Naming Your Game

A game design is a very personal work, and naming it is one of the most personal bits.

However, if you're serious about getting published, you need the best name, even if it's not the one you like most. If the publisher doesn't like your game's name, which they probably won't, they'll change it.

Most games have boring, functional names. Many euro games don't even try — the game is just named after a city, and this city has no relation to the gameplay.

Just start out with a placeholder name, and let the game suggest its own name, as its theme evolves and narrows down.

It's more important to stand out, than to be good. Err on the side of wackiness.

Avoid

Avoid adjective-noun and especially noun-of-noun names, like "Supreme Quest" or "Warriors of Kroznor". This can be hard to do. Avoid the urge to name your game the most grandiose, action-packed, or evocative combination of words possible. Everyone else is doing that.

One word

Try to make your game name a single word.

There's the game about making a quilt. It's called Patchwork. There's a game about running a bird sanctuary. It's called Wingspan. There's a game about defeating classic horror monsters. It's called Horrified.

Wordplay

Wordplay in names is the holy grail of naming. Use alliteration, or a pun, or something amusing.

If there's something interesting or unique about the actual mechanics of the game, the name can suggest the actual play of the game, rather than the theme. Eight-Minute Empire, Railroad Ink, Camel Up, and Roll Player do this.

The best names

The best names, in my opinion, are both a single word and a wordplay. This is achieved with a clever modification of an existing word. These names are simple and catchy, while still describing the game. Kingdomino (a game in which you build a kingdom out of domino-shaped pieces of land) is a great example. Scattergories is another.

Before Radlands was published, it had one name from me, and two other names from the publisher. The final name, Radlands, is a modification of the word "badlands". It's short, unique, and evocative, and everyone likes it. Within about 30 seconds of it being suggested, it became the permanent name of the game.

The publisher chooses

Despite all this, be prepared for the publisher to rename your game, and to something you don't like. Be prepared for your game "Glades of Endoria" to be renamed to "BEASTIE STOMP SHOWDOWN!"

There is one way to avoid this. Early on, offer to suggest a list of new names for the game. They'll probably pick one they like from your list, and you've still been able to name your own game.