For example, when I play RPGs that allow you to rename characters (like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy), I usually keep the default name.
Why? Well, I don’t want to think of a name in first place. But it also gets confusing when looking at guides.
On third place, and this is more how I like to play games, I don’t feel it is fair to take their name out of these characters to replace it with one that represents them less.
Shin Megami Tensei games have you rename their protagonist (and often the 3 other central characters too), but most of them don’t have a canonical name. Also most of the time those people are supposed to be Japanese. Every time I am starting a game like that I struggle to choose a name that doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb for them.
If there is a default name, I usually use it. Exceptions are the kind of RPG where the character is a blank slate, whose identity doesn’t matter at all and whose appearance is custom (like Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Xenoblade X for example). And stuff like Pokémon, obviously. When your avatar is going to meet other players, doesn’t look good if everyone has the same name.
I started Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U) without even knowing the main character had a canon name (it’s… Cross. Like the X is supposed to be pronounced in the games’s title). But even if know it now I still rename them. They are custom, there is multiplayer, and story-wise they’re the blandest of characters anyway, so…
I struggle to choose a name that doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb
A buddy of mine played many Western fantasy RPGs, and christened the characters with various elegant and dreamy names, until he started ‘World of Warcraft’ and met two guys called ‘Foot in my Mouth’ and ‘Get Yer Hands Off’. After that, his characters were named something like ‘Bitten by a Shark’.
I either use the default names, or give them “standard English older bloke names”. The grander the adventure, the more un-grand a name they get.
Things like “Ian Williams”, “Neville Smith”, “Terry Phillips”, “Frank Jones” etc. The sort of names that would work for the City Council’s Road Maintenance Department.
I like games where I name the main character, often the main character has a title or nickname that npcs use as well (the Dragonborn, the Avatar) but if I know they have a name in the story then it’s feels a bit weird to change it. So, Link is Link. But when I player Chrono Trigger for the first time recently I had (somehow) not heard much about it, so I renamed Crono (also it’s a horrible misspelling and kinda dull name, so happy to change it).
Some racing games, and in particular the third-party app Crew Chief, allow the player to either set a name or choose an addressing like ‘dude’. I don’t like using a personal name, so my racing engineer says stuff like “an incident in turn five, mate”.
I think that there is a time factor and a complication factor. Like the longer the game lasts and the fewer characters available to name, the more people who will name and customize characters.
I wonder how many people completed Skyrim with the name “Prisoner”, though.
It doesn’t actually appear anywhere in game but Oblivion’s main character has an internal name in the editor. “Bendu Olo”. Very Geoge Lucas kind of name.
In web development, it’s customary to create a user named something like Constantine Constantinovich Constantinopolsky and see that the interface accommodates it everywhere.
For one of the Dragon Warrior games on the venerable PS1 I chose the name Squall for the hero, after they guy from Final Fantasy 8, because why the hell not. These were the days when Square and Enix were competing so it seemed like a fun thing to do. So anyway, one of my dudes attack moves was called SquallHit, and I never figured out if that was just what it was always called, or whether they included my selected name in it.
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Shin Megami Tensei games have you rename their protagonist (and often the 3 other central characters too), but most of them don’t have a canonical name. Also most of the time those people are supposed to be Japanese. Every time I am starting a game like that I struggle to choose a name that doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb for them.
If there is a default name, I usually use it. Exceptions are the kind of RPG where the character is a blank slate, whose identity doesn’t matter at all and whose appearance is custom (like Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Xenoblade X for example). And stuff like Pokémon, obviously. When your avatar is going to meet other players, doesn’t look good if everyone has the same name.
I started Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U) without even knowing the main character had a canon name (it’s… Cross. Like the X is supposed to be pronounced in the games’s title). But even if know it now I still rename them. They are custom, there is multiplayer, and story-wise they’re the blandest of characters anyway, so…
A buddy of mine played many Western fantasy RPGs, and christened the characters with various elegant and dreamy names, until he started ‘World of Warcraft’ and met two guys called ‘Foot in my Mouth’ and ‘Get Yer Hands Off’. After that, his characters were named something like ‘Bitten by a Shark’.
My WoW characters had a mix of thoughtful and funny names.
I either use the default names, or give them “standard English older bloke names”. The grander the adventure, the more un-grand a name they get.
Things like “Ian Williams”, “Neville Smith”, “Terry Phillips”, “Frank Jones” etc. The sort of names that would work for the City Council’s Road Maintenance Department.
I like games where I name the main character, often the main character has a title or nickname that npcs use as well (the Dragonborn, the Avatar) but if I know they have a name in the story then it’s feels a bit weird to change it. So, Link is Link. But when I player Chrono Trigger for the first time recently I had (somehow) not heard much about it, so I renamed Crono (also it’s a horrible misspelling and kinda dull name, so happy to change it).
I like to use “Dude” or “Lady”, makes dialogue that addresses the character slightly more entertaining.
Some racing games, and in particular the third-party app Crew Chief, allow the player to either set a name or choose an addressing like ‘dude’. I don’t like using a personal name, so my racing engineer says stuff like “an incident in turn five, mate”.
I use Dumbass in a similar vein. But maybe something like Bro would be more neutral.
shithead works great as well
My self named characters in most games are called Max Power (from that episode of the Simpsons where Homer changes his name).
I think that there is a time factor and a complication factor. Like the longer the game lasts and the fewer characters available to name, the more people who will name and customize characters.
I wonder how many people completed Skyrim with the name “Prisoner”, though.
That is different, the player is seldom refered to by name in games.
Though to keep it classic, I often use AFGNCAAP
It doesn’t actually appear anywhere in game but Oblivion’s main character has an internal name in the editor. “Bendu Olo”. Very Geoge Lucas kind of name.
It can be fun to use the longest possible name the UI will accept, and then see if that messes up the UI in other places.
In web development, it’s customary to create a user named something like Constantine Constantinovich Constantinopolsky and see that the interface accommodates it everywhere.
My character in any game is named Tav now
For one of the Dragon Warrior games on the venerable PS1 I chose the name Squall for the hero, after they guy from Final Fantasy 8, because why the hell not. These were the days when Square and Enix were competing so it seemed like a fun thing to do. So anyway, one of my dudes attack moves was called SquallHit, and I never figured out if that was just what it was always called, or whether they included my selected name in it.
Well, yeah. That’s their name. I mean, it can be funny to name them fuckface or whatever, but his name is Chrono.
Well, his name is Crono, but you’ve got the spirit