The Names We Choose For Our Characters

[uzo]

I was today enjoying my first play through of Skyrim. I'm currently in the Dwemer Ruins charging the whatsit box for whosiwhatsit in the glacier. I'm playing as a duel-weapon focused Nord fella. Skyrim is under the control of Ulfric and the Stormcloaks. But I came across an interesting thing when I was speaking to the 'guy' on top of the mountain (the leader of Greybeards .. if you've met him, you know who I mean. Didn't want to spoil it for anyone because I was all 'curioser and curioser!' when it happened).

Y'know how he mixes dragon language into English? I noticed something interesting for me. When I play a tough, Conan-like character I always call him 'Kell'. I'm a Savage Sword of Conan fan from way back, so I usually go with a name that is akin to Conan or Kull ... hence 'Kell'.

And now I found out that 'Kell' in the dragontongue means 'Elder Scroll'. MIND BLOWN. If this ain't prophesy I don't know what the hell is. I AM the Dovahkiin.

Anyway, do you have preferred names for your characters in games? Do you have a background for that name choice?

For example, I always call 'generic adventurers' Rik Wilson. I'm talking leather armour, one-handed sword type guys (think Mad Martigan from Willow). Why do I do this? The first dungeon hack computer game I played was 'Temple of Apshai', on the Apple ][c (in amazing green monochrome. Shit was the bomb.) When the character creator said 'What is thy character's name?' I was stumped (I was 5 yrs old). I grabbed the manual, and looked at the credits for the game. Rik Wilson was one of the playtesters for the game. I liked the name, so I used it. Henceforth, every 'adventurer' in every fantasy game is Rik Wilson.

If I play a sorceress type gal I always call her Alana - why? Because my first fantasy gamebook was Steve Jackson's 'Sorcery!' series, and in 'The Shamutanti Hills' you meet a witch in the woods called Airlliana (or somesuch .. one of the puzzles was about how to spell her name but I have forgotten).

I am also always known on the internet as 'Uzo'. Why? Well, that is a story for another time ...

So over to you, Escapists. What is your name in RPGs, and why did you choose that name?

 

[JesterRaiin]

And now I found out that 'Kell' in the dragontongue means 'Elder Scroll'. MIND BLOWN. If this ain't prophesy I don't know what the hell is. I AM the Dovahkiin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity

I always go by the name "Jester", no matter what gender, race or character build.

 

[damselgaming]

Usually I'll just use Nicole, but it doesn't really sound fantasyfancy enough, it works ok for Mass Effect etc. So for Skyrim and the fact I plan to start playing a D&D campaign I tried to pick something fancy, and so Ilo'Ruac Fellstaff and Mage Rage Nemisis-Dragon were born.

 

[ReinWeisserRitter]

I usually go with the default name. If there isn't one, I'll come up with some bastardization involving the game's random name generator. If there isn't one, I'll sit there for potentially hours until something I feel is appropriate hits me.

So to more directly answer your question, I never name two characters the same thing. The sole exception has been in the Phantasy Star Online series, where I endeavor to make a spin on the first character I made in the first game of said series. Same species (if you could call a robot that), same hair color, same general look, so forth.

Somewhat related: Sweet jesus I can't wait until the Skyrim buzz on the internet dies down.

 

[ChadSexington]

Chad Sexington.
He has a slightly different perspective on morality and loves nothing more then drinking all of the alcohol ever. So me. I play me.

The reason I chose Chad Sexington is my friend said it once and it made me laugh.

 

[King of the Sandbox]

I always go with Legion, and before and ME fanboys start squeeling with glee, I was using it waaaaaaaaaaaaaay before that game. I actually started using it after watching "Storm of the Century", a fantastic movie in which an ancient evil, the Legion demons of Christian mythology, is basically reborn into a new form every few hundred or whatever years.

 

[TerribleAssassin]

I usually chose an ironic choice.

My evil character on Fallout? - Ghandi
My neutral character on Fallout? - Clemenceau
My good character on Fallout? - Hitler

 

[El Poncho]

I make up a new name almost every time unless I'm in a hurry.

 

[Autumnflame]

Varies game to game with style Character race ect ect.

most commonly ill include fiona, eve, Autumn, or phoenix somewhere in the name.
being that i given the choice ill tend to play a female character.

if picking something slightly different i'll choose something that has a reflection upon the character.
Hildebrand for example with a swordfigher/master.

or if the character is made to be a person specific to a book or movie then they will get that name.

 

[uzo]

Hmmm ... phoenixlink is the first to consider race. Good point. I usually would call myself 'En Randar' as a male elf ... not sure why, and I don't really know where the name come from. My first AD&D character was 'En Randar' (at around 11 yrs old), and I use that name everytime I play an elf bloke. I must have heard the name somewhere, or at least I've seen the name 'Randar' and I just tacked 'En' in front of it to make it more ... elfy.

EDIT: And wow .. people make up a name every time? With every game? Doesn't that take a lot of time? This is your baby, man! If my parents just said 'oh, we just made up your name because we had some spare time' I'd be gutted.

 

[Sonicron]

I usually make up a new name; I think the the only one I've used several times over the last few years is Erebus. (Read the Horus Heresy and you'll understand why.)

I'm currently on my first playthrough of Skyrim, and I'm an Argonian warrior named Kataphrax.

 

[Flailing Escapist]

I like to name/customize characters to look like characters from something else. For instance my current character in Fallout:NV is named Roland he has a 100 in guns and the gunslinger perk (thats all I need). My current Skyrim character is a Breton chick w/ glassed over eyes, red hair and her name is Theresa. Whenever I can't decide what to call my character or its all in first person I name them Marty McFly or Calvin Klein.

 

[maeson]

Recently I've been trying to put logical names to my characters. Like in the rare case I play a fantasy game, I do a bit of recon into the race I want to play and the types of names they use. Then I try my best to fit the chosen name to the race. So it sounds like my character actually has(d) a family at some point. Someone who gave names that made any sort of sense.

As is now, the most usual names I go with are: Siash, Lakais (or any possible derivative of this, with mehcanical characters I add a 02 to the end of the name), Maeson being my all time favorite for now. Used mostly as a last name.

 

[King of the Sandbox]

I like to name/customize characters to look like characters from something else. For instance my current character in Fallout:NV is named Roland he has a 100 in guns and the gunslinger perk (thats all I need). My current Skyrim character is a Breton chick w/ glassed over eyes, red hair and her name is Theresa. Whenever I can't decide what to call my character or its all in first person I name them Marty McFly or Calvin Klein.

Gunslinger ftw. Very neat idea, indeed. /Dark Tower brofist

 

[Section Crow]

well i don't exactly keep track of all my character names although i know a guy who calls all his characters,male or female, Malygos after that dragon in WoW

 

[NerfedFalcon]

So far, I've only played four games where I entered my own name for the characters (five, but I didn't take Fallout 3 seriously.) Here's the results of the others:
-Nathan [Shepard] (Mass Effect)
-Cocius Aerius (Imperial Warrior, Oblivion)
-Theon Kel'Ann (Male Scout, Knights of the Old Republic) (if you are suddenly reminded of Game of Thrones, that's no coincidence.)
-Xerxes (Monster Hunter 3)

...Yeah, I'm a bloody inconsistent bastard, ain't I? Might wind up using Nathan Shepard as my Grey Warden's name, though...

 

[Brutal Peanut]

If it's a High Fantasy game, then I tend to go by the made-up races intended real-life ethnicity. I usually look up names that are commonly used for those characters in their own Lore or from other people's character names, and try to come up with a variation of my own. But if it's something like Fallout 3/New Vegas, or the ME series - I'll usually always use Zoe, Sam (male or female), or my own name - Vanessa.

 

[Shadowstar38]

Usually its Ghinjo Asani. Swahili words for Slaughter rebellion. If Im feeling less dramatic I just go for Murdock. Sounds like a Gunslinger name.

 

[David Bjur]

For all of the RPG set in modern time I use the name "Mike". And if I can add a last name, "Hawke". For all of the medieval RPGs I just think for a second and comes up with a new name.

 

[imnot]

lets put it this way, soemtimes in Skyrim you get attacked by assasins, and they drop a note.
Mine reads
'As instructed, you are to eliminate Rick Astley by any means necessary. The Black Sacrament has been performed - somebody wants this poor fool dead.

We've already received payment for the contract. Failure is not an option.

- Astrid'