Naming Characters In Online Games
Names are the first thing you notice about other players in online games. We all make snap judgements based on those names. Funny name? Fun-going person! Stupid name? Oxygen thief. Serious name? Hard to say. Could be a regular person, or maybe a hardcore RPer. It’s harder to judge this kind of name. Of course, judging a book by its cover and all that is bad. Except for the people with offensive names (anti-Semitic, racist, homophobic, etc) who should just be ignored completely.
Creative Naming Choices
Some people like to go over-the-top creative with their names. While it may not be for me, seeing these names is one of my favorite things. I remember seeing the name ‘Ocelotsexyhot’ and just laughing. Funny ha-ha names are great. Pets are also a source of inspiration. I’ve named some of my characters after my own pets. My characters in Wildstar and Guild Wars 2 both have pet-inspired names. Science is probably another of the big naming sources. Rocks, plants, and other fields have had their legacy digitized by you and I.
Offensive and vulgar names have zero place in games. I avoid these people at all costs. Friends don’t let friends game stupid. Be a friend.
My Personal Naming Mantra
Names are an important part in MMOs to me. I want a ‘serious’ name most of the time. My name has to sound original, and not copy a name from some other intellectual property. I have gone to the silly side with names in Wildstar, but Wildstar is a silly game. It fits. I also try to use different names across different games. Especially in MMORPGs. I feel like my characters each have their own legacy, and I don’t want just one legacy for myself. I used to be a roleplayer, so it was very important to keep things separate. Some of that has stuck with me I guess, so I still do it some today. I literally never decide what name I want to use until the exact moment I have to submit it.
Creation Of Names
Most often, I hit the randomizer in game, and then change it around. Add a letter, take away, and/or replace. Once I settle on a name, i’ll Google it to make sure it’s unique. If nothing comes up, I’m golden! I see lots of people sticking to the same name, game after game. That way if you see that name in another game, you know it’s probably your friend from the last game. Other people just hit randomize, and go with it. The name isn’t important to them for whatever reason.
How Do You Name Yourself?
There is a difference in naming a character, and naming a player. In Star Wars: The Old Republic, you name your characters. In Heroes of the Storm, you name the player. It’s a small distinction, maybe, but it’s logical. Whatever process you use to name your digital self(s), i’d like to know! Share your own naming process, or a memorable name you saw once. Coming up with names can be hard, so you might just help someone out.
I have always used the same name. I got it years and years ago, while playing tabletop D&D. Was playing a paladin and I had a unicorn mount named something close to Iriandrial (was told I spelled it wrong when I chose it as a game name, but by then it was set solid). Actually most of my names (like alts in Wow or whatnot) came from names I used in D&D. It’s always been useful to have the same name, since we used to migrate from game to game as a pack, and the recognition is easier. Plus I hate trying to come up with a name( Diablo 3 Witch Doctor name is DumbWD). I tend to also have the first name I know someone by stuck in my head forever. It’s one of the reason I call you Kere, even though you change names like underwear.
I played the same names in WoW for 7 years. If you’re implying I only change underwear every 7 years…!!!!??
Well first there was Akallalolol, the Kerelious, then in Star Wars you went to Traitine, now it’s Constant Warfare. Maybe you had the same name in wow, but you’ve made up for it here lately. =D