You could call it, "Toys and Games", or if you count card and board games as toys and video games seperate it could be called "Toys and Video Games". Or to be more encompassing, maybe "Toys, Video Games and More".
Maybe it's good most of the video game community went elsewhere. If they heard this suggestion, they would lose their minds.
Video games are a creative medium distinct from toys. It's true the medium has some shared history with toys-- Nintendo made toys when it first started out, for example-- and for a long time, they were considered recreation and entertainment for children, just like toys were. However, over the years, things have changed. Video games have become more complex, more artistic, and more diverse in nature.
It used to be that games were as simple as bouncing a ball across a screen or jumping over platforms or running around a maze. Games can still be that today-- and that's fine, great even-- but in addition, you have sprawling games with massive fantasy worlds and their own detailed lore; you have games which pose an ethical question and challenge your view on right and wrong; you have games with interesting characters and dramatic or funny stories to tell; you have games which put you into a the shoes of a person of another culture and invite you to see the world as they do.
This is all to varying degrees of success. But even if they fail, they invite discussion. Like novels and movies, many modern games have a story to tell and a theme to get across to the person engaged in them. Even meathead shooters like Call of Duty have a message, though it's debatable how positive a message it is. But that's just it--
it's debatable.
A Nerf football is just a Nerf football. It's a football made of foam. You throw it around and catch it.
Ah, that might be reductive. I wouldn't mind seeing a Nerf football thread. You could discuss the different designs and patterns, that stupid missile attachment, and share fond memories of playing Nerf with your friends and bask in the nostalgia. You could certainly have a good conversation with somebody provided you had adequate Nerf knowledge. I don't think it is a bad idea at all.
And I also don't want to come off as badmouthing toys. Toys are great. I think there is a lot of craft and artistry in toys.
It's just that it's a different sort of artistry. Toys don't belong in the Video Games section any more than they belong in the Film General or the Music boards. Until Mr. Bucket has an elaborate backstory and slowly changes over time-- perhaps goes through a messy divorce-- I think that should remain the case.