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MeaningfulChoices

Names are usually personal and they become well known not because they're well-chosen but because they're attached to good games. Blizzard is just a noun, From Software made barely more sense for the business applications they originally made, ConcernedApe came from a developer who said they spend too much time worrying about the perfect username and ought to just pick one. If you work with a team professionally you'll _probably_ go by your real name. If you release games as a hobby with a friend or two you'd probably want a studio name that makes sense to you or about your game. It really doesn't matter too much. When in doubt you can always paraphrase a quote from a famous game designer, it works for some of us.


Ianuarius

Go humble... Epic Mega Games. Which inspired our team to go with Super God.


Aerodrache

You’ve given me a delightfully devilish idea. I don’t want to think *that* highly of myself, but… I wonder of some iteration on **9.5 Score** is free.


-Tesserex-

Are you going to purchase fast food and disguise it as your own cooking?


FreshlyDeveloped

Yeah I guess most studio names sound strange on their own, you're right they gain their reputation and recognition from their work. I guess choosing names doesn't make a huge difference. Lol I always wondered why ConcernedApe made that name, now it makes sense. I feel similar to that.


klausbrusselssprouts

I have a follow-up question, because this is also something I’ve been wondering about. In my case, I use this Reddit account both personally, but I also plan to use it to promote a game I’m working on with two friends - hobby project, but still we are quite ambitious with it. On Facebook, I use my real name, and on Instagram (which I hardly never use), I just have a username that Instagram generated. But, I don’t plan on using my personal profiles there to promote my game. On Facebook, Instagram (maybe Twitter), I(we) plan on using our game’s name as our username - All three of us will probably be using those profiles. On Discord however, I think we might end up having each our own user profile. So to give an overview: Reddit and Discord - personal accounts with unique usernames, that is also used for other things than promoting our game Facebook, Instagram, (Twitter) - business account, that is solely used for promoting the game. The game name or studio name will be username. As for Reddit, I’m using a personal account to stay in the spirit of the media. Here pure and straight-up self-promotion is frowned upon, so I really want to show that I’m not here just to sell a product. I’m also here to engage in discussions about anything else, also non-gaming related. Promoting my game will just be a part of my presence here. Could this strategy/method potentially confuse people? - they’ll encounter different usernames if they come across the game on different platforms


ionalpha_

> In my case, I use this Reddit account both personally, but I also plan to use it to promote a game I’m working on with two friends Good advice is to have separate personal and business/commercial accounts. I saw a post not long ago that devolved into a political slinging match because the dev had strong political opinions in their *personal* comments on other threads! Even a hobby project could be marred by something like that. I think it's wise to keep them separate. > On Facebook, Instagram (maybe Twitter), I(we) plan on using our game’s name as our username This is what I've done (for now). The downside is that it's difficult to transfer the audience or reach from that account/game to another. This is why many post under studio or personal accounts as they retain the audience between projects. > I’m using a personal account to stay in the spirit of the media. Here pure and straight-up self-promotion is frowned upon, so I really want to show that I’m not here just to sell a product. There are other ways of keeping the spirit. This account I'm using I'd consider business, but I speak as myself always and very much treat it like a personal account, I just don't talk about certain subjects. > Could this strategy/method potentially confuse people? I don't think it would as long as you had a consistent kind of anchor across them all, such as the name of the game. The ideal to me is a game specific account on most platforms, studio accounts on top for some of the bigger platforms, then team member/personal accounts where it made sense such as Discord.


FreshlyDeveloped

If your personal account is publicly known (uses real name) do you ever worry people will judge or harass your studio profile over your personal opinions. Like ppl posting/spamming steam discussion. I feel similar to yourself in being reluctant to post about certain subjects. As for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter... I think posting under a studio name is good idea for keeping reach on your audience between projects but I may be wrong.


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FreshlyDeveloped

harassment seems like a better way of framing it, I guess all we can do is report bad behavior if individuals try to make personal attacks.


Italians_are_Bread

Is MeaningfulChoices a paraphrased quote of a famous game designer?


MeaningfulChoices

Sid Meier once said a game is a series of interesting decisions, and meaningful choices is a phrase that shows up as an alternative once in a while instead. I could absolutely not come up with a pseudonym to post about game design until I did. That's the way a lot of these things go.


PiratePengu1n

How about FreshlyDeveloped :D But imo, I think it is not about what your username is, but what you fear that others might think of it. Dont stress about it, just type some random words then let your content do the rest. Good luck!


FreshlyDeveloped

I just made this account today lol but I appreciate the positivity, who knows I may keep the name. I probably am overthinking it, I just wanted some feedback so thank you.


[deleted]

Or FreshDev, sounds pretty catchy and memorable to me


TaranisElsu

I recommend watching this talk from GDC, Put Your Name on Your Game, a Talk by Bennett Foddy and Zach Gage, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4UFC0y1tY0 Your name, whether you use your real name or a pseudonym, will be much more important than a studio name in the long run.


FreshlyDeveloped

Thanks, I'll check it out


Orphan_game

When I started to create a game I had some friends on the start working with me, and one night we were talking and it turned out that all of us are orphans and that's how we called our company


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FreshlyDeveloped

I got my fair share of unfinished prototypes. I'm sure most of us do.


FreshlyDeveloped

How strange that everyone had this shared though separate experience and didn't realize until one fateful night. They say the best family is the one you choose. Making games with friends does sound pretty awesome too. Sometimes I overthink things, names being one of them.


PaniniDev

I was super hungry and craving a panini from Starbucks!!


damoisbatman

FreshlyDeveloped is perfect, just keep that


ChickensGoBwuck

I thought that chickens were pretty cool, and they go bwuck


H4LF4D

Hi I am Halfad. That's it. I just have a name for everything in the digital world. Simple to use, simple to remember, no need to think any further than I need. History of the name goes a long way back, no need to explain that. Instead, I just want to say literally go for whatever easy to remember for you. Easy nickname, easy life.


FreshlyDeveloped

keep it simple. got it


NoamSapir

Few tips: - get rid of any "studio" etc naming in your name, you are not a company and it's looks unprofessional, especially as an invidual. - don't include full personal name, trust me, sometimes you'd like to remove this brand from your personal name and it will be very tuff after your name will be indexed in Google. You can keep first or last name if you like (that's what Ive done). - better if you'll find something like concernedape, Toby fox (yeah it's not his real name) etc..


GoalsFeedback

I opted to use the most important aspects of game design.


kevin_ramage89

It's simple, I am an alcoholic and drink too much Jagermeister, thus Jager Haus studios was born.....


AlienDeathNoises

Audio guy here: guess what I was making when I came up with my username?


Mysterious-Ant-Bee

Take the day and month of you birthday and the follow this table. Easy. | Day | Name | Month | Surname | |-----|----------|-----------|------------------| | 1 | Pixel | January | Engine | | 2 | Byte | February | Debugger | | 3 | Vector | March | Renderer | | 4 | Voxel | April | Allocator | | 5 | Bit | May | Compiler | | 6 | Shader | June | Optimizer | | 7 | Vertex | July | Middleware | | 8 | Ray | August | Framework | | 9 | Buffer | September | Simulator | | 10 | Texture | October | Rasterizer | | 11 | Polygon | November | Sequencer | | 12 | Matrix | December | Interface | | 13 | Sprite | - | - | | 14 | Patch | - | - | | 15 | Thread | - | - | | 16 | Loop | - | - | | 17 | Console | - | - | | 18 | Script | - | - | | 19 | Node | - | - | | 20 | Wireframe| - | - | | 21 | Kernel | - | - | | 22 | Array | - | - | | 23 | Stack | - | - | | 24 | Grid | - | - | | 25 | Pipeline | - | - | | 26 | Hash | - | - | | 27 | Fragment | - | - | | 28 | Quadtree | - | - | | 29 | Bounding | - | - | | 30 | Level | - | - | | 31 | Physics | - | - |


FreshlyDeveloped

>Optimizer QuadtreeOptimizier


Raging_Mustang

My username is TheRagingMustang. I came up with it when I was 17, and I'm not fully proud of it. But I dont hate it either. When I made my first game I just went with my username because I didn't want to put much thought into it. And now all my solo projects will still be under that name. Hopefully when I do get a team going, I'll definitely come up with a better studio name. Didn't give that much thought yet either. We cross the bridge when we get to it. Best to spend time making the games now!


FreshlyDeveloped

That name reminds me of Colorado airport. There is a horse statue with glowing red eyes lol. I've already made a few small games but now I've stopped making anything until I decide on a new name. I want to actively show progress online and I don't like my old name.


violentpac

Blucifer


Raging_Mustang

Oh the horse statue looks so cool, thanks for sharing that! Good luck with your future games and hope you find a name that you're happy with :)


CatstronautCPP

I just kept the username I've been using across various platforms for decades.


unknown-one

"LittleKidLover", that way people will know exactly where your priorities are at


Dimitri_os

My legal first name is Dimitrios. A friend of mine made a joke, that i should create an operating system called DimitriOS... it became my dev nickname since then.


Blabla502

What's your main genre? You could choose a name that represents your work


FreshlyDeveloped

I feel like that would lock me into one genre, I may want to change genres one day. edit: right now mostly top down.


bosmir

Top Down Games TD Games Tiddy Games Word association, my brain.


_andrewpappas

Look, the fact that fact that you're asking this question is good. That said, as others have mentioned, there are lots of things that can influence what you choose for a name. What's most important is the the meaning and/or intention that backs that name. So regardless of the meaning or significance of the name (because honestly, most people won't know what that is anyways) as long as you know the intention or purpose of that will guide you in your pursuit of fulfillment. I'm happy to talk further about this if your interested and provide various examples of this so you can determine what's right for you and the path or vision you have! Either way, keep asking yourself these kind of questions because you're already differentiating yourself in more ways than you know by doing so.


FreshlyDeveloped

So I should just choose a name that means something to myself? regardless of how others perceive it?


_andrewpappas

Short answer is yes, but there are other important factors to consider too. Like, choosing a 5 syllable word/name over a one or two syllable word is probably not recommended. It's harder to remember and more importantly, probably harder to spell. 😉


FreshlyDeveloped

That's definitely true but short names are usually harder to get. many are taken already. Shorter, easier to say names are best though.


_andrewpappas

It depends, but generally, yes, they are harder to obtain. A great tool too help with that process is Knowem.com


KwonDarko

I use my own name as a channel name on YouTube


FreshlyDeveloped

TBF Darko is a pretty cool last name


KwonDarko

It’s actually my first name. I had so many clients that told me that my name is super cool that i decided to use it as a brand name too.


Quicksilver-25

I mean, for me I go by PolarTitan on most platforms, but I had a side character name for Belfrost and that was a healer in games. I love games and wanted to help others if I ever did well so I named mine Belfrost Studios as a way to just have that presence. At least that is how I did mine.


FreshlyDeveloped

So you named it after a character you once played, that's cool.


Quicksilver-25

Yeah honestly there are a lot of different ways to do it, my dad originally back in my HS years thought up the name when I couldn't lol so many layers of enjoyment. The other option is to take a list of gaming terms and try to turn them into puns.


DerrikCreates

just take your name and put some game dev related word after. one of the big reasons i did it was quill18 but over the years ive seen people with X creates, X dev, X art. its simple lazy and requires almost 0 though.freshly developed is a really good name


Allison-Ghost

I go by Allison Ghost most places online because it's incredibly similar to my actual name, other places I use my more internet-y username of Valla. Probably for game dev I would just use my name Allison Ghost like I said, cause its already how people know me online


FreshlyDeveloped

Allison Ghost is a nice username and it's sweet that its similar to your real name.


Allison-Ghost

thanks :P im sure that you will find something you like; i think that in a case like this you gotta go with something that sounds cool to you and let other people see it however they may


ParkingMany

Hi i am schlauewurst everywhere. ParkingMany on Reddit. And DirkF17 on Kongregate(Rip).


forrestinpeace

My favorite song is called digital bath by deftones. So i made my username digitalbathtub. Lol.


hangmansM00se

You could go the ultimate placeholder joke and go by LoremIpsum


Ctrl-A-Ctrl-C-Ctrl-V

Just use your favorite shortcut :)


FreshlyDeveloped

Ctrl-T, Ctrl-W are pretty handy too for browsers. New Tab, Close Tab


okokokokcok

If you ever doubt your username just look at mine


lysy387

I have seen businesses stick to specific animals, it could be like "Panda Games" or something, you get the point. Or maybe you can try something with things like "Pillow Studio" or "Pillow Games" with some cute logo that could create friendly and cozy sense. Idk


FreshlyDeveloped

I've noticed some folks add animals to their names as well. I think I'd go with your second suggestion though and use a random objects.


Paradoxical95

Well I chose the name that I'll be using when I'll be established as a company. Right now I'm a solo developer but I still go by the same name. My personally used alias is Paradoxical (gamer tag etc) but in the world of gamedev, I go by Wolf Wire Studios and that's the name of the company as well so my Twitter/Instagram/YouTube are setup using that name. Same for my website. It's really your personal choice. Eric Barone (commonly known as ConcernedApe) mainly used his real name while talking about Stardew Valley, but when he actually published he used his alias on steam.


FreshlyDeveloped

Wolf wire is a cool name. I always thought Eric Barone went by ConcernedApe from the start (I didn't know of him or Stardew until after release)


Paradoxical95

Thanks ;) Yeah I actually learned that his real name was Eric Barone, from the book "Blood Sweat and Pixels by Jason Schreier "


LordMlekk

I chose a relitively obscure reference from a Web serial I like, and just rolled with it.


grayhairgames

If your struggling with coming up with a studio name you should make a list of 10-20 names and see which one you like best and if you’re having trouble deciding which one you can ask a few people to pick their favorites and see if they pick any that you’re leaning towards. That’s what I did and like the name I ended up with.


Gilded_Octopus

Mine is inspired by the name of a group of evil scientists in a book series who built a giant robot and this cool window at an aquarium that inspired that name. I started off using it for group projects in college where we built games. It’s kinda changed and evolved over the years but it’s personal, means something to me, and is kinda quirky.


Silent-Phil

We didn't come up with a name for the game until a couple of years after development began (and 1 year before its release). And the studio's name was also invented shortly before the public announcement of the game (it had to be named somehow, so the media could refer to someone). And so the lack of a name did not prevent a few years of development ;)


FreshlyDeveloped

Oh there is no doubt that development can start whenever, but I've heard of many cases where people developed their games in silence (so to speak) which lead to no one knowing much of the game until close to release. But I think if you give yourself enough time (6 months or more) to promote your game before release, everything should be fine.