This Handy Flowchart Will Help You Name Your Next Videogame

John Funk

U.N. Owen Was Him?
Dec 20, 2005
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This Handy Flowchart Will Help You Name Your Next Videogame

If you're stumped for a super-keen title for your upcoming videogame, fear not! This flowchart has all your videogame-naming needs soundly covered.

Naming a videogame can be tricky business. On the one hand, you don't want a bland and boring name like "Legend of a Hero," but on the other you don't want a super-complex name that gamers will mock [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/unskippable] on a regular basis. So what's a studio to do?

GameFront [http://www.gamefront.com/gamefronts-gratuitous-guide-to-naming-your-video-game-infographic/] has put together a handy flowchart for aspiring game-namers that runs the gamut from Western sci-fi shooters to Japanese RPGs that nobody over here will ever play. It's marvelously well put-together and bitingly hilarious in that way that makes you shake your head and sigh at how true it is.



If you're in a rush, just slap two manly-sounding words together and put "of" between them: Heroes of Men, Prince of Empires. On the other hand, if you're making a sci-fi action game, best to go with a simple one-word name "that could pass as a metal band," like Centigrade, Circuit, or Prime. If you're a Japanese company that isn't Nintendo, Konami or Capcom, you can pretty much just do whatever you like with some gratuitous European languages thrown into the mix.

I'd play some of these games, I admit. Anyway, check out the whole thing over at GameFront [http://www.gamefront.com/gamefronts-gratuitous-guide-to-naming-your-video-game-infographic/]; whoever put it together did a great job.

For the record, "Torchlight" is probably my favorite game name from the past few years: It's simple, evocative, and memorable.

(GameFront [http://www.gamefront.com/gamefronts-gratuitous-guide-to-naming-your-video-game-infographic/])

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AngryMongoose

Elite Member
Jan 18, 2010
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Fortune of Empires. Done. Took me less than 10 seconds. Brilliant guide this.

EDIT: Sorry, make that UnFortune of Empyres.
 

mjc0961

YOU'RE a pie chart.
Nov 30, 2009
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Or if you're Nintendo, just slap all or part of the console name in the title. Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64, New Super Mario Brothers Wii, Wii Sports, Wii Play, Mario Kart Wii, Super Mario 64 DS, Mario Kart DS, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS, Mario Kart 3DS; you get the idea.

I really hope that "Project Cafe" ends up with a name more like "GameCube" so Nintendo has to think up some better titles again. Especially for the Mario Kart series.
 

Conn1496

New member
Apr 21, 2011
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Well it was either a toss up between:
Last of the dark chi: Core; Made with the chart.
Critical bullet; Made without.

Now you tell me they BOTH sound bad. 'Cause they're both actually pretty badass.
[I swear down, Critical bullet is my game title *****. XD]
 

swimon

New member
Jul 23, 2009
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I'd play URL, sounds like a loose uninspired sequel to uplink.

I have to disagree on best name in recent years though, it's clearly AaAaAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity. It's somewhat outside the chart.
 

Brainst0rm

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Apr 8, 2010
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VVVVVV is probably the most memorable game title ever, for me. Torchlight is fantastic as well. With Portal 2 out and done with (AMAZIIIING) Torchlight 2 is what I'm most excited about right now :)
 

Tartarga

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Jun 4, 2008
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Colossus of Empires. So its kind of like Shadow of the Colossus but there is an entire empire of them? ...I think my brain may have just had an orgasm.

Edit: Forgot to put an of in the middle, still sounds cool though.
 

GeorgW

ALL GLORY TO ME!
Aug 27, 2010
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JUMBO PALACE said:
It's funny because it's true.
This. It's really funny, and I can relate to it. Unfortunately, I can also name a game by the help of this and nobody would give it a second thought.
 

_Janny_

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Mar 6, 2008
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I followed the chart for a point and click game idea I had, and couldn't stop giggling when I reached "Does the title sorta make sense?" > "No" > "Slap it on the box!" XD