diff --git a/THEMES.md b/THEMES.md
index 92f1090b5..ec7edb0b0 100644
--- a/THEMES.md
+++ b/THEMES.md
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ Here is a very simple theme that changes the description text's color:
 
 ```xml
 <theme>
-	<version>3</version>
+	<formatVersion>3</formatVersion>
 	<view name="detailed">
 		<text name="description">
 			<color>00FF00</color>
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ How it works
 
 Everything must be inside a `<theme>` tag.
 
-**The `<version>` tag *must* be specified**.  This is the version of the theming system the theme was designed for.  The current version is 3.
+**The `<formatVersion>` tag *must* be specified**.  This is the version of the theming system the theme was designed for.  The current version is 3.
 
 
 
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ You can include theme files within theme files, similar to `#include` in C (thou
 `~/.emulationstation/all_themes.xml`:
 ```xml
 <theme>
-	<version>3</version>
+	<formatVersion>3</formatVersion>
 	<view name="detailed">
 		<text name="description">
 			<fontPath>./all_themes/myfont.ttf</fontPath>
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ You can include theme files within theme files, similar to `#include` in C (thou
 `~/.emulationstation/snes/theme.xml`:
 ```xml
 <theme>
-	<version>3</version>
+	<formatVersion>3</formatVersion>
 	<include>./../all_themes.xml</include>
 	<view name="detailed">
 		<text name="description">
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ You can include theme files within theme files, similar to `#include` in C (thou
 Is equivalent to this `snes/theme.xml`:
 ```xml
 <theme>
-	<version>3</version>
+	<formatVersion>3</formatVersion>
 	<view name="detailed">
 		<text name="description">
 			<fontPath>./all_themes/myfont.ttf</fontPath>
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ Is equivalent to this `snes/theme.xml`:
 </theme>
 ```
 
-Notice that properties that were not specified got merged (`<fontPath>`) and the `snes/theme.xml` could overwrite the included files' values (`<color>`).  Also notice the included file still needed the `<version>` tag.
+Notice that properties that were not specified got merged (`<fontPath>`) and the `snes/theme.xml` could overwrite the included files' values (`<color>`).  Also notice the included file still needed the `<formatVersion>` tag.
 
 
 
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ Sometimes you want to apply the same properties to the same elements across mult
 
 ```xml
 <theme>
-	<version>3</version>
+	<formatVersion>3</formatVersion>
 	<view name="basic, grid, system">
 		<image name="logo">
 			<path>./snes_art/snes_header.png</path>
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ Sometimes you want to apply the same properties to the same elements across mult
 This is equivalent to:
 ```xml
 <theme>
-	<version>3</version>
+	<formatVersion>3</formatVersion>
 	<view name="basic">
 		<image name="logo">
 			<path>./snes_art/snes_header.png</path>
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ You can theme multiple elements *of the same type* simultaneously.  The `name` a
 
 ```xml
 <theme>
-    <version>3</version>
+    <formatVersion>3</formatVersion>
     <view name="detailed">
     	<!-- Weird spaces/newline on purpose! -->
     	<text name="md_lbl_rating, md_lbl_releasedate, md_lbl_developer, md_lbl_publisher, 
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ You can theme multiple elements *of the same type* simultaneously.  The `name` a
 Which is equivalent to:
 ```xml
 <theme>
-    <version>3</version>
+    <formatVersion>3</formatVersion>
     <view name="detailed">
     	<text name="md_lbl_rating">
     		<color>48474D</color>
diff --git a/src/ThemeData.cpp b/src/ThemeData.cpp
index cd3ee320e..513a26c8c 100644
--- a/src/ThemeData.cpp
+++ b/src/ThemeData.cpp
@@ -86,8 +86,8 @@ std::map< std::string, ElementMapType > ThemeData::sElementMap = boost::assign::
 
 namespace fs = boost::filesystem;
 
-#define MINIMUM_THEME_VERSION 3
-#define CURRENT_THEME_VERSION 3
+#define MINIMUM_THEME_FORMAT_VERSION 3
+#define CURRENT_THEME_FORMAT_VERSION 3
 
 // helper
 unsigned int getHexColor(const char* str)
@@ -164,12 +164,12 @@ void ThemeData::loadFile(const std::string& path)
 		throw error << "Missing <theme> tag!";
 
 	// parse version
-	mVersion = root.child("version").text().as_float(-404);
+	mVersion = root.child("formatVersion").text().as_float(-404);
 	if(mVersion == -404)
-		throw error << "<version> tag missing!\n   It's either out of date or you need to add <version>" << CURRENT_THEME_VERSION << "</version> inside your <theme> tag.";
+		throw error << "<formatVersion> tag missing!\n   It's either out of date or you need to add <formatVersion>" << CURRENT_THEME_FORMAT_VERSION << "</formatVersion> inside your <theme> tag.";
 
-	if(mVersion < MINIMUM_THEME_VERSION)
-		throw error << "Theme is version " << mVersion << ". Minimum supported version is " << MINIMUM_THEME_VERSION << ".";
+	if(mVersion < MINIMUM_THEME_FORMAT_VERSION)
+		throw error << "Theme uses format version " << mVersion << ". Minimum supported version is " << MINIMUM_THEME_FORMAT_VERSION << ".";
 
 	parseIncludes(root);
 	parseViews(root);