The name....is Dalton

After my last post, I fired up Dragon Age: Origins to give it a fair shake and finish it. While messing around in the world of Ferelden with my sweet duelist rouge, Ketron, I realized a lot is said about a player in what they name their character. For Dragon Age, I picked Ketron for my elf rouge because I thought it sounded kind of elvish. Also it is my middle name. While I do lack points for originality, it was a quick decision that got me through character creation a bit faster and into the meat and potatoes of slaying dark spawn.

Picking a proper name can be a bit of a challenge. There are several things to consider. Do you want it to be humorous and giggle worthy? Do you want it to sound all ass-kicky and awesome? Or would you rather it be something humble and normal? All are good choices and ones I have used in the past.

In Morrowind, a player could name their character and their class. After some careful consideration, I decided to go with an homage to one of my favorite web site cartoons. I named my dark elf, Trogdor. His class was then labeled, "The Burninator." While I was questing around, other characters would refer to me as my class just as often as my name. "You Burninators are all the same!" It was enough to get me to laugh for most of my time in the game.

Knights of the Old Republic was a bit different when it came to naming characters. Here, I had to stick within the confines of Star Wars rules. Well, I didn't HAVE too stick to them, but who wants a Jedi running around named Jeff? (Ok, that actually sounds like a good idea for a later name, but that is beside the point.) KOTOR had a random name generator that would give the character a pre-established name. I did not want to go that route. Instead, I thought about it and named my character Jarl Spence. It had a nice alien, Star Wars feel to it. Made me think of Uncle Owen a bit. Jarl went on to be a powerful Jedi and save the galaxy.

When KOTOR II came out, I realized the character was a different person, so I had to construct a different name. I had pretty much spent my load on Star Wars sounding names with Jarl. After some deliberation,  I came up with something I thought fit the universe and the character, Narbo Cree. Again, it fits the confines of Star Wars and feels a bit like the name Greedo. Narbo did not save the galaxy as a Jedi nor did he enslave it as a Sith. Instead, his adventure got placed on the shelf, never to be finished. I sold my xbox before I ever got back to finish his adventures.

 I play some Dungeons and Dragons with a group of friends. This is a name gold mine. My original character, a  half orc barbarian is named D'Gog. While D'Gog isn't always played the most powerfully, thanks to my ability to roll a critical miss more often than not, I thought the name fit the character and was a powerful name to say the least.

My other character was a human monk (think Jet Li in any of his Chinese historical epics). I had a hard time coming up with a name for this one. A fellow player suggested one that was used immediately, Fisty McBonebreaker. Even with a great name, Fisty didn't fare as well as D'Gog has.  See, in a moment of panic he decided to use his fists against some extraordinarily  powerful angels. Fisty will be missed.

Other characters in our group have names like, The Job, Valen, and Gage, just to name a few.

In my time gaming, I have seen several names come across that have not only grabbed my attention but have stayed with me for years. The first and foremost was playing Halo, when a player showed up with the name, Bloody_mess_hole. I wept for days in laughter at this name, in its pure genius and execution. I haven't run across it since, but if you are reading this, BMH, my hat is off to you.

Character naming is a chore and a blessing. It can stump you and liberate you. It is often one of the first things you encounter in a video game but it is also has permanent ramifications for the rest of the game. If you want a new name, you have to start a  new character, which means starting a new game. I think naming a character is one of the better options gaming has to offer and one I always look forward too. What about you? What are some character names you have used?  Let me know in the comments section or in a comment on Facebook.