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[Tathlibash]

I've been thinking, for as long as I've been designing all of my projects, I always find that the hardest part for me, is actually naming the thing, even after I've gotten all the mechanics, weapons, etc. thought out completely. So I'm asking you guys, who may be better at this than I am, for some assistance.

The game revolves around players creating fighting styles that incorporate special attributes from the very basic weapon/upper/lower body focus to giving your target auditory and visual hallucinations and terrakinesis.

So yeah, any help from anyone? I've got a whole concepts doc up in Google Drive if anyone wants to hear more.

[propapanda]

When naming a game I tend to make a big list of words that in any possible way relate to my subject. Simple words, movie titles, existing games, songs, scientific terms, anything goes.

E.g. if I have a ninja action game I'd write "Ninja, Shinobi, Black, Katana, Japan, Nippon, Night, Stealth, Dark, Action, Intruder, Conspiracy, Murder, ..." -- it's almost like a stream of consciousness.

Then I go through the dictionary, thesaurus and Wikipedia with those words to find new ideas and angles. I'll often find myself going off on complete tangents. Anything interesting gets added to my list.

After an hour or two of that I'll have a list of 200-300 words that somehow relate to my project. I then filter out names that are obviously already taken or just don't sound very good.

By that time I've usually already narrowed it down to a few favorites. Otherwise I'll start combining words from my list to new names.

[sharbelfs]

i already tried the game name using translator. choose a name you like and test it in another language, or make a mix of words, names, create something new.

and one other think i always do with the names.
After you choose a name you like, try google the name and see the results. look if there are some games with the same name as yours.
i think its always good to have unique names.

[Tathlibash]

Thanks for the help, guys. I'm going to try to combine them and I'll let you know how well it works! :D

[Gatlink]

Go read stuff on your subject! If you're making a game about martial art, go on wikipedia at least, and search for "martial art". Read as much as you can, you'll find some interesting things, for sure: some anecdotes, some specific lingo, etc.

What I really like are names that somehow sum up my thoughts on the game mechanics or the theme. It can be an obscure reference to the theme, or a kind of pun on the mechanics...

As was said before, try to look up for the name you chose to make sure it's unique.

[Blasted Beacon]

Naming things - whether a title, a character, a place, whatever - is one thing that I really obsess about. I agree with sharbelfs about googling potential ideas. Having it be unique is helpful both for being memorable, and for being easily searchable.

Having said that, I think some people go too far with that and wind up with a name that's confusing or awkward. There's nothing wrong with keeping it simple. Lots of well known games are just a single word. Braid is a good example of a fairly common word that's nonetheless unique in the gaming world. Other games have names that I'd say aren't all that creative or interesting (like Dragon Age or King's Quest), but which have still come to be very identifiable. Granted, that has to do with their success, but it's still something to think about.

[Raptor85]

develop first, name later I'd say, at least get a prototype of the game up, that also helps naming as you can name it as it "feels" a bit better.

I find Captain Morgan to help in naming a bit too, but maybe that's just me...

[Eadow]

Be sure to use Google and Youtube to make sure that there isn't anything with the same name or even a similar name. You should also search for naming conventions for the type of game that you are making. For example, I discovered that adding the word 'Simulator' to the name of your game will make it get a lot of Youtube coverage, while it will make the more serious press stay away from it even if it is a game they would cover otherwise.

[Leon Fook]

Naming doesn't really mean that name has to be related to your mechanic. It also can relate to your character name, the story, the world, the weapon. Example for character and the story is Dust: an Elysian Tail, Super Mario Bros., Luigi Mansion, and bunch of them. And if you look at the naming in AAA title and indie title, they both actually name their game with their own trend. Indie tend to name their game via the gameplay, and AAA tend to name their game whatever they want. Final Fantasy doesn't named according to whatever the game is about, but the situation of the developer. Pokémon, though, is named with both the monster and the game(that the player carry the monster in their pocket)

What i'm trying to say is game name tend to be anything that sound good. If people can accept the name of MineCraft, i think you can get away with Mix, Fighting! or whatever you come out with.(i didn't say MineCraft is bad name)

[Muz]

Similar to what liberame said, but don't use a thesaurus.

Instead just find words that represent the feel of your game. Write them down. Make mind maps of related words, everything you can think of. Eventually something cool will click.

E.g. jungle roguelike

jungle -> trees -> bamboo
roguelike -> dungeons -> tunnels -> exploration -> expedition

Bamboo Expedition

Well.. that doesn't quite scream roguelike, so Bamboo Dungeons it is. I made that up in like 2 minutes, but I'm sure people can do better with a proper mind map.

[Cheezmeister]

I try to use cutesy wordplay or portmanteaus (e.g. chroma + math + thud = chromathud), but I typically use Muz's word association to get there.

It sounds like your fighting game runs the gamut of potential styles.

Fight + Gamut.

Go!

[Giovanni]

Take a bunch of words that are related to your game's mechanics or story then mash them together.

Take a word for "hallucination" - trip, illusion, rush, etc.
Another for "terra" - geo-, earth, ground
One for "kinesis"
And the word armor (or leave it out)

Put them in a baggie and mix them into a fine, brown paste:
-Psycho Rush
-GeoTrip
-MechaSuit Acid

[Farage]

develop first, name later I'd say, at least get a prototype of the game up, that also helps naming as you can name it as it "feels" a bit better.

I find Captain Morgan to help in naming a bit too, but maybe that's just me...

this.
names come last, stop delaying the actual process.

[Muzz]

As much as people will say they have a process and you should use it to name your game, it's really a deeply personal thing.

My current project Treasure Star was named simply for the feel of that when associated with the visuals, but you can't boil that down to a formula.

Though one thing that you can make a bit more formulaic is how to test the name. Make a list, choose the one you hate the least and make that the title on the main page. Keep iterating till that title stops pissing you off.