{"id":1035176,"date":"2026-01-16T01:13:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T01:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/UZ8paZ8H3aQVcm3DfmLiUc"},"modified":"2026-01-16T01:13:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T01:13:21","slug":"from-extensive-lore-friendly-research-to-diabolical-wordplay-all-the-different-ways-we-name-our-beloved-videogame-characters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/from-extensive-lore-friendly-research-to-diabolical-wordplay-all-the-different-ways-we-name-our-beloved-videogame-characters\/","title":{"rendered":"From extensive lore-friendly research to diabolical wordplay: All the different ways we name our beloved videogame characters"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<p>Naming your protagonist in a videogame is a sacred ritual, one which can be performed in many different ways. There&#8217;s the classic lore-friendly route which\u2014if you&#8217;re like me\u2014involves hours of googling and researching your character&#8217;s race, background, class origins, and just about any other material you can get your mittens on.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s the self-insert, arguably the most boring kind, or the name for that one OC you made two decades ago that you&#8217;ve then carried with you through every videogame you&#8217;ve ever played. Maybe there&#8217;s a canon name that the developer reveals. Or maybe you&#8217;re the kind of person who goes all-in on the puns and stupid names, the Pancakes Sparklefarts of the world.<\/p>\n<p>The PC Gamer team recently had a mini-discussion about all the different ways we name our various videogame characters, so now I&#8217;m here to immortalise and shame some of our writers&#8217; most heinous and unimaginative methods of putting names to videogame faces.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-s-in-a-name-6\">What&#8217;s in a name?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Robert Jones, Print Editor &#8211; <\/strong>When I was at university I read a lot of classic Russian literature, and by consuming works such as War and Peace, Notes from Underground, Oblomov, and Crime and Punishment, among others, I got steeped in the beauty and downright coolness of many classic Russian names. I&#8217;m talking the Nikolai Rostovs, the Anna Kareninas, the Fedor Dolokhovs and the Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikovs. As such, I often cherrypick names (but notably first names) from this Russian back catalogue and then, usually as I&#8217;m playing an RPG (which is my favourite genre), I then mix that up with a more fantastical second name. I find this combination often leads to cool-sounding character names that both have a bit of X-factor but still feel grounded and believable.<\/p>\n<p>A good example of this process is in one of my go-to female character names that I&#8217;ve used many times over the past couple of decades\u2014Natasha de Tylmarande. Here I took the first name of Natasha Rostova from Tolstoy&#8217;s masterwork, War and Peace, and then bolted it together with the second name of the famous fantasy RPG character from Neverwinter Nights, Aribeth de Tylmarande. &#8216;Natasha&#8217; is a beautiful, classic name that rolls off the tongue easily, while &#8216;de Tylmarande&#8217; sounds both exotic and classy at the same time, delivering that X-factor. I&#8217;ve named male characters Nikolai Cain for example in the past, too, drawing in inspiration from War and Peace&#8217;s Nikolai Rostov and my own middle name, which is Nicholas, and then bolting on Cain from Diablo&#8217;s most famous Horadric scholar, Deckard Cain. For me at least, it&#8217;s a formula that never fails to deliver.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:2506px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.26%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"opMJnceRwP9hBS8cFvjaUZ\" name=\"wallpaper_neverwinter_nights_11_2560x1440.jpg\" alt=\"Neverwinter Nights Aribeth de Tylmarande holding a sword and flag\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/from-extensive-lore-friendly-research-to-diabolical-wordplay-all-the-different-ways-we-name-our-beloved-videogame-characters.jpg\" mos=\"\" align=\"middle\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"2506\" height=\"1410\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: BioWare)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Harvey Randall, Staff Writer: <\/strong>I am a simple gamer, with terminal brain rot and a handful of OCs (original characters, for normal people) to choose from. Given that I tend to roleplay in the MMOs I enjoy, my usual go-to for naming a character is to simply turn to those old flames, and try my best to faithfully recreate them in an RPG.<\/p>\n<p>Even when I&#8217;m going off the grid in terms of visuals\u2014like my qunari in Dragon Age: The Veilguard\u2014you can catch me using the same old syllable smash from my FF14 warrior of light to title them. That is, at least, until I get tired of him, and move onto the next glorbo. It&#8217;s OK, the retirement home in the back of my skull isn&#8217;t haunted with the bodies of dead psychic constructs, I promise. Stop looking at me like that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Joshua Wolens, News Writer: <\/strong>My mind is broken in a thousand beautiful ways, and nowhere is that more apparent than in how I name my little videogame people. First up: If there&#8217;s a canon name, as in Atlus stuff, I go with that. No ifs, ands, or buts. My P5R guy was Ren Amamiya. P3R? Minato Arisato. I even went and googled around to figure out what the hell the proper name for Metaphor: ReFantazio&#8217;s protagonist was before I let myself start playing that (it&#8217;s Will). My only exception is Persona 4&#8217;s hero, whose canon name is\u2014as far as I&#8217;m concerned\u2014<a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VAh9xGGfhJ0\" target=\"_blank\">Charlie Tunoku<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If there&#8217;s no canon name, I have a stable of go-tos that are all references to something that carries inexplicable meaning in my kaleidoscope brain. There&#8217;s Renyri\u2014one of the first names KotOR&#8217;s still-unmatched name generator spat out for me decades ago; Zinaida\u2014a reference to a WW2 hero; Karokan\u2014the random characters I banged out as a 6-year-old making an EverQuest character in 1999; or Jacob Richter\u2014a pseudonym once used by Lenin to apply for a reader&#8217;s ticket at the British Library. I&#8217;m not well, folks.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:3840px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"yFxEt6bBZiFNSWUi6KzCWC\" name=\"Metaphor ReFantazio - Launch Trailer - \u201cBurn the Witch\u201d Radiohead Cover PS5 &#038; PS4 Games 00-01-20\" alt=\"Metaphor: ReFantazio\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/from-extensive-lore-friendly-research-to-diabolical-wordplay-all-the-different-ways-we-name-our-beloved-videogame-characters.png\" mos=\"\" align=\"middle\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"3840\" height=\"2160\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Sega Atlus)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Mollie Taylor, Features Producer: <\/strong>I&#8217;m with Josh on being down with the canon sickness. I named my Persona 5 protagonist Akira Kurusu back when all we had was the manga name, only to be devastated when Ren Amamiya sprung forth as the Chosen Moniker. A betrayal of the highest order.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to my own creations, I&#8217;m a huge sucker for going lore-friendly. The Fantasy Name Generators website may as well be glued to my bookmarks at this point.<\/p>\n<p>Huge shoutout to Final Fantasy 14, which has extensive naming conventions for each of its races over on its forums. I remember spending forever pouring over what to name my Miqo&#8217;te, and I really do love what I eventually came up with her. So much so that I&#8217;m now a Viera and I&#8217;ve still kept the name.<\/p>\n<p>But that&#8217;s the best part\u2014the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.square-enix.com\/ffxiv\/threads\/398565\" target=\"_blank\">forum post for my beloved bunnies<\/a> states: &#8220;The majority of Viera who choose to leave their homes and strike out into the wider world also adopt new &#8216;city names&#8217; to mark their parting from the traditional Viera way of life. These names are often inspired by the names of other races they encounter, or simple things that they like.&#8221; So technically, my name is still sort of lore-friendly after all. Huge win.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:2560px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"2HepMhkkE94Mdt4iCPEGZ4\" name=\"Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn Screenshot 2024.07.30 - 11.57.51.10.png\" alt=\"A Viera in level 99 Dawntrail artifact armor.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/from-extensive-lore-friendly-research-to-diabolical-wordplay-all-the-different-ways-we-name-our-beloved-videogame-characters-1.png\" mos=\"\" align=\"middle\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Square Enix)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Phil Savage, Global Editor-in-Chief:<\/strong> If it&#8217;s a game I care about, I&#8217;m all about that lore\u2014or at least all about sticking to the naming patterns set out by the lore. My basic aim is that, if I&#8217;m in a conversation with an NPC of the same species, my character won&#8217;t seem wildly out of place. If they don&#8217;t use surnames, I won&#8217;t either. If their naming conventions are clearly inspired by Celtic or Roman or Germanic conventions, I&#8217;ll generally follow suit.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes I try to hone in on a more specific pattern, mostly out of laziness. The majority of my Guild Wars 2 characters are sylvari\u2014the elf-like plant folk. So I&#8217;ve come up with a quick and easy system for creating a new one:<\/p>\n<p>1. Find the botanical name for a plant<\/p>\n<p>2. Keep adding vowels until I land on a name that hasn&#8217;t already been taken by another player<\/p>\n<p>My main character, for instance, is a thief named Haederra, based on the botanical name for ivy. Because they creep. (OK, fine, I&#8217;ll admit it: I actually love dumb pun names, I&#8217;m just trying to be sneaky about it.)<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:1920px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"H9o24Y2kPn9JP9hdeffoEE\" name=\"EoD_Catalyst_2_Full.jpg\" alt=\"Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/from-extensive-lore-friendly-research-to-diabolical-wordplay-all-the-different-ways-we-name-our-beloved-videogame-characters-1.jpg\" mos=\"\" align=\"middle\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: ArenaNet)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Fraser Brown, Online Editor: <\/strong>In MMOs, where I&#8217;ll inevitably make a dozen alts, I frequently delve into the well of mythology, justifying the years I wasted getting a Classical Studies MA. Unfortunately, that&#8217;s a popular naming strategy, so I often have to get a bit more creative. Like Phil, I&#8217;m a sylvari sicko in Guild Wars 2, and for them I usually go horticultural, just like him. My main\u2014a sylvari necro\u2014is blessed with a name that hits mythology, plants, and seasons: Attis (the Phrygian god of vegetation, death and rebirth) Autumnal. It&#8217;s one of my faves, both appropriate for a sylvari and a necro.<\/p>\n<p>Otherwise, I usually stick to the tried and tested character name I&#8217;ve been using for the better part of three decades\u2014a purposeful misspelling of some D&#038;D nonsense I thought sounded cool when I was 13. And at 39 I&#8217;m still convinced it&#8217;s cool. Which is why I ain&#8217;t telling you lot what it is, in case I hop into a new online romp and find out one of you has pinched it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Morgan Park, Staff Writer:<\/strong> &#8220;There&#8217;s the self-insert, arguably the most boring kind.&#8221; Haha yea, what kind of loser would punch their own name into character creators and call it a day\u2026I can&#8217;t <em>imagine being that dull<\/em>. \ud83d\ude05<\/p>\n<p>Honestly, I prefer RPGs that don&#8217;t let me name a blank slate character. Who cares who my OC is, I want to be Geralt of Rivia.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:1515px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.24%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"9XeoqHQiQ2nkkqM89UDLLm\" name=\"Kotor.jpg\" alt=\"Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/from-extensive-lore-friendly-research-to-diabolical-wordplay-all-the-different-ways-we-name-our-beloved-videogame-characters-2.jpg\" mos=\"\" align=\"middle\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"1515\" height=\"852\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong>Jody Macgregor, Weekend\/AU Editor:<\/strong> If a fantasy RPG lets me play a dwarf I will name that dwarf Axebeard Beardaxe.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tyler Wilde, US Editor-in-Chief: <\/strong>Whenever I&#8217;m confronted by an empty RPG character name field, I take it as a challenge: be cool, be clever. I always fail to be either of those things, but I try anyway, sitting there slack-jawed and cross-eyed as I search my memory for a character from a novel I&#8217;ve liked, or a poet, or a painter, or an old philosopher or scientist\u2014someone with a cool name who&#8217;s obscure enough that I can&#8217;t be accused of being basic, but not so obscure that I&#8217;d roll my eyes at anyone else who referenced them. I&#8217;m certain I&#8217;ve encountered names like this before, but as I reach for one, my mind becomes stiller than a frozen pond and the details of my own life seem hazy and remote: <em>Have I ever read a novel I&#8217;ve liked? Or any novel? Or heard of any other people before? Can I even name one name? Gortex? Spindle? Are these names?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>After I snap out of it and return to the earthly cycle of death, rebirth, and choosing RPG character names, I type in <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AXaXerFmWms\" target=\"_blank\">&#8220;Bort&#8221;<\/a> and start the game before I have a chance to reconsider and accidentally achieve ego death.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/games\/from-extensive-lore-friendly-research-to-diabolical-wordplay-all-the-different-ways-we-name-our-beloved-videogame-characters\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Naming your protagonist in a videogame is a sacred ritual, one which can be performed in many different ways. There&#8217;s the classic lore-friendly route which\u2014if you&#8217;re like me\u2014involves hours of googling and researching your character&#8217;s race, background, class origins, and just about any other material you can get your mittens on. There&#8217;s the self-insert, arguably the most boring kind, or the name for that one OC you made two decades ago that you&#8217;ve then carried with you through every videogame you&#8217;ve ever played. Maybe there&#8217;s a canon name that the developer reveals. Or maybe you&#8217;re the kind of person who goes all-in on the puns and stupid names, the Pancakes Sparklefarts of the world. The PC Gamer team recently had a mini-discussion about all the&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"excerpt-more\"><a class=\"blog-excerpt button\" href=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/from-extensive-lore-friendly-research-to-diabolical-wordplay-all-the-different-ways-we-name-our-beloved-videogame-characters\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1035177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[336],"tags":[748],"class_list":["post-1035176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pc-gamer","tag-games"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>From extensive lore-friendly research to diabolical wordplay: All the different ways we name our beloved videogame characters | Arcader News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Naming your protagonist in a videogame is a sacred ritual, one which can be performed in many different ways. 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