Good names grow from
clear decisions.
Ten practical guides connect vocabulary with the actual work of dialogue, mapping, interfaces and project documentation. They are creative working material, not claims of guaranteed success.
Build a naming system for your game world
Connect characters, places and objects through a small set of useful rules, documented exceptions and real scenes.
Read the guide ↗PRACTICAL GUIDEMake compound names clear and expressive
Separate function, image and personal history before combining words into a name.
Read the guide ↗PRACTICAL GUIDEChoose character names that work in dialogue
Use call names, titles and epithets to reveal relationships without turning every introduction into a biography.
Read the guide ↗PRACTICAL GUIDEName places through landscape, work and memory
Build a map whose names emerge from how people use places and how those uses change.
Read the guide ↗PRACTICAL GUIDEName objects through function, limits and ownership
Give equipment a distinct role without relying on increasingly grand claims of rarity or power.
Read the guide ↗PRACTICAL GUIDEMake names work in interfaces and on maps
Test names in the places where they must be read, searched, spoken and remembered.
Read the guide ↗PRACTICAL GUIDELocalise names without losing their role
Carry a name’s function, relationships and clues into another language rather than translating an isolated string.
Read the guide ↗PRACTICAL GUIDEChoose a game title that promises the right experience
Develop distinct title directions, test expectations and document an informed choice.
Read the guide ↗PRACTICAL GUIDEResearch existing names and record open questions
Separate creative preference, actual search findings and matters requiring further professional review.
Read the guide ↗PRACTICAL GUIDETest names with useful, specific questions
Turn observed confusions into deliberate revisions without pretending that taste is an objective score.
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