Clarifying Game Discourse

Confusion concerning Game, especially by various critics of Game, is something that has been surprisingly pervasive and shows little sign of disappearing soon. Stretching from the The Great Game Debate of August to the current week, there has always been confusion about exactly what Game is, exactly what personal motives various Gamers have, and about what sort of worldview is presented by Game. Because of the semantic confusion alone, strawmen arguments are rampant. In this post from Dave in Hawaii a couple of days ago, he addresses some major misconceptions concerning his personal stance on Game and relationships. Also, this post from Obsidian is a response to Lady Raine's opposition to certain alleged aspects of Game, which is more of an ad hominem attack against certain sorts of people rather than a rational attack on Game itself (which she does not understand). As Chuck rightly noted back in August:

The problem at hand, like most discourses on issues with less-than-obvious mechanisms, is that we have failed to lay out the terms of argument. It seems that both sides are arguing with a different definition of words like "Game", "neg", "alpha", and "beta."

As anyone familar with linguistic analysis knows, before any sufficiently complex subject can be critiqued or intellectual debated, it must first be clearly demarcated and defined so that there is no resulting confusion concerning the extent of the statements being made concerning the given topic. This is especially true in the arena of Game, since much apparent disagreement has arisen simply because of widely divergent ideas of what Game is. While there are legitimate concerns that some hold both towards Game and its practitioners, more frequently I see people talking past each other due to a lack of common ground related solely to insufficiently clear terminology. Consequently, I believe it is utterly necessary to set forth a fixed list of terms and clearly define exactly what each term means. Some of these terms are widely used and understood, while there are a couple new terms that I have created for added clarity in future discourse.

In future posts, I want to take at look at the three fundamental Game mindsets that exist, the inherent ethical nature of Game, the ethics of various Gamers, and what I believe to be the best usage of Game. But, in order to lay the foundation for those posts, I believe that laying a firm semantic foundation as a framework for the discussion is absolutely vital. As such, here is my Game Lexicon.

Game Lexicon

This lexicon may be of use to those who read various sites that discuss or advocate Game:

Alpha - A man who is extremely skilled at attracting and seducing women, including extremely attractive and desirable ones.

Beta - A man who is neither extremely skilled at attracting women, nor extremely repellent to women. Most men fall into this category.

Game - A categorical term that encompasses both Game Theory and Gamers. Sometimes it is mistakenly expanded, especially by critics of Game, to include Gamers' lifestyles and Students of Game, neither of which validly fall under the proper domain of canonical Game.

Game Theory - The comprehensive body of knowledge discovered, discussed and practically tested by Gamers, including, but not limited to, the various social and psychological theories and hypotheses concerning male attractiveness, the formation of romantic relationships, and the fundamental dichotomy between masculinity and femininity

Gamers/Gamists/Gamesmen - Advocates and practitioners of Game, in any of its various forms, who not only utilize Game for their own personal enrichment, but who also expand Game Theory and seek to share their insights with the larger community.

Gaming - The practical application of Game Theory to social relationships.

Ghosting - In response to the problems of the modern dating scene, choosing not to pursue romantic relationships, for various personal reasons.

Inner Game - Sections of Game Theory that are concerned with worldview, mindsets and character traits related to male attractiveness.

Long-Term Relationship - Any romantic relationship that is begun with the goal of being a lasting relationship or leading to marriage, regardless of the final outcome of the relationship.

LTR - An acronym for Long-Term Relationship (see entry)

Men Going Their Own Way - Those who choose to reject certain aspects of the modern cultural paradigm in any area of life, and who respond to culture by living according to a differing mindset. This may take many various external forms.

Men's Rights Activist - A Men's Rights Advocate who not only advocates solutions to the current legal systemic flaws, but also actively works to address those injustices through political involvement.

Men's Rights Advocate - One who is concerned by the present misandrist modern legal system, who seeks to raise awareness about the injustices of the system, and who advocates possible solutions, either personal or systemic, for the problems thereof.

MGTOW - An acronym for Men Going Their Own Way (see entry)

MRA - An acronym for Men's Rights Advocate (see entry); sometimes confused with Men's Rights Activist (see entry)

Omega - A man who has serious difficulties attracting women of any sort, typically due to major mental, emotional or psychological deficiencies.

Outer Game - Sections of Game Theory that are concerned with behaviors, mannerisms, personality and other external means of interacting, related to male attractiveness.

Patriarch - A Gamer who utilizes Game Theory for the purposes of providing strong male leadership to his wife and children, for the betterment of both his immediate family and society at large.

Pick-Up Artist - A Gamer who utilizes Game Theory for the purposes of meeting and seducing women, with a focus on STRs and one-night stands.

PUA - An acyronym for Pick-Up Artist (see entry)

Relationship Market - Consisting of all men and women who are looking to form a LTR.

Relationship Market Value - The overall relationship-worthiness of a person. Given the multi-faceted nature of life, the criteria for this is broad and is often not easily measurable.

Sexual Market - Consisting of all men and women who are looking for casual sex or a Short-Term Relationship. Popular venues for those in the Sexual Market are: bars, lounges and clubs.

Sexual Market Value - The raw sexual attractiveness of a person, often capable of being communicated and expressed by a numerical value. For women, it is primarily determined by physical appearance and manner of dress. For men, it is primarily determined by social dominance and psycho-sexual prowess. A person's Sexual Market Value is strongly correlated with their potential for success in the Sexual Market.

Short-Term Relationship - Any romantic relationship that is begun with the intention of being non-durable. This includes temporary relationships, casual hook-ups, and friends with benefits arrangements.

SMV - An acronym for Sexual Market Value (see entry)

STR - An acronym for Short-Term Relationship (see entry)

Student of Game - Any person who studies Game Theory or reads the writings of Gamers. (This includes even those who oppose aspects of Game because of moral or personal convictions. This also includes students of all skill levels, from an utter Game neophyte, to an experienced Gamer who continually expands Game Theory and seeks to enhance his mastery of Game.)




Readers: Feel free to offer comments on my definitions and suggestions for other terms that should be added, or for modifications that should be made to certain terms.