What's In A Name?

The power of a name

Everyone recognises him or herself by name. The question is: how does a name communicate people's sense of their own personality to others? Let us consider what a name is. Literally, it's the grouping of several letters of an alphabet, or other symbols, which represent the identification of a person or an object. In considering the influence of a name, what is important is the power of intention that is expressed through the alphabetical symbols comprising the name. More extensive alphabets and vocabularies allow a greater variety in the shades of meaning to be conveyed.

Name magic

In ancient times, names were chosen for the distinction they carried. Leslie Alan Dunking defines "name magick" as the attribution of supernatural power to a name, or a belief in the extraordinary significance of a name. Belief in the magic of names still exists today because of past associations. Consider the mental images conjured by the names Jessica or Bertha? Though let us remember that names are subject to the whims of fashion, and that which of those two names is to be preferred will change over time.

In ancient societies it is claimed that to discover the name of a person or a supernatural being was to gain power over it. Legends are filled with heroes who needed to discover a true name. This thinking runs through the heart of Ursula Le Guin's novel "The Wizard of Earthsea". All things possess a name, and to know that name is to possess the thing, be it object or man. Without a name, no spell can be cast. And thus the vast popularity of invisibility in MUDII is explained.

Keeping secret names is a custom that has not passed with time. Many couples have secret names for each other.

Our name defines us

In the 'real world' we are delineated through many other things than our names. We possess the appearance and bodies we were born with. Our choices of clothes, the way we speak all serve as markers to other people of our attitudes and position in the world. Before we speak our names aloud a whole host of information is assumed about us.

In MUDII we are born as clones, stamped out from a single sheet, broken from the same mould. Our only possessions are our sex and our names. Our choice of sex is important in the dynamics of future relationships within the game, but it is our choice of name that defines us as a separate individual.

MUDII follows an ancient tradition of secret names. Our real secret name is our 'real world' name. Many players are highly reluctant to reveal it, for it possesses power - the power to find that individual, the power to make assumptions about the player, to break out from the world of make believe into a more risky and intimate relationship.

Players of MUDII of course may have many layers of secret name. As each of us may possess three distinct personae, all of which may die and become reborn, it is common for an apparently complete stranger to say hello, along with the words "Hello! It's me, Crowley" (or any other name). Whole hosts of speculation arise around the existence of a thrusting young necromancer. "It is a wizard," some mortals will cry. "It is really X." "No," say others, "it is really the mage Y, or the player Z."

Names are markers for our personality: signifiers of our honour. A trusted name is a real possession in the world of sudden violence that is MUDII. A known and loved name is a secret shield against misfortune, as a known and reviled name is a magnet for wizmort ire. An unknown name (of an invisible player) is a source of fear and panic. A player without a name cannot be touched, cannot be bespelled or found, evaded or slain. A nameless persona is the enemy of all, or a persona living in fear.

Name choices

For a name which has survived long enough to acquire a reputation, to become a Known Entity, the original meaning of the name becomes secondary. The name has now acquired personality and characteristics all of its own.

But when a name is new it has none of these. All it has is its own heritage, and here it is interesting to look at the different sources from which players select their names, and to consider what kind of impression they are trying to convey.

MUDII name practicalities

MUDII names are restricted in length to 10 letters. The "rule of eleven" in the MudSpeke dictionary describes the frustration of a player who has found a perfect name to be a letter longer than the game permits.

Short names are easier to type. Short names are thus easier to attack. On the other hand long names are more likely to become synonyms (such as the classic kk - now defunct - there was nothing so quick to type as K KK...) So in strictly game terms there is a tension between a beloved name and a utilitarian practical name. Interestingly, random jumbles of letters are surprisingly rare as names, despite their theoretical edge in evading slaughter. The killer can always type K PLA after all, even if they are too lazy to SYN.

Sources & meanings - where we get names from

Mythological names

Myth and legend are a rich source of names, from Karya, through Zeus, Lucifer, Tethys and many, many others. These names are often unusual, they possess a rich history and the aura of being 'classical', they have a certain cache to those in the know. On the other hand there is nothing more dismaying to discover than a player bearing an ancient name who knows nothing about its heritage whatever!

Dictionary

A dictionary or thesaurus are particularly rich sources of wild and unusual names, often chosen for the definition alone.

Place Names

A particular patriotic fervour may be the cause, though as in my case (no I am NOT from Cheshire), a place name may have more connotations than is immediately obvious to all MUDII players.

Forenames

Ordinary forenames convey a sense of plain sensibleness, though also perhaps a sense of wilful refusal to fully engage in the fantasy world that is MUDII, or perhaps even a lack of imagination.

Onomatopoeic Names

Names such as Hawumph, which have a very particular meaning within MUDII, are quite the opposite - to the newcomer they mean nothing, to the initiate they carry strong associations.

Phrases/conjoined Names

Names such as Hellburner or Godeater are a particular source of pleasure to me - they carry a concept openly, and bring with them something of the atmosphere of horse racing names, of boasting and of the appellations given to heroes. Though the length of names permitted to MUDII limits them, they have clarity of meaning that although expressed more concisely in ancient names, does not require a dictionary to discern.

Popular Culture

These are the ones that can bring approbation from fellow players if they are especially 'worldly'. A player calling themselves Marsbar is quite consciously clashing with the culture of the game, and may be subtly guided away from the name as they progress, through social pressure. There are many names from television series, from computer games, from novels and films used by MUDII players. The player is seeking to imbue themselves with the public aura of the name they have chosen, much as native tribesmen might eat the heart of a lion to gain its strength by association. The practical effect is less than the effect on the mind. They are demonstrating a very public affinity and loyalty with the source of the name.

'Clever' Names

Names such as sdrawkcab and ziwayllear, or Y are self consciously playing games with the concept of naming, hiding meaning within the name, or pushing naming to an extreme.

Aggressive Meanings

In games like Quake it was common for player to choose short, and macho names. Names such as Killer, Deathdealer, Steel and so on, give the unequivocal impression of power. In MUDII such names are less common, though they have all existed at one time or another. This may be because the gestation period of a character is sufficiently long, that anyone who looks like they may have a PK mentality is given a hard time. Being too obviously anti-social is all too obviously a thick tactic, and the more subtle murderers are very far from being stupid.

Angry Names

These are often chosen by players who have fallen foul of wizzes, and take the form of "swearword+name", sometimes omitting the name section. They generally grant the bearer a decreased life span, unless combined with a particularly inventive deception (i.e. written backwards, or in a foreign language).

Why do we choose a particular name?

The possible reasons are aesthetic, practical, to convey intelligence, self-deprecation, aggression, humour, anger, affection, abstraction, political affiliation, fandom ... and a myriad of other possible reasons. Naming makes us unique. There are as many causes of names as there are names and players. When we look at a player of a period of time we may draw conclusions about them from the types of names that they choose.

Attachment to a name

Some players choose a name and stick with it. Whatever the vicissitudes they encounter, no matter how often they perish, the old name is reborn. The name has become their soul, the very core of what is important to them.

This can be seen through a very simple experiment. In MUDII it is possible (with good timing) to see when a person dies, and to immediately quit and come back on with their name (since it has been erased from the database through death). This is not precisely illegal in MUDII - it is not explicitly banned, but everyone agrees that it is wrong. No-one will defend it, and even the perpetrator (no matter how evil in other matters) will invariably give way to the original owner, whose sense of outrage will persist for a considerable period of time.

Players often feel a sense of attachment to old names, even if they no longer have them as a persona name themselves. It can be seen as the new player attempting to pass themselves off as someone other than they are, attempting to gain a free ride from the reputation associated with the original bearer of the name.

On the other hand, some players have a very different attitude. If their persona dies, they will abandon it and start afresh with a new name. Here names are regarded as disposable. This may be because the old name is somehow regarded as 'unlucky' or for strictly practical reasons (it is always useful for a PK to slough off their old bad reputation when starting again in a weakened state).

It is my personal opinion that new players are more apt to regard their names as disposable. The utility of a known name grows as a player matures. The player's friends must have a handle in their own minds with which to identify them, and a constantly shifting stream of names hinders the acquisition of the benefits that a circle of friends can bring.

The strength of feeling surrounding names can also be seen in the matter of prefixes. These were originally temporary additions to a player's name, which further distinguished them as individuals. They were as a matter of fun, often issued during mobile bash resets and other special events, which further highlighted their special status. They are also a marker of power. All witches and wizards possess them, they may be coloured, they bring the aura of effortless power and freedom from the fear of death.

As it became possible to issue prefixes to mortals on a permanent basis, they became a bone of contention. Wizards felt that the common bearing of a prefix devalued their own hard won descriptions, carefully honed in secret during hours off line, in between the long hours of grinding points accumulation. That a mortal might acquire a prefix merely for saying 'please' caused dissent. Wizzes set themselves unofficial rules - that mortals should somehow 'earn' prefixes, and also tried to surreptitiously erase prefixes that already existed.

How this situation developed is not my concern, but what was interesting was the volume of complaint from those affected. Many players would literally rather die DEAD DEAD (losing say 50,000 points and 100 hours of time), rather than a prefix. Names are special, points come and go.

Cat

Acknowledgements - Disposable Names section Karya's idea.

Why did you choose your MUDII name? And how? Does your name have a story behind it? If it does I would like to hear from you.

See the questionnaire based on this article.