Change the name of the scrub page?: Scrub

The Scrub page has a definition completely different from the one used by gaming communities; although this page says that a scrub is basically a Stop Having Fun Guy with House Rules, the actual gaming definition basically means that it's a synonym of noob, given a specific context, as in "a player who sucks at the game (presumably because he/she button-mashes by "scrubbing" the controller)." I don't know which is the original definition, though I'm likely to believe the later because the etymology makes sense, but what's important is the one currently being used.

What should we do about the page? I suggest renaming and rewriting it (I can take care of the writing part myself) because the trope is certainly worth mentioning, but it just doesn't apply to the word "scrub." We should direct the term "scrub" to the noob page and explain the distinction there.

edited 5th Jan '12 3:49:07 PM by Amagicalbadger

A) When you create a new Trope Repair Shop thread, the text box for "article" should have just the article title (and namespace, if it's not Main) and nothing else. So it should just say "Scrub", not "Definition of a Scrub". I'll holler for a mod to fix that.

B) The term is used differently by different people. The one we're using here is the one popularized by the Playing to Win articles by Sirlin. I think the whole series is a load of crap, but that's the version of "scrub" we're using here.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.

You don't need a mod to fix the tag. Just use the button at the top of the thread, next to "see the stale discussions report." I've fixed it.

As Native Jovian points out, the term "Scrub" is used differently by different people. So...eh. *shrug*

Rhymes with "Protracted."

Huh. Well, I learned something today!

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.

A scrub is not "a SHFG with house rules", and if the page says so, we need to change it.

A SFHG is someone who wants all other players to use the best options/characters/strategies available, and considers anyone who doesn't do so a noob or loser. He wants to win, and demands that everybody else also plays to win.

A Scrub is someone who wants to play fair, has a rather arbitrary standard of what is considered "fair", and expects everybody else to also adhere to this standard; those that don't he considers a cheater. The standard may include banning certain characters, using house rules, and so forth; it frequently means that "fair" is "the strategy I like", and "cheating" is "everything that beats that strategy".

The SHFG understands the game well; the scrub generally does not. Neither understands the other players well.

Rhetorical, eh? ... Eight!

Yep, that's a good summary.

Rhymes with "Protracted."

Wait, so, is the page definition wrong, or is this thread asking for a rename? The thread title says "change the name of", but the posts are talking about definition...

something

The OP wanted to change the name because he had always seen scrub used differently than we use it. We're talking about the definition because different groups of people use it differently.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.

His best friend's, not my.

Anwya, so, rename, or clean definition?

something

Spark 9, you're missing the point. You're summarizing what is on the page, rather than what's correct (to some people, anyway). As I have explained, a scrub is entirely different from your definition. With that said, this community shouldn't base a general trope on what a single website dictates.

edited 5th Jan '12 5:47:47 PM by Amagicalbadger

It doesn't sound like it's a webcomic, but we'll need to do a Google and Urban Dictionary check anyway.

For the record, the second definition on UD seems to agree with the OP.

No, I thought it's a webcomic based on the page picture, but I looked into the website and it's actually a guide. Fixed in my post above.

Entirely different from the definition you use. As we've said, there are multiple definitions. The one we're using is one of the more widespread ones — the one from Sirlin's "playing to win" articles. If you Google "scrub gaming" (to separate it from the various other types of scrub, like the type of vegetation and the medical garments), Sirlin's page is the second result (the first is Urban Dictionary). The fact that it's not the definition you're used to doesn't mean it's wrong.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.

Well, I've read the article that this is all based on, and the basic definition seems to be...both...

Bump. Is there something to do here?

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman

I don't think so, no.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.

I must be cruel, but to be kind That bad may begin, and worse be left behind

This is all very amusing, but would you please return to the topic of whether the trope name Scrub is bad enough to warrant changing it, or let me know that this can be locked?

edited 23rd Feb '12 6:58:27 PM by Madrugada

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

The title is terrible because other Real Life uses of "scrub" are far more prevalent. This is Fan Myopia. The article should perhaps be merged into a general article of those player types.

I don't see a case to rename. The article could be called Firefighter but wouldn't be changed if nobody gives a good reason.

edited 23rd Feb '12 7:57:43 PM by rodneyAnonymous

Becky: Who are you? The Mysterious Stranger: An angel. Huck: What's your name? The Mysterious Stranger: Satan.

Primarily the last two.

Scrub: [1]

edited 23rd Feb '12 8:04:42 PM by pawsplay

The next paragraph:

"If you think a name is unclear please be prepared to make substantial arguments and provide substantial evidence that the name is really unclear to actual readers, and that this lack of clarity exists outside your imagination. There are all sorts of ways to do this; you can use a Wick Check, an Inbound Check, Google result analysis or a dictionary, to name a few. Just saying 'this is totally unclear' is not an argument in and of itself."

"The name causes misuse" is a common accusation (often accompanied by a wick check for supporting evidence). Does it cause misuse?

Also the name is not wrong, it just has other definitions too. FWIW that is the one I am most familiar with. Not counting abrasive washing or low trees.

edited 23rd Feb '12 8:33:47 PM by rodneyAnonymous

Becky: Who are you? The Mysterious Stranger: An angel. Huck: What's your name? The Mysterious Stranger: Satan.

To me, a scrub is a type of stereotypic character, one that people got called at my middle school. It is likely familiar to most appreciators of mid 80s to mid 90s hip hop and related musical genres. Howeve, it appears that pointing this out may be "off-topic."