Why collaborative storytelling is a meaningless phrase

[Tanarii]

Just because the term means both doesn't mean that the term lacks meaning. It is an umbrella term which encompasses both definitions. Just because both styles are under the same term doesn't mean that the term is meaningless. A car and a motorcycle are both vehicles and clearly two different things. That doesn't mean the word vehicle is meaningless, just meaningless if you are trying to use it to describe the difference between a car and a motorcycle.

But what's happening here is some people saying "but your motorcycle is actually a car". For example:

Speaking of definitions let's take a look at account.

Account: a report or description of an event or experience.

You describe your attempt to perform an action and the GM describes the result. It seems pretty open and shut to me.

No. I establish an attempted, and the GM tells me the results. This establishes the event happens. That is not an account, it's events happening.

You are attempting to define a motorcycle as a car.