It’s finally here – an organisation to accommodate all players who oppose expurgation. Welcome to WordGamers International!
WordGamers International (WGI) is a gathering of like minds, motivated by WESPA’s decision to back game manufacturers over players. The tipping point was the dictionary issue. All countries, when asked about allowing an expurgation of some 400 words from the default international lexicon, gave a resounding ‘no’. Yet WESPA went ahead and backed expurgation anyway. Then they denied ratings to countries that wanted to keep the lexical status quo.
It was very clear that WESPA was no longer acting for the benefit of players.
So this new organisation is founded on a very simple concept: “by the players, for the players”. Everything we do takes account of players’ wishes and interests.
It starts with the rating of tournaments (internationals, national champs and elite, Masters-type events) that WESPA won’t rate.
Simultaneously we are revisiting the international word source from a player perspective. We have a highly experienced ‘words group’ looking at ways to expand – not diminish – our lexicon. Supporting countries and organisation may be able to contribute to this process too. This new word source will be called the International English Lexicon (IEL). We hope it’ll come to be the definitive, go-to lexicon for all wordgamers.
Keep watching this space …
Howard Warner
I let GVA know about this group, copying and pasting the ‘about’ info on your website. One member asked, ‘Re “unexpurgated word list”. Does that mean any word you make up is cool?
Thanks for spreading the message, Margi. And no, tournament players don’t make up words. We use words from Collins Scrabble Words, 2019 edition, which is collated by lexicographers.
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