About choosing a name for the game

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    Recently, in my article, I revealed the difficulties of developing and bringing to the end of my first project alone. But I did not reveal one rather important point - the name . In fact, a well-chosen name can play a significant role in attracting an audience.

    Introduction Scientific statement of the problem


    In general, coming up with a name is best when the project is nearing completion. Although in most cases this happens.

    So, deciding to come up with a name for my game, I went online. But there were no worthwhile articles there .

    What to do?

    And then I decided to pose the problem scientifically, classify the names of the games, find the best version of the names and come up with my own model.

    So, here is my little classification. I warn you that the choice of games for examples is just what came to mind, that’s all, this should not hurt anyone’s preferences.

    Group Number One, or lovers of abstract art




    Subgroup of internal names


    Well, or what else is the whole thing called?

    This group includes names that seem to really mean something, but the meaning is deciphered only in the game itself . An example is the infamous Armikrog: the player cannot make anything out of the name, but in the game itself Armicrog is the name of the place where the game takes place.

    Pros : on request, only this game will be displayed without third-party links to similar requests; a unique name that can stand out

    Cons : the original name is more difficult to remember and correctly type; the player does not receive information about the essence of the game

    Subgroup of True Abstract Names


    A rare group of names that are a perfect abstraction and do not reveal the essence of the game, nor its internal content. Example: Rymdkapsel (they told me here that it still means “spaceship” in Swedish).

    Pros : the same

    Cons : the same, but the name is not connected with the game at all, which can completely bring down the player

    Group Number Two, or almost instruction




    This type of name gives direct appeals and directions to the gameplay process. Example: Cut the Rope (Rus. Cut the rope - during the game you have to cut the rope). Can give instructions not only to elementary gameplay, but also give instructions on a more developed gameplay (Don't Starve), set rules (Move or Die) or indicate the purpose of the game (Build a Bridge)

    Pros : the player immediately understands that he will have to do in the game

    Cons : if the game is not very famous, it can be difficult to find

    Group Number Three, or Self Names ... again




    No, here we are already talking about proper names that can at least tell something to the player, unlike abstractions.

    Character subgroup


    Still, the name of the characters can hint about what the game will be about. In fact, some kind of amball is unlikely to gather flowers, and a basketball ball usually doesn’t cut enemies with a katana (although the imagination can be limitless). If there is any ninja in the name, you can immediately understand that in the game, most likely, you will need speed or dexterity.
    Example: Super Meat Boy. The prefix "Super" hints at some special characteristics of this character, his heroism.

    Pros : the player will immediately be familiar with the character; perhaps the character can tell something about the game
    Cons : in comparison with the previous group, information content is still lower

    Subgroup


    The names are more general in nature, explain the atmosphere, the world, that is, the atmosphere of the game as a whole. Example: Knock-knock (Rus. Knock-knock-knock, shows that the player will obviously have to face someone who comes). A little from another variety: Limbo (well, there’s a hint of limb )

    Pros : reveals the situation in which the player will play
    Cons : again, he can merge with related requests, it does not always make it clear how to interpret the name

    Abbreviation subgroup


    Sometimes even abbreviations are used, which are usually then decrypted. Examples: CATS, STALKER

    Pros : Abbreviations attract attention and intrigue people, decoding can reveal the essence in more detail
    Cons : It can be difficult to fit words under the abbreviation; there may be a problem finding the name.

    Group Number Four, or Mix




    In fact, merging words to form new names is good enough practice. At the same time, the result, although unique , can tell something.
    Example: The Neverhood
    You can change familiar words, but so that the search engine does not correct: Scribblenauts

    Pros : the name is unique, the player understands the essence of
    Cons : the name can be very complex. and the search engine automatically fix

    Afterword


    What did I choose? I chose Group Four and decided to name my project so that the atmosphere was introduced and the plot was revealed, in which the absence of the sun would be one of the key points in future updates. Specifically - Nullysun , that is, "Zero Sun" or something like that. I wouldn’t say the result so openly , if it weren’t for one important mistake that I didn’t take into account: The

    players remembered the name well, but the spelling was just a disaster - they often wrote Nullisun instead of Nullysun. What does this mean? If the name is original, try to avoid letters such as Y, W, beware of combinations of U / OO, C / K, KS / X, etc. This is especially true for those who rely, including or mainly on the Russian audience.

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