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Videogame characters always have a kind of special name. Like Link, Samus or.. uhmm.. Mario?
Anyway, I don't know any videogame character called John or Chris. They always have awesome epic names. So what I'm asking to you: What are good names to use for game characters?

Short, easy to pronounce, sort-of-fun to say, and fitting.

Short, because nobody likes to pronounce Sir Reginald Kenneth Dwight all the time.

Easy to pronounce for the same reason as above.

Fun to say? Because it's fun to say, DAMMIT

And fitting. If Link were really named Sheldon, would the game have been as great? What about Mario, would the game be what it is if his name was Benjamin? Benjamin and Luigi? I think not. If the character is a total badass, don't name him with a dorkish name. Name him something like Mr. Bigdick. Likewise, if it's a cartooney game, never name the character something badass/normal, go for something a bit more... creative. What comes to mind is Q*bert.

It depends on the setting/story of the game you're making. Short and simple names are overused, but easier to remember. Also, giving characters nicknames is a good way to be able to sound cool without having ridiculous names. "Cloud" and "Rush" come to mind as actual character names which make no sense. (ok, maybe Rush Limbaugh, but still :wtf:)

Humorously long names also help with remembering. Sir Stereotypical Rich White Guy III is a prime example. This also falls into a nonsrs game or one with cartoon characters.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e9/Master_Chief_in_Halo_3.png)
john, also known as master chief, of the halo games

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/ChrisRedfield.jpg)
chris redfield, of the resident evil games

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/ShadowJedi/Reaction%20Images/Futurama_Fry_Looking_Squint.jpg)

Okay, maybe those weren't the best examples. But you know what I mean, right?

Or Moon, Black, Steel etc. I like it. Thanks for the tip.

Honestly, I don't think this is as much of an issue as you think it is. :-)

Like, while it seems common (and expected) in fiction for distinctive people to have distinctive names, it's important to remember that we, as humans, set a very low bar for "distinctive" names. Yes we have our Aeriths on one hand and our Bobs on the other, but what about a name like, say, Ian? Stands out, yet blends in; less chance of name dissonance, and plus names like that are much easier to find (perusing a baby name book vs. playing chubby bunny with a polearm). After all, the game's story is a story first and foremost! If the name wouldn't look nice in a book, then why use it in a video game?

Of course, context matters like a king here (like SundownKid mentioned). If you're setting the game in Testosteropia, you can get away with a name like Mitch Magnum or something. Likewise, names like Bob and Jim are good if you want to portray your hero as an everyman. Heck, if you wanted to get clever (albeit at the cost of tastefulness), you could even give everyone but the protagonist fancy names! Possibilities abound, my dear!

hahhaha best thread ever

 Name EVERYONE Bob

/thread

It really, really depends on the game and the character really. If you're making a game about a business man, then you might want to name him something simple and professional sounding. If you're making a game about a blob that bounces around and fights llamas with his magical spork gun, then you might want to name him something short and goofy.

Couldn't these be the SAME GAME?! Businessman Blob and the Llamas...

Find a phone book, open it to a random page and find a name that you like, then wright it down. Do this a few times and you should be able to come up with some decent character names.
I just did this and here is what I got;
Victor Cervantes
Raynaud Seba
Fiore Trzok
Calder Albadas

All real names from the phone book, last names mostly. Last names are usually more interesting.

Okay, I Will Wright it down  :durr:

Victor
Sean
Jeremy

Northwood
Bright
Man (What? It's good!)


Combo's:

Victor Man, Sean Northwood, Jeremy Bright  :)

Victor Man sounds like one of doctor wily's robots.

Bob, Lucas, Olimar etc. It depends.

Obviously depends on the time period.

If it's set in Japan during the Samurai era have a name.. like mine. Or y'know, any other decent Japanese name that's actually Japanese.

Medieval England (Way too popular)? Edward, Thomas, John, Alastair. There's nothing stopping you from using these names for humans in a scifi game too because it also depends on the race; say you're doing a fantasy game, you don't want orcs named Jim Bob, you want them named Kazumgurak, Groth'tak (also another good technique ' for tribal names) and you want elves with Shin'delar, Thelos (la, lo, lor sounds are key).

Any character must have a name which in a sense means something even if most people might not get it. For example, Andrew Ryan is a anagram for Ayn Rand the person who came up with the Philosophy of Objectivism. which serves as a backbone to BioShock one. Even Jack Fontaine alias Atlas is a reference to Atlas Shrugged the book that most people call Ayn Rand's magnum opus and the book which outlines Objectivism. A name must mean something because they help define a character, like Master chief, he is know by his military rank, one so its easier for a a player to take the role of Master Chief, and second so get get the impression that this man is the type of person who has devoted him self to the military, and as such has become a true a super solider.

So my name is Noah. Sometimes people come up to me and they're Christian and they ask me if I've ever built an ark. I've heard it a million times and I have yet to build anything seaworthy. One time I met another guy named Noah and asked him if he's also heard that comment a million times. His response included the word "testes" four times.

My parents just thought Noah was a nice name.

Some guidelines that I give myself when I name characters:

#1. Either make it up or pick rarely used one. As you mentioned already, I'd eschew the more common names of John and Sarah unless for some reason you mean to point out their normalness. In a script that I wrote recently, I used entirely made up names, such as Nonry and Henren because I wanted my characters to appear normal. However, in a film script I wrote a while back I used the names Jay and Mike because I wanted these characters to appear as more normal.

#2. Name characters with different sounding names or at least different initial letters. So please never do: Joshua, Jonathan, Samantha, Sam, Susan. Unless you're using it to associate characters together.

In a skit I recently wrote (and yes, it has been performed), I used Mario, Luigi, Linguini; Katya, Igor, Misha; Sparks, Chips, Dipp; Charlie, Dr. Flynn, Dr. Ford. I realize that I broke my own rule a little but, but I wanted people to associate Flynn and Ford together, and I wanted to use some humor with Luigi and Linguini.

On the more serious game side, I used the names recently: Salato, Rikas, Manx, Armus, and Lorian. Just to name a few of the characters, but each of these names has a different sound and initial letter.

#3. Name characters as they should sound based on their natures. Darth Vader sounds much more sinister than Fath Mithor. This is because the harsh sound of dar- sounds menacing, and the trailing of the -er sounds like a growl. However, we get a sense of nobility from the sound and vad- because of the latinate sound of it. I realize some of you might think I'm over thinking this, but these are standard practices in poetry writing. Below is a classic example:

#4. Pick names appropriate to the world. If you're writing a sci-fi or fantasy, by all means, make up the names, but if you're writing for a modern or historically set game, don't go all crazy and bring in Private Samothil Brorogard of the 101st Airborne Division.

On a different note, I've actually a couple of times set up naming conventions if I really want to build a world around some characters. Below is an example of what I've done before:


I actually would strongly advise using naming conventions if you're looking to make a large, immersive world. Having a strong sense of where culture is often driven by the naming conventions of a society. So in the game that I got the example above from, I used 4 different naming conventions to set off the different cultures that the player would engage in the game.

So that's my twenty-three cents. What about the rest of you guys? Ever make rules for yourself like these or set up naming conventions?

The owner of that name better wear it proudly.
Calder... Al-BADASS

To me, the most influential videogame name is...
Simon Belmont. I always thought it of as a name that represented a man on a mission.

...wow. I'll keep that in mind if I ever have a kid to name. :o

It depends on the game, sci fi you want a name that new and futuristic, if its a game with a quirky sense of humour you want a new interesting name, the you need to mix that stuff with the time, setting, character, and so on.... :)

Simple and common names generally come with a lack of creativity and an over-reliance on limp attempts at humor. it gets worse when they try to use something from the spectrum of "lolso random" comedy.

"ill name him BOB because BOB is a funny name :durr: :durr: :durr: :durr:"

People who attempt this are scum and do not have enough originality to throw a monkey. it is funny because monkeys are random.

I have to admit, I enjoy the name of Jetpack Joyride's protagonist:  Barry Steakfries.