Flashlight vs Torch

[arj0n]

Officially a 'portable battery powered handheld electric lamp' is referred to as a Flashlight in the US while English-speaking countries seem to refer to it as a Torch.
This is odd, because I as a European living close to the UK location-wise (The Netherlands) refer to this as a flashlight. To me a torch is a burning stick.

I'm working on a game that has a 'portable battery powered handheld electric lamp' as item.
Question: what would be the best naming to use as players can be from any country: a flashlight or a torch?

[Frodo]

I'm in the UK, and I refer to it as a torch.
It doesn't flash, so it can't be a flashlight.   

[arj0n]

It doesn't flash, so it can't be a flashlight. 

You don't torch it so it can't be a torch 

[Cassiebsg]

I think, like me, you use Flashlight cause it's the term we're used to see/hear in US films/shows/games. As soon as it's British it becomes a "torch"...

I think the "flash" part of the name, it's not because it flashes, but referencing the immediate light turning on (just like a flash flood, doesn't flash either, but it's immediate/sudden). I'm just speculating, not something I know for sure.   

[lapsking]

I'm from Iran and I think these days American English is more common and more popular worldwide, thanks to loads of American movies, games and music. I used to play games since I was 7 and I learned lots of English words from games by Lucas Arts, Sierra, Westwood, ID software and they were all American English. Later  most of music I listened in teenage days were American too. Not fan of Hollywood movies, but I think they are most popular and domain the market worldwide. I mainly use American English in my speaking and games but if I prefer a British word or sland I don't mind using it like bullocks. Sometimes there is more sense of humour in arse rather than ass. But I usually prefer color and humor to colour and humour.

[arj0n]

Ok, seems flashlight is a better name to go with. Thanx everybody.

[Frodo]

I think the "flash" part of the name, it's not because it flashes, but referencing the immediate light turning on (just like a flash flood, doesn't flash either, but it's immediate/sudden). I'm just speculating, not something I know for sure.   

A lightbulb is not called a flashlightbulb, even though the light you see when turned on is immediate.   

[Ponch]

A lightbulb is not called a flashlightbulb, even though the light you see when turned on is immediate. 

You lost, Frodo. Now start using the words "soccer" and "gasoline." Abandon the metric system! Embrace Fahrenheit! Yee haw!

Also, flashlights used to have a button that allowed you to blink or flash them, for signaling others in code.

[Matti]

Also, flashlights used to have a button that allowed you to blink or flash them, for signaling others in code.

What do you mean by "used to"? It's quite common and I immediately thought about that

Funny though, I didn't even know that it's called torch in British. American words are indeed better known in most countries I guess.

Embrace Fahrenheit!

I'm just glad to see you survived the -40° Celsius you had in that crazy winter storm!

[Ponch]

I'm just glad to see you survived the -40° Celsius you had in that crazy winter storm!

It was horrendous! Ice!* Snow!* Failures of the electrical grid! Cold lasagna for Christmas dinner! It's a wonder I survived it! The wind was howling at 10,000 decimeters per kilo-hour and the temperature was easily 20 degrees below absolute zero!** The only thing that kept me going was my trusty electric torch and my rugged American indifference to that World Cup thing that they were talking about on the Mexican radio station.

I hope you're thankful to be in the tropical paradise of Berlin, where the warm trade winds blow!***

----------------
* Small, but scientifically detectable trace amounts of each! It was ghastly! *
** Conversions to the metric system are approximate but probably reliable.
*** Geographic knowledge also approximated.

[lapsking]

Yes if your players are from the United States, the Liberia or the Cayman Islands you might also want to use Fahrenheit, but you'll make the rest of 8 billion players a tad confused.

[Ponch]

Yes... you might also want to use Fahrenheit [!]

Yes! Absolutely! Embrace Fahrenheit! And pints! Be sure to measure all the available inventory space in pints! 

[lapsking]

Oh, pint, thanks I learned a new English word. I heard a pint of beer before but always thought it's a kind of mug or something!

[arj0n]

stone, another weird one 

[lapsking]

Stone is as weird as pound. But still if your players are from the U.S., Liberia and Myanmar you might want to use pound for measuring weight. Now embrace Parasang! Thank God we abandoned it.

[Darth Mandarb]

You should make the name of the object a dynamic variable based on the country the player chose.

Or maybe when they start the game show a picture of a flashlight and have them pick the name they prefer.

Or just call it a flashlight as calling it a torch is dumb.

[heltenjon]

Everyone's favourite super hero is the Human Torch, right?

Spoiler

[close]

[arj0n]

Or just call it a flashlight as calling it a torch is dumb.

  amen

[Matti]

I hope you're thankful to be in the tropical paradise of Berlin, where the warm trade winds blow!***

Well, it's mild 10°* and quite rainy, so I guess it's somehow tropical!**

*Celsius!
** approximate understanding of what tropical weather means

[Stupot]

"Torch" isn't such a dumb word. It may be an electric hand held lamp but it is a direct descendent of the old flame on a stick. Presumably when the light bulb was invented it wasn't long before somebody stuck one to a stick and used it in the same way they had previously been using a flame. They probably called it 'an electric torch' for a while to distinguish it from the flame version, but eventually the word 'electric' was dropped as they became ubiquitous.