Does a game name really matter?

Warsong · 2004-03-23T17:16:08

I would think some would be interested in the info and the site which is at http://dukenukem.typepad.com/game_matters/ One thing that they seem to explain well is about the game but if some happen to disagree then why? The site says this: "Short names are better than long names... Avoid punctuation in the game title... Avoid sequel numbers.... Oh, and before people ask me, the original name for the Max Payne sequel was going to be simply, The Fall of Max Payne. But, after we sold the brand to Rockstar, they decided to change the name to Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. A silly mistake, IMO. But hey, they paid us the big bucks to name the game whatever they thought worked best. But, I see this akin to changing the well named "The Mummy Returns" to the unnecessarily burdened "The Mummy 2: The Mummy Returns." See how titles can so quickly go from cool to crap! o Have a meaningful title. Avoid titles that have practically no meaning, like Zone of the Enders, Allegiance, Far Cry, Syphon Filter and XIII. As one developer friend recently remarked, "I thought a ''syphon filter'' might be something used to change a car''s oil." Sure, these titles might mean something to players of the game, but they mean nothing to potential buyers, and those are the people you should care about most -- assuming you care about your game being a success. This is one of the reasons I think Doom is a great name, while Quake is merely average. Yes, they''re both short, which is good, but Doom communicates the frightful, nightmarish nature of the game, while Quake is quite meaningless as a name. Even after playing all of the Quake games, I''m still not sure what connection this name has to the games. o Avoid generic titles. Examples include: Universal Combat, Brute Force, Dungeon Siege, and Eternal Darkness. In short, these names are banal and forgettable. They do practically no work in selling the game within the box. Their generic quality makes them more difficult to standout from the pack, and more difficult to remember. These names also show a lack of creativity. With permission from developer friend Rich Carlson, I''m including his recently updated list of generic words, all of which should be avoided if at all possible. He breaks them down into three categories of avoidance (and quite honestly, I''d group them ALL under the "Felony" heading, as I have no mercy for generic game titles):" More info and examples on the site on what to avoide and have.

Game Design and Theory Game Design

Started by Warsong March 20, 2004 04:46 PM

21 comments, last by Warsong 20 years ago

BdR

177

March 23, 2004 03:00 AM

Another thing about sequel numbers, i think it you risk of making the game look cheap. I can't help but think of B-movies when i sequel numbers ("Nightmare on Elmstreet 5", "Friday the 13th Part VIII").

When i look at some of the playstation series, even though there are some pretty good games amongst them, i can't help but get the feeling they've just been pumping out games, while they could have also concentrated on 1 higher-quality game -> "Twisted Metal 1, 2, 3, 4" "Cool Boarders 1, 2, 3, 4" "Jet Moto 1, 2, 3".

Then again back in the day, when Super Mario Bros 1, 2, 3 came out, you knew it was good because it was from Nintendo

btw i think the "Brand Name: story-relevant subtitle" is used more often now, because then you don't see that a certain game of the series is older or newer than another. When a customer who has already bought a newer game, and sees the older version in a store, this is not perceived as older. In videogames, the general public regards "older" as "inferior".

[edited by - BdR on March 23, 2004 4:12:13 AM]

Kylotan

10,510

March 23, 2004 05:07 PM

quote:Original post by sBibi
mmh.. do you name a game so people can remember how many episodes you made and in what order? O_o

If I''m interested in a game that I know is the not the first in the series, I want to know how many of the others I have to play first. If I''m not sure, I simply won''t buy it. But I might be interested in buying the previous games, if I know which ones they are, and what order they come in.

quote:and honestly, I only remember two: wolfenstein 3D and return to castle wolfenstein. obviously, return to castle wolfenstein comes afterwards :D

owl

376

March 23, 2004 05:16 PM

I agree that short names with easy phonetics are easier to remember. That people remember the name of your product is super-important, most of the sellings are done between players, mouth to ear.

[size="2"]I like the Walrus best.

Does a game name really matter?

This topic is closed to new replies.

Popular Topics

Recommended Tutorials

Does a game name really matter?

This topic is closed to new replies.

Popular Topics

Recommended Tutorials

Reticulating splines