What's in a Name?

he great bard would tell you that; "that which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet". It seems to me that the denizens of the World of Warcraft do not agree with Mr. Shakespeare. In recent weeks there has been a rise of controversy surrounding Blizzard's naming policies as well as why some choices are indeed not very sweet at all.

First let's examine what goes into making a name for an RPG game. Since the core of RPG is 'Role Playing', many like to have their chosen name fit their character as best as possible. In WoW, I've seen such fitting names as: Augustus, Renyon, and Malor. Some try to emulate their character with the name, often with humorous results: Misgnomer for a gnome, DemonMidget for a gnome warlock, and Stubby for a dwarf, are some that I've seen.

The taurens seem to be having the most fun: DaMadMoo, HughHeffer, BeefOSteak, and Cowsetung are just a few I've seen that tickled my funnybone. Some names seem to be premonitions: Wormbringer, Grumpy, Victim, Smush, Crush, PoopyPants. But the greatest majority seem to be for lack of imagination (I can relate) and taken from literary works or other games: Thorin, Theodin, Glimi, Elessar, Thayiden, Bombadil, and Mellon are all direct copies or derivations of names and words from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

The bottom line is that with thousands upon thousands of characters that will be in this game, you're bound to run into issues with name creation. Blizzard is more than aware of that and has come up with a somewhat strict naming policy. This has led to a bevy of complaints both in-game and out. There have been discussions and complaints up the wazoo in the official WoW Community Forums. Most think the naming policies are a bit too harsh. Others say not harsh enough. Many say whatever they think Blizzard wants to hear (called 'fanboys' by some).

The most recent complaint was the restriction of capital letters to only the first letter in the name. This would eliminate annoying names like: MeLiKeCaPs and such. Names like that are indeed annoying because they're more difficult to read. Ultimately however, I would think the player would suffer most, as less people would chat and trade with him/her because the name is so confusing. Unfortunately, this would also rule out great names like BellaZuum (ya, it's one of mine). Since we're not allowed spaces or underscores or dashes or apostrophes... the second cap is the only way to denote a last name. It also changes the emphasis that helps ensure people are reading your name how you want it to be read. Because of the capital 'Z', my nick is often shortened to 'Bella', which is correct. Without the capital 'Z', I might be called 'Bell'. *shivers*

Does this make the game unenjoyable? Of course not. But a great part of any RPG is defining yourself. So if someone wants to define themselves as MinnieMee, I say, more power to them. Are some choices annoying? You bet your bippy. But annoyance is relative. One player's annoyance is another one's laughing fit. Are some offensive? Well there we bite off a whole new piece of the puzzle.

What's offensive? Dictionary.com's most relevant definition is: Causing anger, displeasure, resentment, or affront. When you're dealing with tens of thousands of people from numerous cultures, that can be a LOT of things! So of course filters and GMs have to be subjective with dealing with some. But one might say erring on the side of caution is still an error. While this game will indeed be populated by a lot of pre-teens I think we have to realize that with games like Grand Theft Auto out there , worrying about someone named Jackmaninov because if you remove a syllable it might be construed as Jack-in-ov is a bit silly, (yes, this player's name was changed by a GM because it was considered offensive).

Ultimately, gamers will always find things to complain about. WoW is the best game I've seen yet (my opinion) but still some will call it a piece of ca ca (hope that's not offensive :p ). As my Dad used to say "Some people would complain if you hung them with a new rope!" Ya, he's weird. But at what point do we want to let the whiner's get their way? When we're all restricted to names generated by the game only so NO one can be offended? Would we rather the fanboys got their way? If the fanboys 'win', then we really haven't provided any constructive feedback now have we?

Anyhoo, however you fall in this naming quandry, having fun is the key, but it shouldn't be at the expense of others. And whether we like it or not, it is Blizzard's call. But that's not to say they can't use a little feedback from time to time. That's what their forums are for after all. It's up to them who they listen to, if anyone. As for me, I'm going to settle back and listen to some Rachmaninoff while I ponder where BellaZuum will plunder next as the naming battle rages or wanes.

- TucksMa