My daughter is named Tali'Zorah. I suppose I'm crazy : )

[EeveeElectro]

D'awww, congrats on the cute little baby! [sub]I still don't want any though[/sub]
It's insane how much this has blown up... it's just a name. All the strange names kids have now, this won't look too out of place. As long as you are loving parents, I don't see much of a problem. I like the name Ruby but if I had a daughter called that, she might not like it so this doesn't seem too different.
She can just go by Tali as well if she wants when she's old enough to decide.

You need to keep hold of all the media stories too, it'll be funny to see when she's older.

 

[JoJo]

Congratulations, she's a little cutie, she looks quite a lot like my younger sister when she was a newborn. On the off-chance that she ends up mysteriously orphaned in the near future, would you mind leaving instructions to have her sent to me?

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

D'awww, congrats on the cute little baby! [sub]I still don't want any though[/sub]
It's insane how much this has blown up... it's just a name. All the strange names kids have now, this won't look too out of place. As long as you are loving parents, I don't see much of a problem. I like the name Ruby but if I had a daughter called that, she might not like it so this doesn't seem too different.
She can just go by Tali as well if she wants when she's old enough to decide.

You need to keep hold of all the media stories too, it'll be funny to see when she's older.

I agree, I had no idea that the Internet at large would really care. I've gotten e-mails, phone calls, all sorts of things that I didn't anticipate at all (especially hearing from Bioware, holyhell?!?). I've already printed out the Mass Effect twitter and a couple of other pages for her baby box, it's kinda surreal but definitely interesting.

 

[NezumiiroKitsune]

I really like that name, it's phonetically pleasing, and the tangential origins are interesting. I'm sure she'll love it. Hopefully one day she gets to play Mass Effect, and adores her namesake as much as many of us did.

Congratulations, and my best wishes on the future (of the Flotilla).

Edit: Bioware approved! Very cool!

 

[NezumiiroKitsune]

I really like that name, it's phonetically pleasing, and the tangential origins are interesting. I'm sure she'll love it. Hopefully one day she gets to play Mass Effect, and adores her namesake as much as many of us did.

Really, really doubt Mass Effect will be relevant at all ten years from now.

So are you going to name your kid Sonic?

I, people I know, and countless people I interact with day to day online, still consider games ten years old and older, still relevant. If they weren't, GOG wouldn't have a business model.

And not at all. However naming your child after a character in a video game is no more nonsensical or cruel, than after a character in literature, in film, or in history. I'm well aware children can be cruel, and difficult names can create some issues, however, ultimately giving into the a culture that alienates and ostracises the different, is being complacent to it.

Tali'Zorah isn't difficult to spell, the apostrophe can be dropped from databases, and I doubt she'll not be too offended if the barista omits it on her morning coffee. Her childhood will likely be largely unaffected; the name is odd, but mine is Thomas, and I was mercilessly bullied throughout my childhood. Bullies aren't reasonable, so naming your child to adapt to their issues, is a fruitless and apathetic decision. Following this, you'd also have to raise her to like generic inoffensive music, be ready to be sympathetic to bullying, and an endless stream of increasingly poor parenting decisions.

Better she just have a beautiful name, with an interesting namesake, and grow to be a kind and thoughtful individual, through parenting that reflects these qualities.

Your comment was unnecessarily vicious, without warrant. Why?

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

Congratulations on the birth of your new, beautiful, baby girl!

I saw the pictures and loved how she has a small purple hoodie on... cause of her new name lol. Well, it looks more blue but that doesn't matter to me. I really wish you and your wife the best of luck in raising Tali :}
Also, just because if you don't agree with what the parents named their child... doesn't mean they're going to be bad parents. People making such statements shouldn't do so, until they've seen how the little girl turns out.

Sort of bothers me, but meh... not worth arguing about. I'll put my faith in the parents to do their best for the little girl.

Please allow me to not put any faith in parents so utterly selfish and with such a wrong set of priorities, that they named their daughter after some videogame character.

Probably for their 15 minutes of internet fame.

I've told myself not to bite...but eh:

She is not "named after" the character. I don't know how else to put that. It was a name used in a fictional setting that my wife fell in love with. You also seem to have discerned quite a bit about me and my wife based on my daughter's name alone, we must have the same psychic powers because I definitely expected that the Internet would give 1/8 of a fuck, and "Internet fame" is so important and meaningful that it should take precedence over the care and love for a human child.

I love this girl to death. I would remove my own extremities with plastic cutlery if it meant that I could reduce any amount of pain she felt by 1%. You'll know what I mean if you ever stare into the eyes of a person you helped to create.

I find it troubling that all of these sources of fiction are perfectly acceptable, but gamers themselves have shown the most shame about their chosen form of media. Also, I've read plenty of comments on other sites linking to this thread from people claiming that they left the Escapist because of how mean-spirited and vicious the forums are, and I have little means of proving them wrong.

Gotta run, one thing I underestimated was the extreme drop in free time you end up with when they come into the world. It's worth it though, it's 100% absolutely worth it.

 

[Fox12]

Congratulations on the birth of your new, beautiful, baby girl!

I saw the pictures and loved how she has a small purple hoodie on... cause of her new name lol. Well, it looks more blue but that doesn't matter to me. I really wish you and your wife the best of luck in raising Tali :}
Also, just because if you don't agree with what the parents named their child... doesn't mean they're going to be bad parents. People making such statements shouldn't do so, until they've seen how the little girl turns out.

Sort of bothers me, but meh... not worth arguing about. I'll put my faith in the parents to do their best for the little girl.

Please allow me to not put any faith in parents so utterly selfish and with such a wrong set of priorities, that they named their daughter after some videogame character.

Probably for their 15 minutes of internet fame.

I've told myself not to bite...but eh:

She is not "named after" the character. I don't know how else to put that. It was a name used in a fictional setting that my wife fell in love with. You also seem to have discerned quite a bit about me and my wife based on my daughter's name alone, we must have the same psychic powers because I definitely expected that the Internet would give 1/8 of a fuck, and "Internet fame" is so important and meaningful that it should take precedence over the care and love for a human child.

I love this girl to death. I would remove my own extremities with plastic cutlery if it meant that I could reduce any amount of pain she felt by 1%. You'll know what I mean if you ever stare into the eyes of a person you helped to create.

I find it troubling that all of these sources of fiction are perfectly acceptable, but gamers themselves have shown the most shame about their chosen form of media. Also, I've read plenty of comments on other sites linking to this thread from people claiming that they left the Escapist because of how mean-spirited and vicious the forums are, and I have little means of proving them wrong.

Gotta run, one thing I underestimated was the extreme drop in free time you end up with when they come into the world. It's worth it though, it's 100% absolutely worth it.

Meh, ignore the negativity. I'm surprised by the amount of venom on this thread. Your daughter looks precious. I wish you and your wife well!

...and you should name your son Garrus, if you ever have one : P

 

[[REDACTED]]

I've told myself not to bite...but eh:

She is not "named after" the character. I don't know how else to put that. It was a name used in a fictional setting that my wife fell in love with. You also seem to have discerned quite a bit about me and my wife based on my daughter's name alone, we must have the same psychic powers because I definitely expected that the Internet would give 1/8 of a fuck, and "Internet fame" is so important and meaningful that it should take precedence over the care and love for a human child.

I love this girl to death. I would remove my own extremities with plastic cutlery if it meant that I could reduce any amount of pain she felt by 1%. You'll know what I mean if you ever stare into the eyes of a person you helped to create.

I find it troubling that all of these sources of fiction are perfectly acceptable, but gamers themselves have shown the most shame about their chosen form of media. Also, I've read plenty of comments on other sites linking to this thread from people claiming that they left the Escapist because of how mean-spirited and vicious the forums are, and I have little means of proving them wrong.

Gotta run, one thing I underestimated was the extreme drop in free time you end up with when they come into the world. It's worth it though, it's 100% absolutely worth it.

So, uh... hey. Just wanted to apologize for acting like a dick earlier in this thread. I have a bad habit when posting of looking at other people as just words on a screen to agree or disagree with. I too often forget about the person on the receiving end of my messages, and that makes me an asshole in a myriad different ways. For what it's worth, I never really doubted that you would make an awesome dad. The degree to which you care about your daughter is more than obvious from your posts. While I still think that name could potentially cause her problems later in life, I realize now that I let my outrage gland overpower the rest of my brain, and for that I am truly sorry. I wish nothing but the best for you and your absurdly adorable daughter, and I can tell she's lucky to have you as a father.

 

[tippy2k2]

Poor baby, named after some videogame character her father had fantasy virtual sex with.

OH.....OH DEAR GOD!

When I made my post WAAAAAAAY over on page 1, that didn't even cross my mind. Now I feel dirty...

(Although it sounds like it's the name he likes and not necessarily the game character so maybe my mind can be partially cleansed if he never had...relations with Mass Effect's Tali'Zorah)

So I don't know how they found out, but I just got reached by Bioware to have a chat about Tali. Each day just gets more wild than the last! I'll let you guys know what comes of it.

While I made my opinion heard earlier, I am curious and would just like clarification if you haven't started hallucinating due to child-caused sleep deprivation yet

You said on page five (I think?) that the name was Tali'Zorah for sure. However, since then, you keep calling her Tali. I'm just curious if you did indeed stick with the full name or if that changed.

Good luck either way!

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

Sorry if this somehow belongs in gaming discussion.

Anyway, tomorrow my daughter is scheduled to be born. I'm freaking out and all that, but that's not why I'm here. Since day 1, her first name was always going to be Tali'Zorah. It's not necessarily "named after Mass Effect", but rather my wife fell in love with the name during our first playthrough of ME1 many years ago. Confused friends and relatives are told "we wanted a nice Quarian name" just because it's funny to see the confusion become worse.

All that aside, a couple of people have told me that we're nuts for giving a child that name. I like it a lot, I'm assuming she'll like it, and I don't think she'll get teased for it or anything like that. Out of curiosity, am I totally off base about that? For further discussion value, this thread can be about the entire concept of video games being used to inspire names.

If my child had been male, I was going to name him Mallaki (as in Children of the Corn) Xavier (As in Professor). We name our children according to what inspires us.

She was born a girl however, and my X-wife got cold feet at the last minute and we went with more traditional fair. Ah well.

 

[TheRookie8]

Just...don't name the son Norman Dee, or I suspect conflict in the future.

Edit: D'oh! Am I ever late to the party! She's born! Yay! She's so cute!

 

[Flutterguy]

So I don't know how they found out, but I just got reached by Bioware to have a chat about Tali. Each day just gets more wild than the last! I'll let you guys know what comes of it.

I understand it's a fun ride for you and everything, but please don't get some sort of sick addiction revolving around exploiting your daughter to get attention for yourself. One Hunny Boo Boo is enough for our planet.

 

[La Barata]

Wow. You haven't even gone into labour yet and you're planning your revenge.

But in all seriousness, this really seems a case of 'Lol! Lookit us, we're quirky, we named our kid something silly!', especially looking at the 'We named our kid something silly, I guess this means we're crazy lol!' title of the thread.

I don't think she'll get teased for it or anything like that. Out of curiosity, am I totally off base about that?

I'm... Not sure it's possible for you to be any further off base if you were on the dark side of Europa. Kids are absolutely VICIOUS. There is an absolutely insane chance this kid is going to be bullied so hard she won't want to leave her room when she's older and in school. Kids will snap up ANYTHING to torment you about, and with an obvious neon glowing 'kick me' sign like a 'lol my parents are quirky lol' name, her school years are going to be a living hell.

I highly doubt you'll listen to a random stranger on the internet, but PLEASE don't put your child through that just so you can get attention and be 'wacky'. It's hard enough to be a kid, and it'll be that much worse with a name like that. And that's not even getting into the fact that nobody will take her seriously as an adult with a name like that.

EDIT:

Aaand it's too late, she's born and the attention has already started flowing. Poor kid...

 

[aramil31]

Sorry if this somehow belongs in gaming discussion.

Anyway, tomorrow my daughter is scheduled to be born. I'm freaking out and all that, but that's not why I'm here. Since day 1, her first name was always going to be Tali'Zorah. It's not necessarily "named after Mass Effect", but rather my wife fell in love with the name during our first playthrough of ME1 many years ago. Confused friends and relatives are told "we wanted a nice Quarian name" just because it's funny to see the confusion become worse.

All that aside, a couple of people have told me that we're nuts for giving a child that name. I like it a lot, I'm assuming she'll like it, and I don't think she'll get teased for it or anything like that. Out of curiosity, am I totally off base about that? For further discussion value, this thread can be about the entire concept of video games being used to inspire names.

It's not necessarily "named after Mass Effect"

Confused friends and relatives are told "we wanted a nice Quarian name"

>"we wanted a nice Quarian name"

>It's not necessarily "named after Mass Effect"

>"Quarian"

>"named after Mass Effect"

I have a bun, a piece of cheese, a slice of meat, some lettuce, tomato, and onions, and they're all stacked inside the bun.

But it's not really a cheeseburger, guys!!1!

 

[TheIronDuke]

Others have already mentioned it but the main problem won't be bullying, as that can happen to normally named kids too. Scientifically and statistically, an unusually named person just has a harder time throughout ALL their life, even without being bullied.
I'm sure we all know that every study done about it shows that even completely nice, open minded, unbiased people will show at least some bias towards more attractive people in almost every way. It's a hard-wired biological thing. Same thing happens with names. People with strange names which we aren't sure how to pronounce statistically get ahead less in life than the Bobs and Sarahs (and have less personal or behavioural problems).

Supposedly, it's not so much about commonness, it's about the difficulty to pronounce or spell, which some have suggested leads to mild confusion and uncomfortableness for those who meet them or read their name for the first time. And, just as with the attractiveness studies, it seems these first impressions count. Other researchers have suggested it may be related to confidence or frustration about having to correct people and explain to people who get their name wrong or give quizzical looks.

So, for all that it matters at this point, I'm lending my voice to those who suggest dropping the Zorah off the first name. All names were unique at some point in history, and there's nothing wrong with making another unique name, but whether read or heard, I can make a pretty educated guess about how to pronounce or write, say, Jessica or Jack. Or Tali.

Plus, forget the bullies, you know 95% of the time she's just going to get Tali anyway.

 

[nyankaty]

snipped the baby pix and replies

What a cutie! Okay that's a lie, I actually think ALL newborn babies are hideous pink raisins but they get cute, heh. But don't take that personally, it's ALL newborn baby humans, they just are too weird looking for me, but I guess since I recognize the extreme emotional connection and helplessness of them, I find them cute in a way. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Sturmlied]

DrunkOnEstus: As I read it is already to late and your daughters is born. (Congratz!)I think you and your wife made the right decision. In my opinion it does not matter where the name comes from. Tali'Zorah is just a beautiful name!

Chances are that it will not make any difference anyway. Kids will always find a way to tease each other.

Names evolve over time anyway and why is it considered bad to give a child a name just because it was first used by a video game character?
There is no negative, silly, insulting, etc. association with this name. It just sounds nice.

All the best to you and your family

Christoph

 

[Britisheagle]

I find it troubling that all of these sources of fiction are perfectly acceptable, but gamers themselves have shown the most shame about their chosen form of media. Also, I've read plenty of comments on other sites linking to this thread from people claiming that they left the Escapist because of how mean-spirited and vicious the forums are, and I have little means of proving them wrong.

Good for you getting your moment in the spot light at the expense of your daughter. People are only expressing how they feel and believe it is not fair. If you like the name so much, legally change your own - that way no harm done.

And welcome to the world of parenthood, as long as you are not as selfish as you have been at the beginning of her life, you will do great and hopefully lead a very good (but tired) life.

 

[Sturmlied]

Good for you getting your moment in the spot light at the expense of your daughter. People are only expressing how they feel and believe it is not fair. If you like the name so much, legally change your own - that way no harm done.

And welcome to the world of parenthood, as long as you are not as selfish as you have been at the beginning of her life, you will do great and hopefully lead a very good (but tired) life.

Why is it selfish to choose a unique and beautiful name for his daughter? There are many names that are used as common names that overtime received other very common meanings (like body parts) and most people would not mind.

The only mistake he made in my opinion is to ask strangers on a forum for there opinion.

 

[CloudAtlas]

I find it troubling that all of these sources of fiction are perfectly acceptable, but gamers themselves have shown the most shame about their chosen form of media.

Gamers are, for once, just real here. It doesn't have to do as much with games as medium at all. First, it is a dislike for overly unique names, no matter their origin. It is also a dislike for parents forcing their fandom onto their children in such a manner. If someone came here and wanted to give her child a very unique name inspired by some currently-but-perhaps-not-in-20-years popular TV series, movie, or book, the response would hardly be more sympathetic. Do you think Khaleesi, Obi Wan Kenobi, or Peeta, or some weird anime name, would fly better? Or Legolas or Arwen, names from a 60 year old hardly obscure work?
And, yes, we also do realize that games aren't held in the same regard as books, movies, or music, not yet anyways. We might wish that would be different, which would require both society to become more accepting and games to mature, but we don't want to make our own kids the spearheads of this effort without their consent, and we don't want them to suffer from that.

Also, I've read plenty of comments on other sites linking to this thread from people claiming that they left the Escapist because of how mean-spirited and vicious the forums are, and I have little means of proving them wrong.

I was actually very surprised how much people cared about the future well-being of a child that they don't know at all, and the critical distance and they displayed towards their own fandom in doing so. Sure, it certainly helped that you could criticize someone in the process, but that doesn't invalidate that they cared.
Truly vicious comments like "you're horrible parents" or "you shouldn't have children" were actually very rare. But calling your decision a bad parenting decision is direct, yes, and not exactly minced, but hardly vicious, and most people didn't go nearly as far.

Someone people already voiced the sentiment that you just came here looking for validation for your decision. You know, I don't believe that's true, even though it very much appears this way now. But in your first statement you expressed some doubts about whether you're "totally off base" with this name. And all that people here did was telling you that, yes, you're right to have these doubts, your doubts are totally valid!
But when facing this criticism, you became very defensive about it, which is only understandable in the situation you're in, but still unfortunate. You seem to have explained it to yourself that you got negative reactions because people are just assholes, but not because they genuinely care and genuinely think it is a bad idea. Instead of embracing the criticism, and thinking about the arguments forwarded here, you became even more convinced of your decision, and brushed all the doubts you yourself had away.