Should there be Strict Character Naming Policies to help Immersion for MMORPGs?

Eronakis

MMORPG's for me has always been about logging into a world and experiencing that world through the lens of your character. When I play MMO's I want to experience immersion. One thing that breaks immersion for me is when you see character names that are screen names, not character names.

For an example, Everquest and Vanguard are good examples of where the majority of players have character names over screen names because those players typically took the game serious as if there character was apart of that world. World of Warcraft on the other hand is on the opposite side of the spectrum with more screen names than character names. Of course you can't get every single player to have a character name but it's nice when the majority of the community does. 

So I am curious to see what your thoughts are. If an MMO had a serious tone and wants the player to have the best immersion experience but also eliminating character names that are merely screen names would you be okay with that? 

Kyleran

I'm pretty flexible until I start seeing"vomit face", "Really Big Uns" or outright obscene or hateful names.

Nebless

It all depends on the game.  LotRO, AoC I'd say yes, Auto Assualt doesn't matter.  One problem that always comes up is with long running games where new players complain 'all the names are taken'.  They're really not, but it can seem that way.

k61977

I don't really mid people getting to name their character what they want to as long as it isn't expressively obscene.  There are a couple exceptions in this, like seeing names that have xxxnamexxx.  Personally can't stand that type of thing.  I am sorry if someone else thought of the same name first just think of an alternative.  Don't try and create 100 copies of the same name on servers. People that use special characters in their names never get tells or invited to anything by me because I don't want to sit here trying to figure out how to type in their names either.

The only time I can see invoking a player name restriction for everyone is if it is an RP server then yes it should be restricted.

Distopia

As much as I'd like to see strict rules here across the board, it would probably be more fair to just have servers designated and enforced with RP rules.

Anireth

Eh, if i run into the 6th xx_theKIllEr_legolas_!!11 , it's kind annoying. But just as Nebless said, it depends on the game.

The thing is that many people do not even spend two minutes on character names for a game they may spend thousands of hours on. I almost never run into a name that is taken. The only case i run into somewhat regularly is my standard nick (not this one here), as years after i first came up with it, someone else came up with this name and made it popular. Actually happend twice, both the same name. Not sure if case #1 and #2 are related.

Arawulf

"The biggest threat to immersion is the behavior of other players regardless of their name." - George Washington

Edit: The names should still fit the game imho. I stopped expecting immersion in MMO's a long time ago. I get much more immersed in single player games these days.

Vrika

Free naming makes it a lot easier to recognize and avoid idiots.

dave6660

I turn off the overhead names and any sort of global chat so I rarely have to see other player's names.

Plus the idea of immersion has always been lost on me.  I don't forget I'm playing a game nor do I think I'm a heroic elf ranger.

Sovrath

dave6660 said:

I turn off the overhead names and any sort of global chat so I rarely have to see other player's names.

Plus the idea of immersion has always been lost on me.  I don't forget I'm playing a game nor do I think I'm a heroic elf ranger.

I don't really think that's what Immersion means in this context ( but who knows maybe some people do that).

I think it means being engrossed in what's going on without being pulled outside the game experience and being confronted with something that doesn't seem to work.

It's like watching a movie or play. Obviously you know you are watching a movie/play but you are engrossed in what's going on. If all of a sudden you were to see a car commercial it would pull you out of the experience.

Albatroes

Eh, names don't break my immersion although it is annoying running into 5-10 variants of sephiroth/naruto/ichigo.

Mendel

Arawulf said:

"The biggest threat to immersion is the behavior of other players regardless of their name." - George Washington

Edit: The names should still fit the game imho. I stopped expecting immersion in MMO's a long time ago. I get much more immersed in single player games these days.

I always thought Washington's biggest threat to immersion was standing up in the boat.

Steelhelm

I cracked up when I once saw "LickMeBeaver" running around... Such a legendary character...

Volgore

I'm with the minority that wants a very strict naming policy.

I don't want to run into these stealzrogue, xXxSephirothxXx, IOWNYOO asshats when i'm playing a game to escape from asshattery.

Although i once had to rename a shadowpriest in WoW myself. That was 10 years ago when there were still GMs in the game.

Gyva02

Character names need to be attached to an account number that does not display in the tag above your head in the game world, this way if 2 people wanted to be named John they could be. Inspecting someone should reveal the account number so you don't have to worry about impostors. This way everyone gets the name they want. 

rojoArcueid

WoW has strict yet useless naming policy. No space, only the first letter in caps, no symbols, etc. That is equally immersion breaking when you cant properly spell your character name because you have to follow those rules.

Other games are more flexible while other games dont even let you add  proper accents(tilde) to the vowels so your character names always feel fake within that world.

From all the mmos i've played i like the naming policy GW(and GW2), FFXIV, and ESO(PC only). Unfortunately on PS4 (where i play it mainly) ESO naming policy is garbage always showing PSN ID instead of character name. I think they now let you show both names together above your character, instead of only showing the character name.

I voted for having both options because when im following the story i care about my character's name, but then im having fun with friends and not doing story stuff i don't mind rolling a character with a more relaxed name.

waynejr2

Only if I am the only person who approves these names otherwise no.

drivec

whats the difference from a screen name and character name. I play so much that people call me by my ign more so then my real life name I thought about changing it or incorporating it into my real life id.


I think the way you guys are thinking to unrealistic. Unless you want to see 1 out of every 20 person to have similar names and thats just boring. 

unless you are playing a simulator I think you are finding that players names are the least of your worries when it comes to breaking immersion.

I do think that games could have rp servers where things such as names are stricter then normal. but I think its important that you are all in with the rp or none at all when it comes to rules being enforced.

Talonsin

If I only play a game casually, I tend to have some silly names like "Holden MaGroin".

sunandshadow

I could see a system where free names have to be made from a generator or reel system that only produces names which strictly fit the setting, while a cash shop payment can submit a custom name for moderator review, and they can either approve it or suggest a more fitting variation.

filmoret

My character names usually inspire roleplaying.

"Ima Spanku"  was my last character and well lots of responses.

cameltosis

I've never really understood immersion. Means different things to different people. Psychologists have spent a long time studying it too and going by what they say, it seems to be that someone is "immersed" in media when their thought patterns start referencing the game world directly. 

For example. 

"I'm just gonna head to Bree" is something an immersed player would say when playing LotRO.
"I'm just gonna take my toon to Bree" is something a non-immersed player would say when playing LotRO.


I think 99% of the time I am not immersed (by this standard), however, if I'm chatting to someone else in game then I do use immersive terminology. 


That said, I have never found character names to break immersion. I often find they have the opposite effect and seeing people with weird and wacky names helps me to connect with the virtual world I'm trying to inhabit. It reminds that I'm playing with real people from around the world and that the game I'm playing has a persistent world that we inhabit together. If everyone had lore-appropriate names, they would become forgettable (to me) and would remind me that I'm playing a game, rather than being in a virtual world. 

That said, I would enjoy slightly more stricter rules on numbers, punctuation etc. I love seeing names like "Ima Spanku", "Holden MaGroin" and other things like that, but I see no point in names like "-=Thief=-" or "InB4Ban". It makes little matter to me, I just prefer proper punctuation and grammar. 

Tzavok

To be honest, i most of the time don't even read the name of the guy i'm killing, so yeah, don't care much about that.

And the guy i remember the most from the time i used to play MMORPGS was this guy named "Calcetin" which is "sock" in Spanish.

The last time i felt immersed in a MMORPG was back in Wrath of the Lich King, after that it was pretty boring, clunky animations, vfx fests, anime style bs, guys wearing 2 tons armor while girls wearing bikinis, terrible lore, easy to steam roll hack and slash games, seriously, the last thing i care about is the names.

LynxJSA

Depends on the game and the focus of the gameplay. Obviously, if it's something like EQ, the last thing to want is to see infantile crap like "Tigole Bitties" running by, but less RP-oriented environments can have looser reigns on the names.

waynejr2

cameltosis said:

I've never really understood immersion. Means different things to different people. Psychologists have spent a long time studying it too and going by what they say, it seems to be that someone is "immersed" in media when their thought patterns start referencing the game world directly. 

For example. 

"I'm just gonna head to Bree" is something an immersed player would say when playing LotRO.
"I'm just gonna take my toon to Bree" is something a non-immersed player would say when playing LotRO.


I think 99% of the time I am not immersed (by this standard), however, if I'm chatting to someone else in game then I do use immersive terminology. 


That said, I have never found character names to break immersion. I often find they have the opposite effect and seeing people with weird and wacky names helps me to connect with the virtual world I'm trying to inhabit. It reminds that I'm playing with real people from around the world and that the game I'm playing has a persistent world that we inhabit together. If everyone had lore-appropriate names, they would become forgettable (to me) and would remind me that I'm playing a game, rather than being in a virtual world. 

That said, I would enjoy slightly more stricter rules on numbers, punctuation etc. I love seeing names like "Ima Spanku", "Holden MaGroin" and other things like that, but I see no point in names like "-=Thief=-" or "InB4Ban". It makes little matter to me, I just prefer proper punctuation and grammar. 

Immersion is often and excuse to not want a game feature.  I also think it is a choice you make.  You choose to be immersed.   If you can ignore that you are using a keyboard and mouse that little game feature you hate shouldn't "break your immersion".  haha

rodingo

I think some kind of enforcement would be nice but like others said, it depends on the game. 

There are two instances of stupid names that I can remember.  First was in SWG in which one of the first player jedi on my server named his toon XxclownxX.  It was one thing that SOE put player jedi into the game and the other was someone made a name that just rubbed me the wrong way.  That's what made me switch from Master Smuggler and mix of other various profession skills to increase my in game business and money making scheme to a Master BH/TK so I could hunt that idiot. I never did get him on the mission terminals though.  Still felt good to kill other player jedi though.

The other was a gnome rogue in WoW named Stabby McStabStab.  No little soliloquy associated with that one other than the mix of that name and the race really annoyed me for some reason.