The French language watchdog has advised government personnel to use French gaming words rather than English ones. According to the Académie Française, "jeu video de compétition" should replace "e-sports," and "streamer" should be replaced by "joueur-animateur en direct." According to the French Culture Ministry, Anglicisms are a "barrier to understanding." However, gamers have slammed the ban, with one calling it "absolutely stupid."
France frequently warns of the "debasement" of its language by imported English words. Another official translation for "cloud gaming" is "jeu video en nuage." Cardinal Richelieu established the Académie Française in 1635 as the official keeper of the French language. The forty Académie members even have their own lavishly embroidered attire, replete with a ceremonial sword - an outfit that wouldn't be out of place in a game like Assassin's Creed Unity from 2014.
The institution has long fought against the infiltration of English words into French, which technology has frequently facilitated However, as the news site Thelocal.fr pointed out, a prior attempt to replace "le wifi" with "l'accès sans fil à internet" failed. On Twitter, one gamer opposed the latest ruling, writing: "I'm French and I find this absolutely ridiculous, nobody will ever use those terms. This type of ban is completely pointless."