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[Alex May]

You're never the only person.

[bigbossSNK]

Ico -> Hold my hand
Cave story -> } and "

[Keops]

Cave story -> } & "

Fixed!

[bigbossSNK]

Thank you!  . In related fashion, I always thought "Nip / Tuck" was a very clever title.

[Zaphos]

'Ico', meanwhile, is a romance game. It wouldn't ever appeal to people who need a game to have violence and guns. A good name would have tried not to shut out girls.

How does the name 'Ico' shut out girls?

[Bennett]

How does the name 'Ico' shut out girls?

Video games are produced in a context which is mainly full of titles like "Die by the Sword", or "Severance: Blade of Darkness", or "Killzone". By default, girls are right to assume that video games are violent swordplay or gunplay romps. And while it's not true that all girls hate star wars and Conan, it's a decent first-order assumption from a market perspective.

So. If you have a game which is a gentle love story like ICO, and you think girls could really enjoy it, your title has to tell them that it's not a regular game. "Ico", as a title, tells you nothing. On a similar note:

I thought the whole point of "standard bits" was the irony, which is pretty cool.

Right, but there's two types of ironic title. There's the type which you only realise is ironic once you've seen the game, and there's the type which you can tell is ironic just by looking at the title.

"Scary Movie" tells you instantly it's an ironic title. No movie would be called this in earnest. But 'standard bits', like 'ico', doesn't tell you much unless you've at least seen a description or screenshot.

If I may offer another general point:
If a title doesn't tell you anything about the game, you may as well not have a title.

[Zaphos]

If I may offer another general point:
If a title doesn't tell you anything about the game, you may as well not have a title.

Okay {meaningless name omitted}!  Thanks for the advice {meaningless name omitted}! :D

[Stij]

If I may offer another general point:
If a title doesn't tell you anything about the game, you may as well not have a title.

Using that logic, "Jinky Jonky and the Spell of the Advergames" is a good title, because it tells the reader plenty about the game. :D (Assuming, of course, it's actually an advergame and the main character's name is Jinky Jonky)

[Bennett]

Using that logic, "Jinky Jonky and the Spell of the Advergames" is a good title, because it tells the reader plenty about the game. :D (Assuming, of course, it's actually an advergame and the main character's name is Jinky Jonky)

That's true, but if that name really describes your game, you should instead choose a name that describes a *good* game, and hope to trick people into buying it or downloading it.

Okay {meaningless name omitted}!  Thanks for the advice {meaningless name omitted}!

Mang, I'm not a videogame, and I'm not trying to get you to download me. The whole point of a pseudonym is that it tells you nothing about me. Otherwise I'd just use my real name!

[Derek]

Benjamin Zidopolous III, Esq.

i noe ur sekrits

[Bennett]

My game is called 'Aquaria'. Is this title ok?

Ah, I'm glad you asked.

This has all the hallmarks of an excellent name. First, it is short, it sounds good and is easy to spell. It is unique, without being weird. The meaning of the name is instantly recognizable. But through a clever grammatical twist, you've added more information content to the name while simultaneously making it easier to find on Google.

As you know, 'Aquarium' takes the neuter gender in Latin, and by making the name 'Aquaria', you manage to feminize the word, which tells the reader the protagonist is female. In the same stroke, you create a misspelling which separates your game from other search engine results.

Could you have tried to go for correct Latin grammar and called it 'Aquarium'? Probably not. There has not been a game called 'Aquaria', 'Aquarius' OR 'Aquarium'. But there have been a bunch of games - including indie games - containing the word 'Aquarium'. You REALLY need to avoid comparison with 'Insaniquarium'. So it seems that correct grammar is not a possible option.

So, kudos on your name choice. But boo to your Latin grammar. 'Aquaria' means 'multiple aquariums', which will give completely the wrong impression to Latin experts everywhere.

[Derek]

Benzido is always right!

[Akhel]

OR DAUAUAGAD 4 SHORT! CAN I BE ON THE CREDITS NOW PLZ!

[Zaphos]

The whole point of a pseudonym is that it tells you nothing about me. Otherwise I'd just use my real name!

Your real name tells people about you?  ... mine still doesn't, though 

Actually, my fake name probably implies more about me than my real one.  For example, you might assume that I am from the West and imply the gloom of the Underworld and nether-darkness (citation!).  Or perhaps that I am a Z-orro alike character who supports the use Sapho, a "[h]igh-energy liquid extracted from barrier roots of Ecaz," which is "[c]ommonly used by Mentats who claim it amplifies mental powers."  (omg).  Or it could be a reference to lesbianism!  (or that I chose it when I was little and liked the letter Z and The Hitchhiker's Guide, but did not like the letter 'd' so much.)  These multiple possible meanings create a sort of aesthetic layering, allowing the name to have more potential appeal to both the refined and the unrefined name reader  .

[Derek]

OR DAUAUAGAD 4 SHORT! CAN I BE ON THE CREDITS NOW PLZ!

BANT!!!

[Bennett]

Diving adventures underwater: an underwater adventure game about diving (more like swimming TBH)

This is way too precise. How about

"Awesome experience on a device: use your eyes, ears and hands to get good value for money in conjunction with hardware you already do or don't own!"

Your real name tells people about you?

Yeah, it does. Partly because my parents had... odd... ideas about names. And partly because our identities are constructed by our names. I guess, to some extent, we are created by our pseudonyms too, so 'Zaphos' probably says a lot about you, even if you chose it at random.

[Alex May]

If I may offer another general point:
If a title doesn't tell you anything about the game, you may as well not have a title.

bu bu but you said Tetris already has a good name. Ah....HA!

[Seth]

but it does tell you about the game!  "Tetris" is a combination of "tetra-", as each piece has 4 blocks, and "tennis" as, uh, it's a game.

[frosty]

I still think Darwinia was a bad name. 

Should've been Darwinkies, to capture the casual market.  With a catch-phrase like "What color is YOUR Darwinky?", it could have ascended from Indie into the Main Stream.

[bigbossSNK]

What color is YOUR Darwinky?

That's a rather personal question, don't you think?