I was just curious about whether any of you would publish a game with your real name, first and last, in the credits. I've seen a few people do this, but lots of others just stick with their forum names.
A big part of the whole internet safety thing is not disclosing personal information, but are names such a big deal? Other than being google-able, can someone really do you harm if they know your name and happen to live in your area? Also, what if you wanted to prove to someone that the game was yours?
Yes, have done. I think it's cool because now I get heaps of results for my name in google.
My name is Ian Welch.
The only reason I wouldn't release a game with that name in the credits is because it's a pretty lousy name and I want to change it by Deed Poll to something cool. As for the security issues, if you own a website, the chances are that you're name and address are available to view if you check the right sites.
I use my real name.
I too, use my real name. If someone wanted to stalk me or steal my identity they would have done so by now.
Oh wait a minute, I hear some scratching at my window....
Yeah, and the AGSer map doesn't help any.
I use my forum name.
Tilemachos Stavropoulos (hey, that's how it's spelled in my passport) doesn't exist on the internet. I dislike personal information online (for different reasons than one might think are obvious) and having a generic nickname like 'Helm' helps keep all that to a minimum.
Yeah, I include my real name in my serious game projects. I imagine in a few years I'll be a huge celebrity anyway, so I might as well. :P
Helm, if my name were as long as yours I'd use a nickname too. Not even sure if I could fit that on one line unless I used a tiny font.
long name equals long penis lol I am greek guess who I am! I beat my wife!
I OUT AND OUT REFUSE! to use forum names in any credits I give to people... I don't like giving credit to "LotsoSnotXXX" or "Dethkreed2099666" because those names don't belong in my game.
I'd be fine with Bill "KillabeesWUTANG420" Skokie if that is what someone wanted... But that's as far as I bend!
Which is why I could never work with Helm.
That and he beats me.
Something sounds wrong with "Colossal" Feurstein.
I use my real full name, too. It is really cool to find your name on Google for a few page
Quotelong name equals long penis
.
Yay, my full name is Ahmet Kamil Kelesh :D
Dude, I post with my real name. In the beginning, I noticed that everyone had nicknames, so I chose a nickname, but then it took me 7 years to realize that my name was original enough to be unquie!
Actually I don't care about forum nicks or real names, as long as they're not annoying or ridiculously long.
Personally I myself like to use my real name more (thank goodness my full English name is not really that long), and it's what I used until, I think, about 3 years ago, when I changed it to the current nick, which was just meant to be a joke (for reasons I couldn't remember) and was to be used for only a week or so, but I was just too lazy to change it back later, and I just let it be.
Rolf Gustav Alexander Haddas. I WIN
I'll be using my real name, after all there are other ManicMatt's out there!
As for other's, I don't know Ashen's proper name (if that is even his first name) so when I credit him or DKH or Strazer for their AGS help, I'll just use their forum names as that's all I have. (I could always PM them)
I use my real name in credits, usually as Aapeli "Pablo" Kutila. I really doubt anyone's going to come here and rape me or anything just because I publish my name in the web.
I hate to see nicknames in credits, too. To me it just seems really unprofessional. And I think that simply putting your real name in some credits-sequence is pretty safe - if you're really working on something big, then there is the chance that you'll be findable by google, but still this means no danger (atleast that's what I think). Somebody that looks you up on google will only find your name (maybe a picture), but not your adress. And - again - even if he'd take your name to find out your adress, what is he gonna to? Break in? He could do that without your name...
Of course, the alternative is just to use a pseudoname so that everyone thinks they know what your name is, but they're actually way off.
;)
I want to suggest you all something: Never use your full name while sending an e-mail to a newspaper.
A complaint including emotional article/letter that I wrote about the education system of Turkey has just got published in a big newspaper; now my father's friends call my father if it was written by his son.
The worst part is that my parents didn't know I wrote such a letter :(
Quote from: Gord10 on Sat 21/01/2006 14:07:02
The worst part is that my parents didn't know I wrote such a letter :(
Plausible deniability -- you're fine ;)
Actually my name was published only as Ahmet K. ; guess I should have denied my parents writing that letter.
Well I don't actually have anything to credit on... but once ATOTK is finished my whole name will be init. Why? Because I wouldn't recognise myself from it if I was called something that I use in other forums. Besides it would be stupid to invite a nick when your nick is your name, right? Yes, I shall open a blog soon and will most certainly use my own name...
Quote from: Pumaman on Sat 21/01/2006 14:05:41
Of course, the alternative is just to use a pseudoname so that everyone thinks they know what your name is, but they're actually way off.
;)
So basically, you're saying Chris Jones is a pseudonym? Ã, Makes sense, considering it's such a common name. Ã, I bet your real name is Ffeofgig Sernis or something like that.
I don't use my real name, Just my initials. Ã, J.A. Productions is the name of my game development. Ã, (J.A. Being my initials) Ã, That way, you feel like you are SOMEWHAT recognized, but still confidential. Ã, ;D Ã, ;D
Quote from: Spleen on Sat 21/01/2006 03:25:38
My name is Ian Welch.
The only reason I wouldn't release a game with that name in the credits is because it's a pretty lousy name and I want to change it by Deed Poll
I find nothing wrong with Ian Welch. However, it would probably pale in comparison to a name like Deed Poll.
My full name is...<GASP>....Babar Ahmed Kemal Mohammad Khan. That's not including my tribal names. BEAT THAT!
Are you related to the elefant?
I haven't written my real name in game credits before, but that has been a mistake! One day I told my friends about a game I made two years ago, and they happened to know this game, but they didn't believe it was made by me! :(
Then I decided: I'll add my real name in to all the games I will create. I think everybody should do it!
Quote from: Edmundo on Sat 21/01/2006 08:21:57
In the beginning, I noticed that everyone had nicknames, so I chose a nickname, but then it took me 7 years to realize that my name was original enough to be unquie!
Heh, same here.
On the forums here, a lot of people seem to use "nicknames", so people tend to associate a nickname to a certain person after a while.
But when I make a game, I'll use both my real name and my forum nickname in the credits (Example: Don "Barbarian" McPherson), so people who see my real name might say "Don? Who's this Don guy?", but then if they see "Barbarian" along with it, they may more easily recognise who I am from the forums here and think, "Oh yeah, that Barbarian fellow, I know his name from the forums."
Well, you get the idea, so if you use a forum nickname here it's probably a good idea to include it along with your real name in the credits of a project you work on. But, it's a personal choice for everyone to make for themselves when it comes time to add their name into credits I suppose.
Quote from: Helm on Sat 21/01/2006 03:51:19
Tilemachos Stavropoulos (hey, that's how it's spelled in my passport) doesn't exist on the internet. I dislike personal information online (for different reasons than one might think are obvious) and having a generic nickname like 'Helm' helps keep all that to a minimum.
Hmmm....All this only adds to my theory of Helm being a super secret agent....He's even dressed up in a creatively wacky disguise in his avatar....
I've got you pegged man...
I use my real name because, well, it's real and it's mine- and I have a social security card taken from the corpse to prove it!...Er...
Heh, ProgZ, I like your style.
And the rest of you have made some good points too. I'll probably end up using my real name in the credits of my game, just because it might be one of those things I'll have to brag about at some point. Plus, really, I won't feel like I've lived up to my life's potential until google knows who I am.
So yeah, I'm Erin Robinson. Nice to meet you all. :-,
Well, too late now, but the last female AGSer from the Toronto area, Dart, let her real name be known and she mysetriously disappeared a few months back. Also, she had won the "Sexiest AGSer" award and now you've had some guys saying you are hot.... I'd watch out if I were you ;)
The thing we have to look out for is to find who ALMOST won the sexiest agser... That's our culprit who kidnapped Dart... Hoping to sweep the awards this year.
/me goes to work out to shed a few more pounds before the awards
Quote from: Pumaman on Sat 21/01/2006 14:05:41
Of course, the alternative is just to use a pseudoname so that everyone thinks they know what your name is, but they're actually way off.
;)
But then you might change to using your real name and everyone gets really confused. What kind of an idiot would do that though?
*cries with shame*
Quote from: Babar on Sat 21/01/2006 15:58:49
Babar Ahmed Kemal Mohammad Khan.
From this day on I shall refer to you by KHAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!
I don't know if I would ever make an AGS game, though I might be involved in one at some point. But on the subject of real name vs. nick name, for me Kristofski is alot more than just an avatar nick name; I use it for most of my creative endevours that have my name on, and it's like an identity for me. Quite a few people call me Kristofski in real life. I think what I'd probably do if I did make a game is have "made by Kristofski" at the beggining, but if you looked at the credits it would say my real name (Chris Hubley). That's similar to what I plan to do when I release my first album (hopefully by the end of the year), as in it will say "kristofski" on the front, but then inside it would say "all songs written and perfomed by Chris Hubley", just to cover all my bases and prove it's me.
i use my real name in my game credits(dont worry gameboy, i put your real name to)
my alias in this forum is my real name to :P
Squinky:
Good day to you, sir!
Quote from: Babar on Sat 21/01/2006 15:58:49
Quote from: Spleen on Sat 21/01/2006 03:25:38
My name is Ian Welch.
The only reason I wouldn't release a game with that name in the credits is because it's a pretty lousy name and I want to change it by Deed Poll
I find nothing wrong with Ian Welch. However, it would probably pale in comparison to a name like Deed Poll.
My full name is...<GASP>....Babar Ahmed Kemal Mohammad Khan. That's not including my tribal names. BEAT THAT!
I didn't plan to change it to Deed Poll.Ã, Ã, That's just the system in the UK you use to legally change your name.Ã, Considering I have the plan to spend an entire year changing my name once a month*, Deed Poll and possibly Deep Doll might get a look in.Ã, Amongst Guybrush Threepwood and Evil Mister Meanie Pants.
*(Deed Poll gets cheaper if you use it more than once).
Quote from: Barbarian on Sat 21/01/2006 19:13:30
On the forums here, a lot of people seem to use "nicknames", so people tend to associate a nickname to a certain person after a while.
At Brittens last year, I called most people by their forum names. Or at least a derivative of such. IE, AGA was Aggie. DaveGilbert managed to find away around that, tho. Damn, he's sneaky.
I use my real name in credits but I am a big, old, and ugly male, live in the US, and don't have anything controversial to say in an adventure game so I don't worry much about being harassed. I can, however, see how others may be in situations where this would be a serious concern.
If you think your game will motivate the Iranians to put a contract out on your life then use a fake name and internet cafes. If you're a young lady who doen't want to be asked out on dates by nerdy guys, who have nothing better to do than write and/or play computer games, then you could just use your initials and last name like the author of the Harry Potter stuff.
What if you DO want to be asked out on dates by nerdy guys who have nothing better to do than write and/or play computer games?
post a picture of any part of your body, doesn't matter, they'll say it's hot and PM you asking to go on an internet date.
Just make sure you use a firewall to avoid ending up with internet babies or e-TD's.
I've got a rare enough name that a search for it means there's a 50% chance of it being me (well, aside from 1 hit for a jazz musician via Amazon). It's out there just enough anyway that I don't think Adventure Games would do any more harm to my anonymity.
Quote from: CoveredInSLUDGE on Mon 23/01/2006 01:05:21
What if you DO want to be asked out on dates by nerdy guys who have nothing better to do than write and/or play computer games?
Judging from the supplied profile, you might want to be the one doing the asking out in those cases.
Quote from: CoveredInSLUDGE on Mon 23/01/2006 01:05:21
What if you DO want to be asked out on dates by nerdy guys who have nothing better to do than write and/or play computer games?
And the cool thing is, if they think they are dating Squinky (you) I can pop out and scare them away with my manly non-hot femaleness....
Quote
And the cool thing is, if they think they are dating Squinky (you) I can pop out and scare them away with my manly non-hot femaleness....
Unless of course, the poor, lonely, desperate bastard got turned on by your manly non-hot femaleness and realized he was a homo-sexual. Now if some guy got turned on by me, he would be so horrified that he would likely commit suicide; and if he didn't I'd give him Squinky's phone number and run like hell. ;)
I prefer to see real names, because - well nicknames are just for internet useage, right? In the real world, real names are going to catch peoples attention more than "m0ds" or "La Femme Niadventure" or whatever. I get the impression that people who use nicknames don't want anything more than to be known or credited about the internet. I have no problem with that, but those who use real names I imagine are looking for some kind of professional feedback. I doubt using either really hurt, especially in the amateur adventure game department. But say Psiop released a kick ass game that I loved to bits, and he just happened to be at ECTS 2006. He then walks past me but his badge reads MICHAEL PALMER. Awww, I'm never to know it was Psiop :( (Hehe but thats also because I doubt ECTS would let you register with a nickname :P) ...
Okay, as always I'm split with the two views. Nicknames are okay, but names are better - in my opinion. And to directly answer the original question, yes, in all my games I would only use real names - but I would be happy to stick the nick in the middle, i.e. Mark "m0ds" Lovegrove.
Plus, I usually remember names better than I do nicks or faces. :D
I pretty much agree with everything mods said there.
As you all know, I use my real name...
or am I?
If you want professional recognition or you need a kind of official trademark for your work it is reasonable to use your real name, either it is an AGS game or music or art or whatever you upload here or elsewhere on the internet, but if it is just a hobby with nothing professional related to it, nicknames are fine...
Quote from: Spleen on Sun 22/01/2006 20:19:26
I didn't plan to change it to Deed Poll.Ã, Ã, That's just the system in the UK you use to legally change your name.Ã, Considering I have the plan to spend an entire year changing my name once a month*, Deed Poll and possibly Deep Doll might get a look in.Ã, Amongst Guybrush Threepwood and Evil Mister Meanie Pants.
Firstly, I think he was making a bad pun when he said about changeing your name to Deed Poll (surely the best kind of humour ever...)
Also, you should know that's it's a heluva lot cheaper to change your name by statuary decleration rather than deed poll (about £8 compared to about £50), all you need to do is go to your local magistrates court with your birth certificate and (probably) some other form of ID, and you stand in front of 4/5 people and read something out, basicly saying you promise to use your new name for everything from then on. It's good fun.
i'm never going to release a game on the net under my real name. why? because "skyfire1" sounds cool.
I'd release a game under the name King Nipper/Lord Nipper, and put Steven Booth in the credits.
Quote from: skyfire1 on Wed 25/01/2006 02:11:36
i'm never going to release a game on the net under my real name. why? because "skyfire1" sounds cool.
Do yourself a favor and use your name....
Quote from: Squinky on Wed 25/01/2006 03:13:28
Quote from: skyfire1 on Wed 25/01/2006 02:11:36
i'm never going to release a game on the net under my real name. why? because "skyfire1" sounds cool.
Do yourself a favor and use your name....
hell no. why would you say such a thing?
Good day to you, Sir!
I used to use a pen name for everything internet-related that I did (forums, profiles, etc), for paranoia reasons, and I was going to use it in the credits for my games... if and when they ever got finished. But now, I can't exactly remember what those paranoia-related reasons are, though. ??? I'm just wierd like that.
I realised how dumb it was, so I just recently decided to start using my real name... my REAL, real name. :P
That being the one under your avatar, eh? :=
He he. ;D
Yes, indeedy!
I always use my real name Matt Damon on any project I'm working on. Anything else would be dishonest.
Speaking of which...
Ah...
So tired of being dishonest.
Quote from: kristofski on Wed 25/01/2006 01:43:55
You should know that's it's a heluva lot cheaper to change your name by statuary decleration rather than deed poll (about £8 compared to about £50).
Statuary Decleration mean's I'll have to leave the house for something other than work. I've got it done to just the two inconvenience these days (Thank you, Oddbins. Hello, Brittens).
I'm not about to try to complicate matters more than I have too.
Now, if this Statuary Decleration worked via MSN and PayPal, I'd be set..