What's in
the Game Name?

Frivolous, rude and counter-productive, games undermine the idea that computers are a morally superior alternative to TV. And parents who are being persuaded to spend fortunes on multimedia computers don't want to think that what they're buying is an overpriced videogame console. So multimedia firms will find the most remarkable circumlocutions to avoid admitting that games are in fact what they are selling.

The software shelves are packed with "simulation environments," "creativity tools," "interactive adventures" and "edutainment products." Scratch the surface of most of them and you'll find watered-down games -- games sapped of their pleasures by an overload of information or a shortage of anarchy.

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