What's in a name?

[Trisk]

Hey guys, we've been brainstorming on a list of apt names for our game, which was up until now called "Realm of Darkness." It is time it got its final moniker.

All of these fit in one way or another to the plot. So what grabs you the most? When considering, note that this is a horror/thriller style game...so I want a name that sounds both highly intriguing and a little macabre. Feel free to suggest something along these lines if you think it sounds cool...

So what name grabs you the best?

Realm of Darkness (The old working title.)
Dominion of Obscurity
Dominion of Shadows
Circle of Darkness
Ring of Darkness
Ring of Shadows
Ring of Obscurity
Cycle of Darkness
The Last Stand of Darkness
The Cycle Remaining
The Cycle Lingering
Bastion of Sanity
Darkness Unending
Chains of Darkness
Liberation from Darkness
Chains and Liberation
The Chains of Liberation
The Agony of Liberation
The Symptom of Agony

Let me know what you all think! I'll really appreciate it!

laters,
Trisk

[Moresco]

All of those names really strike me as boring.  I'm not saying I have a better name, I'm just telling you how they grab me.  If I had to pick one from the list it would be:

The Cycle Remaining.


Honestly, what is the game about? The titles are all very vague and don't seem as though they're even slightly hinting at a plot or point?  That's just my opinion.

[Evil]

Some info on the game itself would help us greatly.

Despite, I think "The Cycle Remaining" sounds the best also, but that's assuming it's about a remaining cycle of some sort.

[Nightfable]

I like :

Bastion of Sanity and The Symptom of Agony

Cool names, very dark.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

I like chains of darkness.

[stuh505]

Chains of Night
Darkness Everlasting
Whispers of Sanity

[nihilyst]

Shadow Requiem

[Peter Thomas]

Hate to be all gloom and doom, but this is the crit's lounge, after all

To me, the names sound like they're trying too hard. Like they were once regular titles that have been overdone with big words from a thesaurus. You don't have to do anything fancy to still demonstrate the macabre. (And I know I don't know the complete story, but from what I've seen in your betas and whatnot, there aren't too many titles that fit the plot comfortably). They all have the same flow of "The something of something".

For me, the best titles are the ones that don't try to describe something intangible. They just describe the story.
"5 Days a Stranger" happens to be one of my favourite titles of all time. And it's dead simple.
Just my two cents. Which maybe I should've put in an email? :p

[Andail]

I agree with PT; those titles strain after effect way too hard. Keep it simple and descriptive.

[Snarky]

Yeah, add me to the consensus here. A simpler, less pompous title will work better for you. For instance, there's a commercial horror game under development called "Scratches". Simple, evocative, cool.

Anyone can come up with something like "The Shadow Continuum".

Remember! A title doesn't have to be a noun or a noun term. Try using a verb ("bleed") in some form. How about an interjection or an exclamation? ("Please! Don't!") A statement ("It stalks me"), a longer sentence (think "I have no mouth, and I must scream"), or a fragment ("For reason of insanity")?

An allusion or poetry fragment is often effective, and you have three main options: a children's rhyme ("spider to the fly", "cradle will fall"), William Blake ("born of mortal birth/consumed with the earth", "twist the sinews"), and W.B. Yeats ("terrified vague fingers", "vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle") Tends to get a bit pompous again, however.

[Andail]

Turn to Poe for good titles.
http://www.classicreader.com/toc.php/sid.6/aut.8/

Is there a cooler name than "The pit and the pendulum"?

[YicklePigeon]

This write up by Scott Miller is best being read here.

Helped me when coming up with names for one's projects :}

Regards,

Yickle.

[Trisk]

Hmm...well, those are interesting thoughts, all.

Peter Thomas, these titles actually DO all fit the plot in one way or another...I AM actually trying to go for a title that makes no sense until you've finished the game, and then it suddenly is clear and obvious. I can see your point that they are too pretentious though...

Snarky, I agree that "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" is one of the coolest names for a game EVER. I REALLY would love to dream up a name that cool...but it is really harder than you'd think. I want the title to fit the game's plot, and not just be out of left field.

Andail, I agree that Poe has great names for his stuff, and a flair for the macabre...but I don't want to rip off one of his names, especially since the game really isn't anything like his works. Again, these titles all *DO* fit the plot in one way or another, just as "The Pit and the Pendulum" fits that short story. All these names are brainstormed based on the plot at hand, even if it sounds as though I just plucked them out of the air.

Yickle, yeah that is a great article. He makes some EXTREMELY valid points about what not to do...but that doesn't help a whole lot with what TO do. You can only go so far with the English language before you've used up all the single word names available.

Plus, finding a title that conveys unease and tension in one word is pretty darn hard. I notice that 3D Realm's names ALL violate Millars rules pretty heavily. "Rise of the Triad: Dark Wars"? or how about "Duke Nukem Forever"? or even "Terminal Velocity"? And what does "Max Payne" tell me, the gamer, about the game? All horrible names by his own standards. About the only one that fits his descriptions is their newly announced "Prey". Good name, instantly intriguing.

Sigh...overall, I do see an overall problem with all these names. I'll go back to the drawing board and see if I can somehow dream up something shorter. Unfortunantly, it will be at the expense of descriptiveness, as these titles all heavily forshadow different story elements. :/

Any other comments, guys? Please give 'em! This is an interesting conversation.

Oooo...how about "Prodigal", guys? Would that be an interesting title that is more memorable? I just thought of that...

[Snarky]

Prey? Wasn't that a game 3D realms was doing ten years ago? Something about a native American? They're still working on that?

'Prodigal' is better. I like that it's an adjective. I find it a bit tricky to pronounce, though. (I get confused with the soft G in "prodigy" and the way "i-al" is pronounced in words like "suicidal", and end up saying "prod-ai-jal".)

In English, it's often worth to consider the etymology of the words used. Words with a Germanic root are often punchier, more active than words with a Latinate root, which tend to be longer, more unwieldy, and more difficult to pronounce (it's part of the problem with 'Prodigal'). However, juxtaposing words with different origins can create a neat effect, as well.

I wonder if all of Scott Miller's advice applies to indie games? I think your game title is less likely to become iconic, so going for something like 'DOOM' or 'Halo' may not be such a good strategy. Rather than go for a one-word title, maybe it's better to aim for 3-4 short words?

Let's look at the titles of some indie adventures:

Pleurghburg: Dark Ages
+ Unique, memorable
- Pointless subtitle (I've never seen it referred to by its full name)
- Difficult to spell
- Reminds people of Pittsburgh (not a good thing)
- The weird name makes the game sound more comedic, less serious than it is

Apprentice II: The Knight's Move
+ Builds on the "Apprentice" brand created by the first game
- "apprentice" isn't all that original, what with the TV series and fantasy lit
+ The Germanic subtitle is a nice balance to the Latinate main title
+ The subtitle is a phrase that comes with meaning
+ The title is a good description of the game
+/- Punning titles may be a bit cheesy, though this communicates the humor of the game

5 Days a Stranger
+ Moderately original, yet suggestive of games like "The 7th Guest"
+ "Stranger" is a word that creates interest (helped by its alternative use as an adjective)
+ For the above reasons, gives a good idea of the atmosphere of the game
+ "5 Days" tells players something useful in-game
- Easy to imitate, with risk of diluting the effect (just look at all the AGS games that mimic the title)

Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator Case 3 - The Sorceress of Smailholm
+ Builds on the "Ben Jordan" brand
- Ridiculously long, doomed to be known as BJ3
+ Alliteration in the subtitle
- "Smailholm"?
- Title is arguably misleading as to the focus of the game

Grr! Bearly Sane
+ Unique, memorable
+ Very relevant to the game
- The two parts of the title don't really go together
- How many Rs are there in "grr"?
- With the unorthodox spelling of "bearly", it's difficult to do a search for
+ Cute pun
- Maybe too cute... title and screenshot may give the impression this is a game for kids

Other good AGS titles include 'Cirque de Zale' (though, again, difficult to spell) and 'The Great Stroke Off!' Though it's non-AGS, I'd also like to mention 'The White Chamber', which I think is a great title for a horror game; both sinister and enigmatic.

In any case, I don't think there's a one-best-way to title your game. How about this for a technique? Try to come up with a single sentence that describes something important about your game. Make it a tag line if you like. Something like "Fear the unknown" or "They came from hell to eat his brains". Then take the key words from that sentence and try to string them together into a title. 'Unknown Fear'? 'Hell Eaters'? If that doesn't work, brainstorm other words related to what you are saying. 'Xenophobia' is an obvious one for the first. 'Brains of the Damned' for the second? (I'm afraid my imagination runs towards the cheesy.)

[Helm]

jesus, the name's not important. Any name is a good name. Make the game.

[DragonRose]

I think "Prodigal" is a really good name, actually. It's a bit unusual, so it stands out. It also fits the plot fairly well (mwahaha! I know what the plot is! NEENER!) Of the original list, "The Cycle Lingering" also nicely fits the plot, but the strange grammar makes me cringe.

Heh.. what about combing them? "The Prodigal Cycle" sounds kind of cool.

[InCreator]

Whee, they all sound like some items from an RPG game. Or titles of RPG games. I somewhat dislike those, because they aren't actually too memorable.

This "shadow" and "darkness" -thing is sooo overused. It's quite hard to achieve any feeling with such words anymore.
cliche.

One vocals-rich word should do as title. Why "x of y" or "x's y"?
And it would be memorable.

Good example from a horror-themed ags game - "Framed!"
"The Hamlet" was quite cool name too, though it misleaded with Shakespeare's play.

Now isn't this memorable, yet interesting and intriguing?

Think.

[Nacho]

This "shadow" and "darkness" -thing is sooo overused. It's quite hard to achieve any feeling with such words anymore.
cliche.

I agree... Lack of light should be better... XD

Seriously... Helm is right...

[SSH]

How about "Occlusion" as a title?

the cycle stuff makes be think of bikes and also of cycle-based logic simulation, but that's just my job, I guess...

[Moresco]

This "shadow" and "darkness" -thing is sooo overused. It's quite hard to achieve any feeling with such words anymore.
cliche.

I agree... Lack of light should be better... XD

Seriously... Helm is right...

I like, "The Opposing Force To Illumination" or "Swelling Brightness Takes A Holiday" or "It's Not The Sun We See In NightTime Glee"  whatever.  funny though.