My character in any game is named Tav now
this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2025
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It can be fun to use the longest possible name the UI will accept, and then see if that messes up the UI in other places.
In web development, it's customary to create a user named something like Constantine Constantinovich Constantinopolsky and see that the interface accommodates it everywhere.
For one of the Dragon Warrior games on the venerable PS1 I chose the name Squall for the hero, after they guy from Final Fantasy 8, because why the hell not. These were the days when Square and Enix were competing so it seemed like a fun thing to do. So anyway, one of my dudes attack moves was called SquallHit, and I never figured out if that was just what it was always called, or whether they included my selected name in it.
Shin Megami Tensei games have you rename their protagonist (and often the 3 other central characters too), but most of them don't have a canonical name. Also most of the time those people are supposed to be Japanese. Every time I am starting a game like that I struggle to choose a name that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb for them.
If there is a default name, I usually use it. Exceptions are the kind of RPG where the character is a blank slate, whose identity doesn't matter at all and whose appearance is custom (like Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Xenoblade X for example). And stuff like Pokémon, obviously. When your avatar is going to meet other players, doesn't look good if everyone has the same name.
I started Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U) without even knowing the main character had a canon name (it's... Cross. Like the X is supposed to be pronounced in the games's title). But even if know it now I still rename them. They are custom, there is multiplayer, and story-wise they're the blandest of characters anyway, so...
I struggle to choose a name that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb
A buddy of mine played many Western fantasy RPGs, and christened the characters with various elegant and dreamy names, until he started ‘World of Warcraft’ and met two guys called ‘Foot in my Mouth’ and ‘Get Yer Hands Off’. After that, his characters were named something like ‘Bitten by a Shark’.
I have a selection of custom names that I usually choose from depending on genre and the characters appearance. It's like a mix of self insertion and roleplaying.
I think that there is a time factor and a complication factor. Like the longer the game lasts and the fewer characters available to name, the more people who will name and customize characters.
I wonder how many people completed Skyrim with the name "Prisoner", though.
It doesn't actually appear anywhere in game but Oblivion's main character has an internal name in the editor. "Bendu Olo". Very Geoge Lucas kind of name.
I am using a german keyboard layout and if i have to name a character and dont have a name in mind they'll become Qwert Zuiopü.
it was the nerevarines name, it was the name of the hero of kvatch and it is the name of every Dragonborn that'll never finish skyrims main quest.
Similar to the classic, Etaoin Shrdlu.
i am stealing this to use it as a name of a fiend or something in my ttrpg campaign, thank you :D
There's of course also ‘Lorem ipsum’, which might be too well-known, and rather obscure ‘Hamburgevons’.
L'orm Ipsu'mlies is a well respected librarian and only got mininal eye rolls. He claims his name is old elvish, but he made it up.
That is different, the player is seldom refered to by name in games.
Though to keep it classic, I often use AFGNCAAP
I like to use “Dude” or “Lady”, makes dialogue that addresses the character slightly more entertaining.
Some racing games, and in particular the third-party app Crew Chief, allow the player to either set a name or choose an addressing like ‘dude’. I don't like using a personal name, so my racing engineer says stuff like “an incident in turn five, mate”.
I use Dumbass in a similar vein. But maybe something like Bro would be more neutral.
shithead works great as well
I like games where I name the main character, often the main character has a title or nickname that npcs use as well (the Dragonborn, the Avatar) but if I know they have a name in the story then it's feels a bit weird to change it. So, Link is Link. But when I player Chrono Trigger for the first time recently I had (somehow) not heard much about it, so I renamed Crono (also it's a horrible misspelling and kinda dull name, so happy to change it).