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General: Naming Your MMO Baby

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129

There's no question that most of us identify with our online MMO characters. To that end, the name we choose generally -means- something to us. In a new editorial today, we take a look at how and why we name our 'babies' as we do. Read on!

Starting a new MMORPG is one of my favorite things, because this is a time when you get to be really creative if you want to. After selecting your perfect look, deciding between those last two hair styles or armor pieces that will top off the image you want to project of your brand new superhero, spy, bounty hunter, elf, or giant feline, is naming your character. Do you use the random generators? Not care much and just take whatever’s available? Come up with a jokey moniker? Reuse the name you’ve been using since your MUD days in 1996? Or are you like me and invest time and thought into each character’s name based upon multiple factors?

Read more of Christina Gonzalez's Naming Your MMO Baby.

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Comments

  • LustmordLustmord Member UncommonPosts: 1,114

    Was your characters name Morgase?

  • thamighty213thamighty213 Member UncommonPosts: 1,637

    I support Middlesboro FC (for sins in a past life),  boro fans get nicknamed smoggies,  as the only boro fan in my town I have been called Smog or Smoggy most of my life.

     

    My mmo names are always,  Smog, Smogg, Smoggy, Smoggles etc etc just my nicknames in RL really.

  • DrSpankyDrSpanky Member Posts: 341

    Sometimes use a random generator sometimes I sit and think about it. Depends on how up to the task I feel when creating a character. Sometimes I use words or portions of words from random things sitting on my computer desk.

    It's a proven historical fact that beer saved humankind.

  • SkillCosbySkillCosby Member Posts: 684

    So the ultimate question: "Why do people use stupid names like "pizzadeliveryguy"?

    I honestly have no idea. But I agree that it is an immersion breaker. Moreover, these "funny" names aren't even funny. They are just stupid. When I see a name as such, I honestly think that the owner of that character is stupid.



     

  • KellerKeller Member UncommonPosts: 602

    Mine is Keller. When first and last name are present, Keller is the last name. Due to the nature of this name, I always pick a human race.

  • nyxxisnyxxis Member Posts: 62

    I am the same way when it comes to naming my chars. I have never and will never name my chars something like Pwner69 or LeeTNooBSlayeR. To me it shows a complete lack of intelligence and imo points to people that are still holding a grudge from when they found out santa wasnt real.

    Why even play an RPG if you choose to name your chars with such a mindless lack of imagination? I have played MMORPGs since the days of UO and AC and have seen way to many names like that. In my experiance people that give so little thought to naming their chars and use names that basiclly fill that need to mark their own self worth, are the first ones to wipe a raid or group run, or not heal someone(the list goes on) all because they believe they are the better at whatever they do and it couldnt possibly be their fault for the failure.

    Though I do personally love clever names and will always give pass and compliment to people that spend the time to come up with them. Gotta love a Ched Hur or Yoh Duh!

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    All Murlocs must die horrible, painful, bloody deaths!

  • LustmordLustmord Member UncommonPosts: 1,114

    Originally posted by precious328

     

    So the ultimate question: "Why do people use stupid names like "pizzadeliveryguy"?





    I honestly have no idea. But I agree that it is an immersion breaker. Moreover, these "funny" names aren't even funny. They are just stupid. When I see a name as such, I honestly think that the owner of that character is stupid.

     


    Originally posted by precious328

    I honestly have no idea. But I agree that it is an immersion breaker. Moreover, these "funny" names aren't even funny. They are just stupid. When I see a name as such, I honestly think that the owner of that character is stupid.






     


    Originally posted by precious328

    They are just stupid. When I see a name as such, I honestly think that the owner of that character is stupid.






     






    Originally posted by precious328

    They are just stupid

     

    Originally posted by precious328

     

     stupid

     

     

     



     





     


     

  • SkillCosbySkillCosby Member Posts: 684

    lol. There is a lot of stupid in that reply.

  • WhiteLanternWhiteLantern Member RarePosts: 3,306

    I've always turned to my collection of Dennis Mckiernan books for inspiration for characther names in fantasy games.

    Sometimes, I use Japanese names if my character needs to feel "exotic".

    My TOR character is named after a lesser-known GI Joe.

    My DCUO character has the only wholly-original charcter name I've ever come up with. It's based on his civilian background (which is based off of mine) and his powers.

     

     

    I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil

  • astoriaastoria Member UncommonPosts: 1,677

    I tend to do some research so that my name conforms to the lore. For example, in SWTOR and in SWG most of my characters had names based on Quechua or Aymara, the south american languages that Huttese was loosely based on.

     

    "Never met a pack of humans that were any different. Look at the idiots that get elected every couple of years. You really consider those guys more mature than us? The only difference between us and them is, when they gank some noobs and take their stuff, the noobs actually die." - Madimorga

  • TyratopsTyratops Member Posts: 98

    I only skimmed through this article, but wasn't this pretty much covered by Coyote last week?

  • SkillCosbySkillCosby Member Posts: 684

    Originally posted by WhiteLantern

    I've always turned to my collection of Dennis Mckiernan books for inspiration for characther names in fantasy games.

    Sometimes, I use Japanese names if my character needs to feel "exotic".

    My TOR character is named after a lesser-known GI Joe.

    My DCUO character has the only wholly-original charcter name I've ever come up with. It's based on his civilian background (which is based off of mine) and his powers.

     

     


     

    What GI Joe? I NEED TO KNOW!!

  • 77lolmac7777lolmac77 Member UncommonPosts: 492
    You'd hate my character names, most of them are after rappers

    or along the lines of my main, Eyesmokeganj
  • SkillCosbySkillCosby Member Posts: 684

    Originally posted by 77lolmac77

    You'd hate my character names, most of them are after rappers



    or along the lines of my main, Eyesmokeganj


     

    lol. To be perfectly honest, you are certainly the worst. Haha.

  • 77lolmac7777lolmac77 Member UncommonPosts: 492
    I want names that people will remember though. Instead of being lore-inspired name #420,024 Id rather have a name that people will see and go "hey, I remeber seeing that guy before" especially in PvP.

    I wouldnt roll on an RP server with names like that so I dont see anything wrong with it.
  • WhiteLanternWhiteLantern Member RarePosts: 3,306

    Originally posted by precious328



    Originally posted by WhiteLantern



    I've always turned to my collection of Dennis Mckiernan books for inspiration for characther names in fantasy games.

    Sometimes, I use Japanese names if my character needs to feel "exotic".

    My TOR character is named after a lesser-known GI Joe.

    My DCUO character has the only wholly-original charcter name I've ever come up with. It's based on his civilian background (which is based off of mine) and his powers.

     

     






     

    What GI Joe? I NEED TO KNOW!!

    Lifeline

    I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil

  • Hopscotch73Hopscotch73 Member UncommonPosts: 971

    I take mine from writers, movies and artists, generally.

    I have kind of offbeat tastes in books and movies, so I rarely find my names have been taken.

    My main's first name came from a writer, my legacy name came from a character in a play, and my alt's name came from one of the first science fiction movies (well, the first that I know of, from 1924). Yeesh, that all sounds rather pretentious, but at least the names weren't taken!

    Oddly, despite the above I don't really care about what anyone else calls their characters, just what I call my own. I only ever reported a name once and that name was 'Sucmabalz', and I mostly reported it for sheer idiocy.

  • SkillCosbySkillCosby Member Posts: 684

    Originally posted by WhiteLantern

    Originally posted by precious328



    Originally posted by WhiteLantern

    I've always turned to my collection of Dennis Mckiernan books for inspiration for characther names in fantasy games.

    Sometimes, I use Japanese names if my character needs to feel "exotic".

    My TOR character is named after a lesser-known GI Joe.

    My DCUO character has the only wholly-original charcter name I've ever come up with. It's based on his civilian background (which is based off of mine) and his powers.

     

     






     

    What GI Joe? I NEED TO KNOW!!

    Lifeline


     

    Violence??!!  No!!!!!!!!

  • SkillCosbySkillCosby Member Posts: 684

    Originally posted by 77lolmac77

    I want names that people will remember though. Instead of being lore-inspired name #420,024 Id rather have a name that people will see and go "hey, I remeber seeing that guy before" especially in PvP.



    I wouldnt roll on an RP server with names like that so I dont see anything wrong with it.


     

    To be honest, the roleplaying names are much easier for me to remember. I've seen so much "thug4life", "gankenstein, and "legolazz" that I can't tell the difference anymore.

  • bugse82bugse82 Member UncommonPosts: 184

    i usualy use these:

    http://rinkworks.com/namegen/

    http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20010208b

    http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-name.php

    sometimes, mostly in games i just try or not taking too serious, i use something with lot of 'X' and numbers in it for fun... :)



     

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  • astoriaastoria Member UncommonPosts: 1,677

    Originally posted by 77lolmac77

    You'd hate my character names, most of them are after rappers



    or along the lines of my main, Eyesmokeganj

    You should use Tupac in Star Wars so you can get in some epic nerd-ups-man-ship when someone calls you out for having an inappropriate name. (Tupac was named after an Inca king,  Huttese is based on Inca languages)

    "Never met a pack of humans that were any different. Look at the idiots that get elected every couple of years. You really consider those guys more mature than us? The only difference between us and them is, when they gank some noobs and take their stuff, the noobs actually die." - Madimorga

  • TruthXHurtsTruthXHurts Member UncommonPosts: 1,555

    I have had so many names over the years. I usually try to come up with something clever that fits into the type of game I'm playing. I want it to fit the character also. My name on Tribes was SniperCSniperDo, My FFA PVP game characters are usually named Legion or Seppuku. I am Dontaze_Mebro on PS3 network. SO look me up, and do try to be a little creative. Remember names with numbers in them are for pedo's

    "I am not in a server with Gankers...THEY ARE IN A SERVER WITH ME!!!"

  • SputtRosaSputtRosa Member Posts: 18

    When I was a young child, probably around four or so, my sister was studying Russian. It's one of my first childhood memories, the time when she looked at me with a smile and said, "Sputnik means 'travel companion' in Russian. We'll be travel companions in life, so you're my Sputnik." Fix the spelling a bit to fit English and, as always happens with nicknames, it got shortened over time, to Sputt. I had already used it outside of games in the early 90s, but it didn't stick until I competed in Quake when it was new (so, late 96?).

    Alt names are trickier. Usually I end up using a word in my native tongue, a word that has the quality of whatever I'm playing. A tank could be "the brick", a mesmer/enchanter could be "pretending". a fire mage could be "sizzle", etc.

    Oh.. I do have a name that amuses me to no end, and it translates loosely to "honey", "darling" or "loved one". Whenever I log in and guild chat scrolls by as "Hi, Honey!" or "wb, Darling", it cracks me up. Positive reinforcement, right?

     

    (mind you, I don't speak Russian and the translation she used for sputnik could be wrong - it doesn't matter any more)

  • onelesslightonelesslight Member UncommonPosts: 161

    Well, I too hate immersion-breaking names, but there is one awesome name in SWTOR I've seen - "Steakhouse." And all his/her characters are named different types of steak. I lol'd.

  • RolanStormRolanStorm Member UncommonPosts: 198

    100% with author on immersion breaker names. I understand that some people couldn't care less how their characters named. But it still hurts the eye. Mos Quito and Steakhouse excluded, of course. :) Clever and/or humorous is adorable. :)

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