Ameritrash

English

Etymology

Blend of American +‎ trash. The board game sense was originally used by Eurogame fans to deride American-style board games, but was later adopted by fans of these games.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Noun

Ameritrash pl (plural only)

1. (slang, derogatory, ethnic slur) American people viewed as stupid or contemptible.
   • 1986 December, Ellis Weiner, “The Last Working Stiff”, in Spy, page 50:

     These individuals, either by birth or marriage, have acquired trust fund wings, which permit them to defy the law of economic gravity that rules everyone else. They are Ameritrash.

   • 2003, Steve Johnson, "An 'SNL' to make you wish you lived in Iowa, Chicago Tribune, 8 December 2003:

     Ameritrash heiress and, now, reality-TV star Paris Hilton coming on to mock her Internet sex tape was funny, until Fallon's winking performance pushed the dialogue past sly innuendo and into sophomoric overkill.

   • 2004, David Brooks, On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 19:

     Late at night in these neighborhoods, you find the Ameritrash, the club-happy, E-popping, pacifier-sucking people who live in a world of gold teeth caps, colorful scarfwear, […]

Noun

Ameritrash (uncountable)

1. (board games, sometimes derogatory) A genre of board games predominant in the United States, characterized by a high degree of luck, longer playtimes, player conflict, and highly developed, often dramatic themes, especially involving war or adventure.
   • 2012, Keith Burgun, Game Design Theory: A New Philosophy for Understanding Games, CRC Press, published 2013, →ISBN, page 55:

     It's worth noting that Ameritrash games seem to have the most in common with modern video games: heavily thematic experiences with a big focus on production values.

   • 2012, Scott Rogers, Swipe This!: The Guide to Great Touchscreen Game Design, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 231:

     Ameritrash players like to play games with lots of dice, blind luck and space marines fighting zombies.

   • 2014, James Stubbs, “Traditional Board Games: From Ameritrash to Eurogames”, in Julie Scordato, Ellen Forsyth, editors, Teen Games Rule!: A Librarian's Guide to Platforms and Programs, ABC-CLIO, →ISBN, page 72:

     Risk and Monopoly are the poster children of Ameritrash.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:Ameritrash.

See also

• Eurogame