The Two Types of Game Titles

There are two types of game titles, here I talk about the pros and cons of both, I can't say one is better than the other and the type of title needed depends on the type of game being made.
Discord: / discord
Twitter(x): / theartindi
itch.io: artindi.itch.io/
Contact:
[e-mail]
Music:
"Endless Journey" By Nick Petrov
License code: GJZTOSAFKQMNXRIP

[@Artindi]

So uh... what's your game called?

[@touya194]

Kill High: The School From Hell

[@renslucas3304]

Pluggle

[@TerrytortoisethegreatAtuin]

Ploogle

[@StrakBlue]

Making a game called Thrall. It's about vampires.

[@Azsimuth]

Jumper & Apple

[@THExRISER]

Mfw when I came up with a perfect, cool sounding name for my game by combining two relevant Greek words, only to find out it was taken by a woman selling hand poured, soy wax candles on Facebook to pay for her father's medical bill so I'd feel bad even taking over her spot in search results.

[@heinrichagrippa5681]

Wow... that's somehow heartwarming yet really, really depressing.

[@billnye8760]

what was the name?

[@THExRISER]

@@billnye8760 The name is "Zenorama". Those candles look good though lmao. Plus, I have pretty much settled on another great name so I'm not bothered by it anymore.

[@heliosarias6447]

What was the name?

[@THExRISER]

_Huh, I posted a reply but it got removed..._ The name was "Zenorama". It's fine though, I found a another great name I'm happy with, so it's all good. Plus, those candles look pretty good.

[@thenumberIX]

You thought I wouldn’t know you slid vampire survivors into the group of games named by what they’re about. THERE ARE NO VAMPIRES

[@Artindi]

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@nerbulent]

aren't any survivors either for that matter

[@masterico1313]

​@@nerbulentthe character

[@hansj4832]

​​@@masterico1313In normal mode at least, they don't survive. The Grim Reaper shows up after 30 minutes.

[@semirionu]

@@hansj4832 well, they did survive for 30 minutes

[@helix4267]

My game is about robots and guns, so I named it Caliburn, which is Latin for steel and is also another word for Excalibur.

[@Artindi]

That sounds pretty dope actually. :)

[@helix4267]

@@Artindi thanks! I put some serious thought into it 😅

[@SoulHero7]

"Caliburn" could also be seen as a pun on "Caliber", you know, for guns. That's a really good title and it sounds good on its own. I think you struck gold.

[@Sov_spoiled]

Machine. Turn back. Now.

[@ataraxianAscendant]

THAT SOuNDS LIKE A REALLY COOL AND uNIQuE NAME

[@maycontainnuts3127]

mines called dwarf with a shotgun and now youre making me reconsider

[@Artindi]

I mean, knowing what it's about instantly really makes me want to play it. lol. Describing what's in your game with the title can be a good thing too. :)

[@fearlesswee5036]

@@Artindi I suppose a literal name works best for games that are either more silly or straightforward. For example, me naming my sci-fi RPG something so literal like "Galaxy Explorer and Fighter" or whatever just sounds...bad. But "Dwarf with a shotgun" works perfectly fine for a silly sandbox game where you play...as a dwarf with a shotgun. "Skyrim" for example is great for this fantasy RPG game where the name itself helps invoke those feelings of mystery and exploration you'll feel in-game right off the bat. But if it was called "Shout man" it'd be kinda silly, and a more literal name like "Dragon Slayer" feels too arcadey and undersells the game's scope and tone. It's all about setting the right tone for what your game actually is about with the name.

[@SoulHero7]

I mean, Wizard With A Gun is a real game, so do your thing.

[@GunSpyEnthusiast]

Your title is very clear, and it makes me interested in the product.

[@grzegorzbrzeczyszczykiewic563]

I wanna play that instantly.

[@trustytrest]

0:54 for the longest time, I had no clue who people meant by "Madeline". I just thought the game was called Celeste so surely her name is Celeste.

[@Artindi]

Same. lol

[@ani-matt-ions]

-it's her default name- Celeste is the name of the mountain. The character you're thinking of is Celeste's monster.

[@Cuprite1024]

Same vibe as calling Samus "Metroid" and Link "Zelda." Lol.

[@thebaseandtriflingcreature174]

Celeste is her last name

[@nataliexists]

@@thebaseandtriflingcreature174 didnt the devs confirm her last name was mcbuttface or something?

[@thisisprobable]

"kost" means "bone" in czech btw

[@Artindi]

Oh, interesting... Thanks for this tidbit. :)

[@makker1236]

it also means cost in dutch

[@IAmBael]

It also means "diet" in Swedish

[@cuboembaralhado8294]

It also doesn't mean anything in portuguese

[@CHARLESAUVET]

"bone" in french means "she's hot" btw

[@Anomen77]

In DRG you mine deep into a galactic rock. That's group 1 in my book.

[@Artindi]

hm.... interesting. :)

[@lancesmith8298]

Meanwhile, The Mind Electric is only tangentially related to either one of its nouns, and the descriptive information of “The” is yet to be determined by top pedantologists

[@champagnesupernova1839]

it's also the location the game takes place (deep in a galactic rock) which seems to fit the group 2 pattern also worth noting is that "deep rock galactic" as a title does not directly reference mining

[@makeandbreakgames1791]

@@lancesmith8298 how did this comment section turn from my second favorite game of all time (first is Rain World) to my favorite song of all time?

[@olivergobrrr2935]

​@@lancesmith8298to be fair, the mind has neurons and electrons and stuff, which are electric, so it ain't that far away

[@NickShvelidze]

Not only is "kost" a real word in more than one language, it is also the name of multiple brands.

[@Artindi]

I guess I might need to be careful when I decide on the final title to avoid lawsuit or competitive search results. :)

[@NickShvelidze]

@@Artindi With Google being EXTREMELY stupid you have to really make sure your game's name will be searchable

[@arkdirfe]

Yeah, anything with that few letters is bound to have something like that happening.

[@user-dd8jn1fm8r]

Its a form of a name in Ukrainian

[@Narpil]

Also, you might want to check on Wiktionary or similar if the "made-up word" that you just came up with doesn't actually exist in another language

[@Artindi]

Oh it exist in at least three. :)

[@CubedSausagefromScarparius]

@@Artindi set the game in the “real world” with real languages being canon to the lore, and name it after a word in the playable characters native language on purpose.

[@FlatThumb]

You forgot to include "pun" title format. My game is called "AHOD: All Hands on Deck!" which is a naval pirate deckbuilder. Great video, interesting to breakdown the reasons behind it.

[@rainsparks29]

Fantastic. A pipe dream game idea I have is a fishing-centric game set in hell. I'd call it Fish Styx.

[@tntobi80]

That name is awesome! Im making a party game called: a Game Regarding Epic Assault Tactics, or short:"GREAT"

[@emidemi7211]

wait this goes so hard I need to play all hands on deck

[@roma540]

"BPM: Bullets Per Minute" enters this conversation. It's a rhythm game/ first-person shooter. There's more to it genre-wise, but those parts aren't reflected in the name, so we'll skip them.

[@roma540]

​@@tntobi80gonna be a GREAT game And now I'll see myself out

[@faster2x77]

And then there's anime titles like "I've Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level Features An Isekai Witch Turned Foster Mother"

[@ZackShark1]

"Space Dwarves" would totally still work for drg

[@werlmb]

The internal dev name for DRG is "four space dudes".

[@galvanizeddreamer2051]

7DtD is actually an example of the first style of naming, since the primary gameplay gimmick, that being periodic zombie hoards, happen every 7 days by default. Thematic, more than mechanically literal, but I still believe it's closer to the first than the second.

[@Artindi]

It might be in the sweet spot of the two types together to be honest. Thanks for the insights! :D

[@the.duck.is.ronin.]

The game I'm prototyping is called "Magicide" (portmanteau of "magic" and "genocide"). You play as a magician who travels between dimensions to steal the souls of warriors. It's basically a boss-fight-centric roguelite.

[@Artindi]

Interesting, so you are the bad guy? Ether way it's unique. :)

[@maxwell6881]

Icide generally just means death, not necessarily a genocide. Think of words like homicide or suicide.

[@the.duck.is.ronin.]

@@maxwell6881 I know. Funnily enough, I originally meant to make it "regicide" but the vision of the game changed

[@XDefaultBoe]

Theres an indie game on steam called "magicite", also a roguelike People may confuse these 2 names

[@the.duck.is.ronin.]

@@XDefaultBoe I'm still prototyping, I might change the title later. If not, I could add a subtitle to distinguish it.

[@massgunner4152]

And then japan who just grabs nouns on a hat and throws them in a generator.

[@raidev_]

my game is named Mira's Journal. You play as a character named Mira and she has a journal (it's an RPG)

[@Artindi]

A fitting title. :)

[@SoulHero7]

I believe the title of your game is the "Face" of the game, moreso than its graphics or gameplay. No one wants their face to look like generic NPC 157, but making the face too extravagent makes it look like it's trying too hard to be something it's not. I think that's why a lot of games stick with a slightly more than basic title, so the face looks good without looking too pretentious, if you know what I mean. But if you have a good title that you know works, go for it, and it doesn't have to be too verbose either. For example: "Lethal Company" works so well as a title because it describes multiple different things about the game itself, all of them are true, and it's uniquely natural to say.

[@Artindi]

Great points! :D

[@lancesmith8298]

My current game concept, a comedic idle/incremental game with the mechanical twist being absolutely no clicking whatsoever (in favor of mouse movement and sometimes the keyboard), is named after its main villain, a necromancer, and where they are plotting doom or something. Coming this Whenever I Learn Godot: Tunnels of Karpal

[@thebaseandtriflingcreature174]

"what is this, some kind of karpal's tunnel?"

[@WildeHuntGames]

@@thebaseandtriflingcreature174 That's fitting for the genre

[@SimpStuff]

When this comss out PLEASE tell me this sounds so funny

[@jgn]

zeroranger is the best title any game has because of course the game filled with wordplay of the color orange has managed to sneak a pun in the title

[@gabira10]

plus it's the name of the mecha form the ship can go into

[@MxPigeon]

My idea for a game i wish to do soon is called like "The Great Soap Heist" that is a 2d stealth game where you play as a Kenkuu bird stealing soap to give it to their ratkin friend.

[@AiNaKa]

does it have anarcho-communist themes

[@MxPigeon]

@@AiNaKa yes lol

[@Qubelliroo]

I would love to try it! Although I feel like the name combined with the bird theme is a bit too similar to "The Greatest Penguin Heist of All Time"

[@SapphireRose0205]

My hypothesis is that games that are trying to sell you on their premise first and foremost are more likely to include said premise in the title, whereas games that are moreso about the vibes (using vibes in the loosest possible sense to describe all the aesthetic qualities of a game like the setting and tone) are gonna have a name to fit the vibe

[@Artindi]

Thus is a really good way to describe it. Q

[@majioba8915]

The last time I participated in a game jam I called my game "Meristem" because that's a type of tissue that allows plants to grow, and the plot revolves around scientists trying to green the region (and a murder mystery)

[@ugib8377]

First Non - How to Fail format video of yours. Was good. Definite food for thought. 'Call it "Rust" instead of "Torture yourself"' That one got me good. 🤣 Wouldn't mind seeing more videos in this format!

[@Artindi]

I've made a few non - How to Fail, but I agree, this observation was so interesting to me I felt I had to make a little video on it. Glad you enjoyed. :)

[@ugib8377]

@@Artindi I'll have to go back through your videos and look for the others. This was nice, though the 'How to fail' Gimmick is amazing too!

[@odrithingamajig]

My game has gone through working titles including "High Speed Video Gaming", "Government R Corrupt" and currently "L.A.G.E.R. (or, Johnny Lager's contractual rampage through unreality via mechanically-enhanced traversal and combat)". Subject to change of course, but I think the long subtitle gives off a bit of an idea of what it is while also just being funny by virtue of being a long subtitle

[@colemanbubar5098]

Trigger mortis is one I'm floating. Game about a man who's losing his humanity under mechanical pride and power, hence killing after he's already dead. It fits.

[@le__birb]

It also sounds *really* cool

[@colemanbubar5098]

Crap, I just found out the name was taken by a James bond book, of all things

[@WeirdWimp]

Why did you comment this in a reply too?

[@colemanbubar5098]

@@WeirdWimp frankly, because I really want to hear what people think of it.

[@vcdgamer]

Before, my game was called Between Light and Darkness, because tyring to be neutral was a game mechanic. It was kinda long and boring so as time went by it ended up being called The InBetween. Not just because of the gameplay that makes you choose between options in different scenarios, but also because it's tied down to the game's story about neutrality and the choices we make. Plus its short, simple and to the point. That was why i named it that. Many of my games follow that format for naming. Out of here, you literally have to get out of here. Just Breathe, gameplay mechanic is breathing to dash. Into The Abyss, you are falling into an abyss. And so on.🙂

[@Artindi]

All seem like good names! :D

[@BennickBlue]

I like when its a mix of both. Like with Subnautica. Sub (under) - Nautica (ocean). You can tell more or less what is it about beacuse of the name, but at the same time it's pretty memorable beacuse it's something very specific

[@Quadernetz0815]

The game I‘m currently creating is called „Cable Star“ in wich you manage a ski resort. And what do you need to create a ski resort? Right. Cable cars. However, the name may be changed in the future.

[@Artindi]

It's a pretty cool working title at least. :)

[@trustytrest]

The solution is to flip it into Star Cable, and let the players spend ages trying to figure out what it really means.

[@WilliumBobCole]

You forgot titles like "The [X] of [Y]: [Subtitle] of [Z]", especially when those inserted words are arbitrary made up fantasy words of whatever lore they made that you have no chance of remembering unless you get super into a given game with this format, and scrolling these kinds of names in a list they just blur together

[@toptengamermoments]

I hate these

[@mustbge0]

Yeah it works when its not made up words, eg. The legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (or 90% of the other zelda games that have a different subtitle).

[@pickyphysicsstudent201]

Disco Elysium stands out to me because while it is 2 words which don't relate to one another, when you think about it, it all comes together in the gameplay. You are restoring a broken world with knowledge.

[@Hmm_Ace_Attorney_Channel]

There was a video essay I watched on it that made the point of "Disco" meaning "to learn" in Latin and "Elysium" being the Greco-pagan equivalent of Heaven. So, you could say the title means, "Learning Heaven".

[@DishonorableMentions452]

BRO I JUST STARTED PLAYING APOLLO JUSTICE YESTERDAY LMAO

[@Zetact_]

Still makes it sound like an over the top rhythm game.

[@TheChilaxicle]

If nothing else the title is hella evocative and makes you curious about the game

[@montyvr6772]

7 days to die is actually about the 7 days before (likely) dying to a swarm of zombies, that title is very spot on and group 1.

[@yakwii800]

Naming things is hard. My comic series that I've started is just a normal word backwards. Which I decided to call the main villain. I also created a word/name generator that creates a word from randomly generated syllables. Which is how I named the magical energy in the universe, because I didn't wanna just call it "magicka", "chi", or whatever commonly used energy source fiction writers use.

[@CrustyFox87]

True. Coming up with a title for my story was pretty tough, and I even had some trouble when it used to be two separate stories with different characters and lore, though it definitely wasn’t as difficult as naming my current one.

[@likpos]

If I make it, I'll call it "My game" because this is my game

[@AKiwiBird]

Is an inverted roguelike a roguelike where you lose abilities instead of gaining them or something?

[@Artindi]

Yup.

[@michaelcheng9987]

I like the idea of a title for a game being so absolutely generic that you can't help but wonder what it's about. I have ideas for games I'll probably never actually make, and their names are things like: 'FPS'(the joke is how many things it stands for), 'A. G.A.M.E.'(similar joke), and 'Agency'(a secret agent who has agency in their actions). There's also ideas with more "unique" names like one I thought of recently called 'Baby's First JRPG'. It parodies super hand-holdy game tutorials that tell you everything because it's literally designed for a baby/toddler to play(at least, at first).

[@littleturtle3289]

I dropped game dev to get a normal job but back in the day I was making a game called "Words of Distortion" where the player fights by manipulating scripts and even the engine itself. Wish one day I feel financially stable enough to get back to it

[@MarkedThing]

I don't have a game I'm working on, but I plan to make one about a story I named "Frozen Rust", in which Earth gets cold during the second world war and people deal with survival.

[@Artindi]

That sounds dope. :)

[@Trafficallity]

i like the implication that its not an ice age or something like that, its just slightly colder than usual

[@DrW1ne-WasteLand]

My game be called "Horror stuff", well that tells a lot about it :/

[@Artindi]

Hmm... I wander what's in your game... maybe... stuff? maybe this stuff has horror? idk. ;)

[@DrW1ne-WasteLand]

​@@Artindi I think you know way too much! hehe

[@user-fu7no1xu5b]

Currently my title is Elementail, you are a kitten who is also a wizard exploring a world based on the 4 elements (Earth water fire, air) Also its inspired by undertale

[@ezdispenser]

thats very cute

[@ewee-st1de]

Works pretty well elemental describes the gameplay and you got the cat pun for the mc. Very nice

[@jingopolitan]

Working on a mouse roguelike horror game and at this stage the best name I could come up with was "cat end mouse". I like it.

[@colemanbubar5098]

Not bad. I like a good pun.

[@colemanbubar5098]

Trigger mortis is one I'm floating. Game about a man who's losing his humanity under mechanical pride and power, hence killing after he's already dead, in a way.

[@user-dd8jn1fm8r]

i wouldnt play a game with this kind of name

[@biscuitslash5443]

The strange action sidescroller I started working on (and have sadly had to put on hold) is called Quantum Odyssey Fridge. I assure you that playing the finished game would not give clarification on why it's called that, yet it feels appropriate at the same time.

[@champagnesupernova1839]

most of the games you've placed in the secondary category (stardew valley, deep rock galactic, celeste, skyrim) are named after where they take place (stardew valley, deep inside galactic rocks, celeste mountain, and skyrim, respectively) also I clicked on this video thinking it was going to be a joke about new super mario bros u deluxe or something

[@Arkylie]

The key principles I've worked out over the years would include: 1. Don't make it unsearchable. Whatever words you use should, when plugged into Google, reveal your game. 2. Don't make it difficult to convey in a non-text medium. Consider spelling and pronunciation issues. 3. Don't be just another crab in the bucket. Find a way to rise above the group. 4. Ideally, ensure there's an easy short version of your title that is also unique (e.g. SDV, 7DtD, L4D2, SRIV, FF7). There's an old program I find quite useful. It's called "Word 2.0". Trying to re-acquire it after reinstalling an operating system is iffy and painful. I've run across games with names that are just simple English words and while searching for something like "Shelter steam game" typically does work, it's not ideal. Imagine how hard it would be to acquire new players if you named your game "Steam".

[@Artindi]

This is quite helpful. :)

[@nerbulent]

reminds me of one time where some guy named their character something that was a slur. always google your made-up names. if it's ballsack or table in another language don't worry about it.

[@Artindi]

It seems to be quite a few things in other languages: Bone, food, something else I forgot and I guess ballsack and table as well. lol.

[@kingcoveryepic]

So, is this how to succeed? Or fail?

[@Artindi]

um.... I guess it depends on your game. :)

[@hopemetal3440]

@@Artindi How to fail at naming your game?

[@EraserCat™]

@@hopemetal3440 it depends. if its just like every other indie game you can name it pixel [place or something] cause well let's be honest, just take a look at the second page of google or something and you find the exact same game exept the trees are purple

[@WeirdWimp]

How to sail

[@CosmicFever]

How to wail

[@HereJohnsonCave]

0:48 no, there are no vampires to survive from

[@valleyrover4958]

This is something I notice with the titles of books and movies as well. If it's a literal title you can basically guess the whole thing, whereas if it's something more inscrutable, I find that to be a more intriguing mystery. Kost seems like a great project btw, keep having fun with it!

[@hashasquiowo9171]

The game i will develop in a future is called "Swords Of Poetry", pretty simple because the gameplay is a swords battle, and the story relates about poems

[@SoulHero7]

Simple but effective, and I'm already getting a medieval feeling from it, as well as a potentially deep story. Even if I'm wrong about those assumptions, the title alone gives me something to think about and draws me to check out what it really means.

[@shroomer3867]

The pen is mightier than the sword

[@bringthesalsa5310]

Maybe "Swords and Pens"?

[@invasor-x]

"Swords n' Words"

[@justcademon]

One of my games I'm going to make is called Champion of Oblivion, which is about a champion from the city Oblivion. Now, a visual novel I'm developing is called Calamity Nine which is about... the ninth calamity... *but* the game I am working on right now is called Colossal Squid Hunt VR which... uh... you know I think I figured out which category I fall under.

[@NaraSherko]

"If you touch anything, it deletes itself!"

[@Maximumintel]

This is short and sweet, and it jumps right into the point.

[@cyprienramis1304]

For iteration of a popular id there is always the classic "id ... of ..." (ex : "castlevania symphony of the night" and about 3 quarters of the castlevania games, "heroes of might and magic : clash of heroes"(actually this is a spin off, the mainline games go by "heroes of might and magic"+number of the game)

[@Skeffles]

Great video! It's interesting to see what patterns you've found. Personally I've just been calling my game my museum game but I'm considering other titles like Museum Curator, Museum Tycoon, Museum Sim, etc. That would put it in camp 1 and I struggling to think of a camp 2 title for it.

[@Artindi]

Your game is of the genre/style that might do better with a descriptive title anyway, but otherwise to get something more unique you could do something like "Curatorium" or maybe something like "Museumizer." idk. :)

[@Skeffles]

@@Artindi Neat ideas. Thanks Artindi!

[@xetsuma]

My game is a sci-fi JRPG called "Breaking Point" Essentially, in the world of this game, you can only use magic up to a certain point (the Breaking Point), after which the body of the caster will be unable to handle the magical energy and will rip itself apart. This Breaking Point can be measured, and different between various organisms. Humans have a Breaking Point of 0, making them unable to use magic through natural means. However, Humans, the power-hungry creatures that they are, devised a way around this... Robotic bodies specially engineered to have an artificially high Breaking Point were made (with the help of a certain mysterious scientist), and soon came to used by the vast majority of the population. In gameplay, Breaking Point or BP, essentially acts as a reverse MP system. It is a gauge that goes up when magic is cast, and once the gauge is full characters enter a special "Breaking" state where their HP rapidly drains (and this is able to kill them) but they gain enhanced magic damage and essentially free magic use. Once Breaking state has ended, the gauge is reset back to 0. Also, the psychological meaning of the term will be something that is relevant to the story of the game.

[@arbarco_]

I have never realised that about game names. Thank you, really enjoyed the video.

[@Artindi]

Glad to hear. :)

[@mchsprod]

Adding this to my “why my cracktorio addiction is justified” playlist. It’s a good game, with a perfect name, and I definitely don’t have a problem.

[@uncroppedsoop]

as a friend of a factorio recoveree, this hit a very good balance for the funny between not getting it and hitting too close to home

[@makeandbreakgames1791]

i finished the game, and now i keep opening it and doing nothing because of the empty spot where my addiction used to be

[@mchsprod]

@@makeandbreakgames1791 Oof, I feel that. If you want your addiction back, try starting a new world, maybe on slightly harder settings. Build a new (better) factory from everything you've learned and feel like you've become a better player!

[@Antantic_]

My game is called Leo: The Square

[@Artindi]

I assume Leo isn't a circle then? lol

[@Antantic_]

@@Artindi hah, he has a circle inside 🙃

[@Ceres_5]

No way you just mentioned some of my favorite obscure games. Scrap Mechanic, Raft, (maybe not as obscure) Space Engineers, and Deep Rock Galactic. But like for sure I never expected to see Space Engineers mentioned in here.

[@mothcatcher893]

I think one thing this is missing is that in group B a lot of the game's titles are based on the characteristics/context of the world surrounding the game. Celeste is the name of the mountain you're climbing for the whole game. Deep Rock Galactic is a game about going deep into caverns in space. 7 Days to die refers to the 7 day timer until the difficult blood moon hordes (on default settings). Dark Souls sets the tone with its themes of light and dark as well as the essence within individuals (like humanity). Skyrim, likewise, is set in a pre-established universe where is Skyrim is a known locale and the title also references the Elder Scrolls which exist within the game. Stardew Valley is the only one that kind of escapes this pattern but it still does set the theme for the game. Also Raft should be in Group B by this logic, since you don't really do "rafting" you just live on a raft.

[@roadent217]

"Skyrim, likewise, is set in a pre-established universe where is Skyrim is a known locale and the title also references the Elder Scrolls which exist within the game." Exactly. 1:24 The chances of an another game named Skyrim coming out are *zero,* because the word "Skyrim" is Bethesda intellectual property. Man, I can't wait for "The Elder Scrolls: Westeros", or "The Elder Scrolls: Hogwarts", or "The Elder Scrolls: Ferelden". Meanwhile, the original concept for "The Elder Scrolls: Arena" was that you were supposed to be a gladiator who would be fighting in, you guessed it, an arena. They changed it mid-development, though.

[@bloob1734]

Yeah, naming a game “sick farming game” and then having it be an arpg

[@Artindi]

And this is the How to Fail version of naming your game. lol. nice. :)

[@Klick404]

"Invertend Rougelike" Shot in the dark here, I'm guessing a game where you start with a lot of abilities, but after each level, you sacrifice one of the abilities in order to continue. Supporting a narrative of a nobel hero sacrificing themself for the greater good. Am I close?

[@Artindi]

Yes. :)

[@tehteh9893]

That's more like "inverted metroidvania". Inverted roGUelike would be... I don't know... A game where levels are pre-made, you fight in real time, there is no inventory and only one way to defeat each enemy and pass each obstacle.

[@Artindi]

By golly, you are right. :)

[@Bloobz]

Not gonna lie, Kost sound like a German Accountant Simulator.

[@galvinvoltag]

You cannot just give us the intro to a 40 minute well edited and entertaining documentary and say that's all you get! I want more! I'm subbing!

[@Artindi]

Ha ha, nice. :) When I make my videos longer, people don't seem to care as much. :/

[@galvinvoltag]

@@Artindi What I'm saying was that's how much it hyped me up. I loved every second of it. If longer videos are not your style, then don't. I'm gonna watch them anyways ;D)

[@mystery_exe8871]

1:59 Clarification is misspelled as "Clearification". Literally unwatchable.

[@Artindi]

Thanks for the Clearificatoon.

[@Semudara]

@@Artindi *Clearificacatioon.

[@CaptainFP0134]

Senms like the word "Kost" exists in a couple of languages, here is the german version, in a more direct translated way: Food

[@Artindi]

ha ha, yeah, it seems to have quite a few different meanings. :)

[@CaptainFP0134]

For some context: Modern day german doesn't really use the word Kost anymore, except for maybe the nobles, or when you want to sound like you're from the middle ages. However, a lot of modern day german derives of Kost. Examples being: Kosten -> cost/price; Kostbar -> precious/valuabal; vorkosten -> per tasting(like for poison), and more.

[@Trafficallity]

@@CaptainFP0134 meaning that your game is set in germany now, deal with it

[@jikkermanccini]

This is actually quite helpful! I'm doing a top-down design (IE, i don't know how to code yet) for a 3D beatemup inspired by Kameo. In the game you play as a tiny, fragile woodland pixie who shape shifts into giant elemental monsters in order to ward off invasive species that are attacking your island. It's meant to be action-packed and colorful, with a hand-drawn aesthetic. Various names I experimented with include "Hum of the Wildflower", "Dissonant Fiber" (this is now the name of the villain), and "Nature's Crescendo". All of these sucked. I eventually settled on Rustle. It's short and sweet, it's innocent, and it reflects the peaceful, natural setting. But I can't help but feel that it's missing something.

[@somedudethatlovesmemes6625]

Coming up with a name and *then* implementing it into your game is crazy

[@skivernatnjilten493]

Kost means bone in my language.

[@Artindi]

Nice, maybe I'll have that mean something like that in the lore. :)

[@D_387]

30 seconds and 1 view? bro fell off (just kidding, ill watch the vid now) edit: nice video! i was surprised to see so many games I was familiar with and played before make their appearance as examples. Good stuff, keep it up

[@Artindi]

Falling off would mean I was on it to began with though...

[@gabstronaut3569]

I clicked on this video and got a twix ad about it not mattering if you choose left or right

[@lukethecat804]

The game I'm making currently is called "Spearman's Campaign 2". It's about a spearman... who goes on a campaign. It's also based on my game "Spearman's Campaign 1", therefore making it the second game in the series (despite not being a sequel)

[@cosmix_toast]

:3

[@Artindi]

:/

[@theempire8461]

;)

[@bluefake_or_smt]

:(

[@ultrasquid579]

:3

[@RakastanPorkkanakakkua]

The Japanese know how to title their stuff >The Maiden Rape Assault: Violent Semen Inferno That is catching!

[@Artindi]

what....

[@RakastanPorkkanakakkua]

@@Artindi I never played, but this title will be forever stuck in my head because of Twitch's banned games list help.twitch.tv/s/article/list-of-prohibited-games?language=en_US

[@user-xe9rq9dl6j]

if translated into japanese itll probably sound good

[@9seed.]

A really funny version of this is the game “gunpoint”; a stealth hacking game. While you can hold enemies at gunpoint in a standoff, it is a semi-late game ability, and the achievement for doing so acknowledges that the game’s name was chosen early in development, and wasn’t all that representative of the game. So it’s kinda both categories.

[@jacoballen7016]

For quite a while my game was going to be called Elemental, but then that name was taken by non other than Disney itself. Now my game's name is Elemordial. It's a combo of Elemental and Primordial, although it's probably fine if people don't immediately get it, cause I think it sounds cool

[@Artindi]

It does sound cool. :)

[@ojgfhuebsrnvn2781]

"anime character got isekaied into non-anime brutal world and has become dark lord of the galaxy" game

[@LauraLowe]

So what im hearing is either "named after the gameplay" or "named after the setting/tone"

[@Artindi]

This sounds pretty accurate. :)

[@LilaGood-zz8zx]

Secret third type of game title: when the title is the player character’s name.

[@karlhendrikse]

The Legend of SCHLUNCK

[@Rot8erConeX]

Before the unity fiasco, I inherited a game originally made by a friend but that I (by virtue of having more free time) ended up working on way more than he did. It was going to be a fantasy game where you're hired by a mysterious guy to just find specific students of the university where you work, and shrink them. Over the course of the game you'd learn that there was a war going on outside the school, and this man was targeting students who were children of high profile members of the war effort - specifically, because your shrinking prowess wasn't normal, the students would be easier to hide and keep safe while the enemy was hunting for them to use as hostages. The idea was that you could go about your goals in many ways - and the general student body would be affected by your choices. But the story would also be loose enough to allow players to ignore it and play like a sandbox game. We never settled on a real title - i think he was hoping one would naturally pop up as we fleshed out the story. But our internal title was FPGT - it was a first-person Giant/tiny game, the first of its kind since most G/t games (first-person or no) had you play as the tiny, and none of the exceptions were in first person.

[@SwagSwagSenate]

Mine is called Narrative At War, no one will ever guess what it means lol, it's a very complex game

[@vasperjusper]

My game about exploring dungeons is called Kellervest because it means, if i remember correctly, something like "dark basement" in german 😂😂😂

[@WobblyMiniGamer]

These are just game ideas but: 1. Dodge-Bullet (play as a shape on a grid and try to move on the grid to avoid getting hit by objects, namely bullets, similar to dodgeball. Think of something like Just Shapes & Beats but MUCH shorter) 2. Trashy Game (play as a deleted character script working with other deleted objects and characters to get to the top of (and escape) the recycling bin a game developer put you in. Puzzle-Platformer but you can use objects to build pathways and solutions to "unfinished" stages made by the aforementioned game dev) Number 1 is just a test game I would make but I see number 2 as a dream game I'll create once I have more experience But if any of you take these ideas-

[@punchieouchieguy]

My roguelike is called fartbutts.

[@Cubeytheawesome]

I saw this video full of cool games that were being showcased and nearly half the names were 2 random words combined like “subterranean cornicopia”

[@DoomerSlice]

I feel like Deep Rock Galactic fits the first one pretty good, you’re going deep into a rock in space.

[@Artindi]

Ha, true. :)

[@EditUnivers75]

Inverted roguelike, even if you don’t want it as the title, should ABSOLUTELY be the first way the game is described in advertising material and descriptions. Instantly an interesting pitch.

[@worm.on.a.string.]

0:18 I.. I love.. Dicey Dungeons...

[@matt92hun]

It means "food"/"meal", or cost in some Germanic languages, can mean "broom" in Danish and it's "coast" in Cornish for example.

[@futuregamedev7]

Squirrels Gone Nuts, a 2D multiplayer arena shooter where you play as a squirrel. Definitely a category 1, but I love it

[@grayanddevpdx]

Currently in the early stages of developing a game on Roblox, and the title I’ve gone for, ‘ENDLESS ENTERTAINMENT’, is interestingly both the name of the in-game company and has implications of the gameplay, which is mainly comprised of rapid mini games before it slowly derails into boss fights and psychological horror.

[@GamingGenius777]

OMG the gasp when I saw Planet Crafter at 0:43 ... Like that's literally what I'm about to play

[@Yolwoocle]

I named my game Birds With Guns. Because you play birds. Who are using guns. Ironically I think it made it stand out and memorable despite being in your 1st category, which might have contributed to its (relative) success.

[@nybergsgarage]

I called mine "project: infested" on account of it's about a military project that went bad and caused a space station to be infested.

[@lemmiix]

Kost originally means "nutritious food" in German

[@F0nnmcguy8]

secret 3rd option: Meme name

[@Pedro_Marangon]

I actually think I made a mix of both for my current project, which is a metroidvania about turning into animals ("Faunamorph" - it's literally the words "Fauna" and "Morph" describing the hook about the game, but it doesn't have anything related to exploration or ability-gating in the title)

[@Artindi]

That's seems like a nice balance there. And sounds fun. :D

[@mawillix2018]

I would recommend adding something at the end of your title if it's already a word. Examples below: Kost: Most Frost was Lost in Cosmos Kost: Wheel of Plane Kost: Starring the Nordic Fish Kost 2D KOST!: Kill On Sight, Tommy! Kost, the Fall of Kost and the Sixteen Character Title which Became much Longer when we Translated it into English.

[@Artindi]

Not a bad idea. little bit of a subtitle could be good. :)

[@mawillix2018]

@@Artindi I should specify that most of my examples are references to existing titles. Some more obvious than others. :3

[@thefullestcircle]

I was both very excited and incredibly confused to see Leap Year in the quickfire list of roguelikes. Like it's an absolutely fantastic game and I love that it's getting recognized but it's not a roguelike, in the slightest