Credit where it’s due: I got the idea from a stranger on the internet. Thanks, stranger!
What’s wrong with calling it friendslop?
I dunno, what’s wrong with calling it friendherpes?
Look, I get it. You get together with your friends for some disposable, 4-player co-op, low price point, low investment, often janky, game of the week. “Friendslop” kind of fits. But “slop” implies low quality and low effort, like somebody just threw something together like I do with my appearance when I wake up and realize I’m out of coffee and need to make a caffeine-free trip to the grocery.
But even the jankiest games are still made with passion and care. Devs like to say that any game that ships is a small miracle. I’m not going to weigh in on divine intervention and production practices, but I WILL tell you that you can’t ship a game without a whole lot of effort. Tiny teams and solo devs especially can spend years pouring their hearts into a project. Personally I would never look one of those devs in the eye and call their game “slop,” even if I hated everything about it. There’s also the similarity to “AI slop,” which many of those devs would find outright offensive.
Why Friendcore?
Sure, there are other suggestions floating out there. I like friendcore because it sounds similar enough to friendslop that people might understand what I’m talking about even if they’ve only ever heard it called friendslop.
But Gretchen, No One Will Know What You’re Talking About!
1. My friends will.
2. I will not have to hear myself say “friendslop.”
3. Kitty!
