the language as it should be used in accordance to all the rules of grammar, syntax, semantics and so on.
• Descriptive - You should use the language the way everyone else uses it, with accordance to the way culture constantly changes it.

It really isn't necessary to take the prescriptive approach if you're an average person. I take it because I'm a teacher and I kinda have to (but not always, see how I used the informal version of "kind of" in that sentence? Linguistic humor, anyone? No? OK...)

In essence, using the word "controller" isn't an error because its meaning has been transformed in the English language by its own users.


But still, I personally believe that it simply makes more sense to call it a gamepad or joypad, because that's where it evolved from, and if you get technical, "controller" could get confusing, especially should it eventually evolve further to possibly include joysticks, wheels and such. That's just my five cents.

[Guest Kloaked]

So like how not every personal computer is a "PC"? Or now every vehicle cannot simply be called a car?

 

They're acceptable words and they all mean the same thing. Get over yourself tbh

[Princess Luna]

I use both words, but usually controller comes associated to consoles while on desktop I use gamepad more.

[AlwaysFSX]

Controller? I barely knew her.

 

OT: Frankly your rant is a bit pointless. A gamepad is a dedicated means of controlling your actions in a game. Therefore it's called a controller.

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Yasashii]

@Kloaked Technically, every personal computer is a PC (since it's an acronym for Personal Computer) so if it's yours, it's personal, if it does computations, it's a computer.

The meaning of "PC" has evolved because it's become the name for the industry standard technical name: IBM-PC

And the word vehicle cannot simply be called a car because that word can also mean truck, plane, boat or anything else that can be controlled by humans and move from point A to point B.

And I have said that they are, indeed, acceptable words due to the descriptive approach, but it does not mean that confusion can't occur.

[SCHISCHKA]

TLDR: pointless rant about game controllers

I came here to be distracted; back to work

[Yasashii]

10 minutes ago, AlwaysFSX said:

A gamepad is a dedicated means of controlling your actions in a game. Therefore it's called a controller.

Yes, but the word can also mean other peripherals, as I had said in the opening post. That's the very point of my rant. The possible confusion.

[AlwaysFSX]

1 minute ago, Yasashii said:

Yes, but the word can also mean other peripherals, as I had said in the opening post. That's the very point of my rant. The possible confusion.

It's a universally accepted thing what someone means when they say controller..

[Yasashii]

Yes it is, because of the descriptive approach. I said that as well.


...I'm getting a feeling that some people haven't even read my entire post before commenting.
In fact, let me give you a short version of what I'm trying to convey:

• The word "controller" can technically mean multiple things and can, therefore, cause confusion.
• Using the word is NOT an error.
• "Gamepad" or "joypad" is better, in my opinion, because it eliminates the possibility of confusion.

[FAQBytes]

When you thought this was going to be about raid controllers.

[DrMikeNZ]

17 minutes ago, Yasashii said:

Yes it is, because of the descriptive approach. I said that as well.

...I'm getting a feeling that some people haven't even read my entire post before commenting.
In fact, let me give you a short version of what I'm trying to convey:

• The word "controller" can technically mean multiple things and can, therefore, cause confusion.
• Using the word is NOT an error.
• "Gamepad" or "joypad" is better, in my opinion, because it eliminates the possibility of confusion.

At least they aren't called "Sonys" like everyone seems to call Phones "Apples".

[Yasashii]

Too right, mate.

[Klefth]

11 hours ago, DrMikeNZ said:

At least they aren't called "Sonys" like everyone seems to call Phones "Apples".

Wait, people actually do that? D:

[AshleyAshes]

...Do you also have a problem when people say 'The Remote' when referring to a TV remote control?

[DrMikeNZ]

5 hours ago, klefth said:

Wait, people actually do that? D:

In many places, yes. In many other places I have been all smartphones are "iPhones".

There has been a shift towards accepting "Samsung" instead as common usage for all non-Apple phones.

[Mira Yurizaki]

If this were an argument to establish proper semantics in academic writing, then sure, I could see this rant having some weight.

 

However if we're going to talk about casual speech, use the freakin' established lexicon. Even some chemists don't get hung up you say "Aluminum", though they would prefer you say "Aluminium" in formal conversation.

 

6 hours ago, klefth said:

Wait, people actually do that? D:

Apparently people call [carbonated soft drink] "Coke" in the Southern States (http://popvssoda.com/)
 

[Yasashii]

1 hour ago, AshleyAshes said:

...Do you also have a problem when people say 'The Remote' when referring to a TV remote control?

No. That's just an abbreviation. The meaning remains intact (assuming both you and the recipient know that you're referring to the TV one, rather than the DVD player remote or something)

Also: I'd like to point out, again, that I'm not saying people are wrong to use the word "controller". I'm not belittling you for doing that, at all. I had hoped to open an engaging discussion rather than (apparently) piss people off.

[Mira Yurizaki]

1 hour ago, Yasashii said:

Also: I'd like to point out, again, that I'm not saying people are wrong to use the word "controller". I'm not belittling you for doing that, at all. I had hoped to open an engaging discussion rather than (apparently) piss people off.

Well let's take this:

Quote

For instance if someone said: "I am able to control this vehicle in this game very well", would you know what they control it with? Probably not, especially since the term "vehicle" can mean a lot of things. If it's a car, then it may be a wheel. If it's a plane, then it may be a joystick, and so on and so forth.

Most of the time nobody really cares what device is being used to control the vehicle in the game. They're just happy you know how to drive the vehicle in said game. In a casual conversation, being specific is nice, but not required.

[DnFx91]

20 hours ago, Yasashii said:

I have this pet peeve about the naming of a certain PC and console peripheral. Specifically, the controller. Upon hearing the word you probably imagine the DualShock or the Xbox 360 one or whatever.

The thing is that if you take the noun "controller" and turn it into the verb "control" you don't communicate to the recipient what exactly you control a thing with. For instance if someone said: "I am able to control this vehicle in this game very well", would you know what they control it with? Probably not, especially since the term "vehicle" can mean a lot of things. If it's a car, then it may be a wheel. If it's a plane, then it may be a joystick, and so on and so forth.

Why, then, is it so immediately obvious that when a person says: "I like this controller very much", they mean a gamepad?

Yes, gamepad (or, alternatively: joypad). That word makes much more sense, doesn't it? It's a pad. It has buttons and stuff on it. You use it for games. Gamepad.

And yes, I know that these days controllers aren't really pads anymore. They used to be back around the NES era. But still, it makes more sense than controller, because this is the definition of the word on dictionary.com:

A controller, then, could be anything you use to control the game with. This includes the keyboard, mouse, joystick, wheel, motion sense things etc. The definition of the word "gamepad", on the other hand, is as follows:
 

I know that the term "input device" could also have many meanings but it's specified that it's handheld, which pretty much narrows it down to a single peripheral (well, mostly, but you get the point). That's an ideal situation for a single word - it has a single meaning, so potential confusion is avoided.


For all this, though, using the term "controller" is NOT an error. There are two primary approaches to language:

• Prescriptive - You should rigidly use the language as it should be used in accordance to all the rules of grammar, syntax, semantics and so on.
• Descriptive - You should use the language the way everyone else uses it, with accordance to the way culture constantly changes it.

It really isn't necessary to take the prescriptive approach if you're an average person. I take it because I'm a teacher and I kinda have to (but not always, see how I used the informal version of "kind of" in that sentence? Linguistic humor, anyone? No? OK...)

In essence, using the word "controller" isn't an error because its meaning has been transformed in the English language by its own users.


But still, I personally believe that it simply makes more sense to call it a gamepad or joypad, because that's where it evolved from, and if you get technical, "controller" could get confusing, especially should it eventually evolve further to possibly include joysticks, wheels and such. That's just my five cents.

wow, triggered much. see what i did there ?