I dunno, I think maybe having an idiotic name is a good thing if you are going to behave like an idiot. At least it gives us fair warning. Ran into somebody calling himself Assbutler yesterday, and his name turned out to be a perfect indicator of his juvenile griefing behaviour. It was like a sign saying "Keep away from me, I are stupid."

Though I must say, despite his extremely irritating way of behaving, his name did give me a chuckle.

On a RP server, I understand judging and accepted/denying people based off their username. It's not understandable on a PvP/PvE server. Quite frankly, on a non-RP server, it's absolutely ridiculous to care about someone's (non-offensive) name. Just because their name isn't something that you care for doesn't mean you can't play with that person.

I completely understand the importance of names on an RP server and and I believe immersion in that context should be respected.

However, I don't really care too much on the PVP server I'm on. If the name is offensive, however, I won't group with that person, and will probably put him or her on ignore. If the name is some typical juvenile idiocy, ditto, especially if I notice a lot of accompanying spacebar jumping spasticity.

I mostly play on PvE and whilst I've not really had the pleasure of being in an active SW:TOR guild, I can say from past experiences on 'that other game' is that when looking at people to recruit, guilds do not generally judge people by their name.

I've met people with some pretty stupid names in-game (if I'm being honest) who turned out to be excellent players and really nice fellows.

Okay, so these are definitely the minority, as like most of the other posters in this thread, I see a stupid name and I know to expect an idiot (and this expectation is usually met).

But like many others said, I agree that this should matter in RP... but not in PvE. People have the right to expression and if you don't want to risk playing with them (like people I know with silly names, they could be good players and people!!), then don't, that's your perogative and your choice to make.

Just as a little bit of a side-anecdote, I once saw a player on 'that other game' called EileenDover. I swear, I was laughing for about 5 mins. It was a low-level character so I have no idea if the name made it to end-game, but at least me and my friends had a good laugh about it at the time.

Me and my significant other - when referred to as a couple - were called Leanova (which is a combination of our character names). Now, this has significance to us, but in-game and used as a character name, most people would see it and think it a pun and label it as a 'silly' or 'inappropriate' name, which just goes to show that what may be silly for one person may not be for another.

Just to add that it was a nickname our friends gave us and never actually made it into game as a proper character as my significant other quit and I generally not do use silly names for my characters; they are always serious.

This world is faaaar too judgemental as it is, so I try to keep an open mind when it comes to these things.

OP - the main body of your post should probaly be kept to your guilds admissions website page. Of course you are right, names shouldnt be offensive (sweat words, racial slurs etc etc). But everything else you are talking about is subjective and far too open for interpretation. If you and your guild dont accept or group with players who's names you find un-immersive or inappropriate then thats up to you and you guild.

I remember having a good debate with someone on the LotRO forums regarding names. He was on a RP server and said he would report someone with the name "Nightblade" citing it as in-appropriate and against the lore and borrowed from another game. When someone pointed out that Aragorn's ranger name, "Strider", was also from a computer game then he went all "The great Prof. Tolkien himself chose that name so its allowed.".... yes he also chose Ghan-Buri-Ghan and trolls called Tom, Bert and Bill. In the same respect, George Lucas has some (IMO) silly names - Naboo anyone? Ok I cant think of anymore

Yes first impressions are important but unless the name is very offensive it shouldnt be judged as anything more than "just a name". I've seen good players with bad or silly names and vice versa.

In the same respect, George Lucas has some (IMO) silly names - Naboo anyone? Ok I cant think of anymore

Biggs Darklighter is a pretty stupid name. Cool 70s moustache, though.

Biggs Darklighter is a pretty stupid name. Cool 70s moustache, though.

And what can we learn from that? Characters with strange names don't make it through the first movie.

Anyway I could care less about someone calling himself xXdárthrævanXx. I've played other MMOs before and met some people whose character's names were seriously silly (many of which gave me a good laugh though) and never had a problem with that. I guess even in this game I am basically fine with it. The thing is, that I too chose to play on an RP-Server and seeing that kind of character names there is somewhat disappointing. On any other kind of server I'll never say anything about silly names. I might laugh about them though.

On my RP-PVP server a while back, a group organized a bounty on non-RP names.

Not sure how it went down (whether the player was told about their name before the bashing began), but it seemed quite popular for a while.

Sadly, the names themselves weren't posted in the forum thread, which I cannot find right now.

To the OP:

So, no pureblood Sith, or Chiss named "Fatty McButterpants?" What if it was an obese and blundering human smuggler? What if he was raised by Gamorreans, or was a favorite slave of a Hutt? Hutt society loves honorific titles relating to tremendous girth.

Not everything in Star Wars is deadly serious, Lucas himself tried to put a great deal of humor (sometimes twisted) into some of the scenes. Sarlacc burps after eating a fan favorite Mandalorian?

Honestly, coming from running and building a NWN server, I understand the point you are trying to make.

I would suggest that you give people a chance before denouncing someone's name choice though. Especially if you are a RP person. There might be a reason why for a character's name. Also, how would your character know what that character's name is, if you didn't interact with them? Kind of seems like metagaming to me.

Regardless, you have every right to prejudice yourself against other players based on whatever you like. I just would hope you'd use some judgement before slapping someone down.

I absolutely understand the RP side complaint of remaking a canon Star Wars character. That I find to be a valid criticism, if it's on an RP server.

Anyhow, have fun! BTW, Fatty McButterpants is taken already.

Like I said originally, sometimes you have to consider the name in the context of a callsign, and then it makes sense. :-) Also, sometimes it's a nickname. Chewie is a really stupid name until you realize it's a shortened form of Chewbacca.

Paige

I generally make up names,

now my trooper just had to be shep'ard so that when expansions come out he can become commander shep'ard of course

and my imp agent healer is named Doc, but i like that

other than that, i use names from obscure fantasy books, or make them up

Some bad names are names that imply certain role, if you are not sure if you are always going to be that role.

In WoW i saw people who named their toon something like TankyTank or HolyHeals and then they were spamming general chat with "DPS LFG for whatever".

That's just not right.

But no one cares about how his/her character's name will reflect on others on non-RP servers.

They should care.

If I see a name like "Ikilljoo" then I know that I should never, ever group with that person. I know I am not alone because my last three guilds (in three different MMOGs) all felt the same.

As the OP posted, you will be judged by the name you choose. Choose wisely.

Again, not intending to make anyone upset.

I do know what a "blunt" is, (I'm 33...) just don't see how it is offensive.

Some folks get really unhappy around the mention of drugs. You may not, but some other people really, really, really do. A character name that references drugs or other illegal substances or activities may make a really strong negative impression on people. Would you use an email address on a job application that referenced drugs or alcohol? I guess it depends on the job, but for most people, it would be a really bad idea.

The other problem, is that it sort of advertizes that the player might be chemically impaired with slower reaction times and subpar judgement.

I play a lot of Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, and will actively ungroup from people that have names that reference drugs or alcohol. You gotta be good if you're going to keep up with me, and I don't have time or patience to shepherd someone that is inebriated. I'd rather spend my limited play-time playing to the limits of my ability or teaching worthwhile new guys the ropes.

In SWTOR, I'll completely ignore people with names that reference drugs and alcohol for the same reason. Not worth my limited time.

Paige

Some folks get really unhappy around the mention of drugs. You may not, but some other people really, really, really do. A character name that references drugs or other illegal substances or activities may make a really strong negative impression on people. Would you use an email address on a job application that referenced drugs or alcohol? I guess it depends on the job, but for most people, it would be a really bad idea.

 

The other problem, is that it sort of advertizes that the player might be chemically impaired with slower reaction times and subpar judgement.

 

I play a lot of Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, and will actively ungroup from people that have names that reference drugs or alcohol. You gotta be good if you're going to keep up with me, and I don't have time or patience to shepherd someone that is inebriated. I'd rather spend my limited play-time playing to the limits of my ability or teaching worthwhile new guys the ropes.

 

In SWTOR, I'll completely ignore people with names that reference drugs and alcohol for the same reason. Not worth my limited time.

 

Paige

I fully see your point, and it is valid. Coming from an RP standpoint, how are you going to know that persons name, and how are they going to know yours unless you were told from conversation.

Recovering drug addicts and alcoholics will be offended, but if they are in recovery and roll a toon in an MMO and then happen to come across a name with a drug reference, then become offended by that person to the point of going off on him/her based on their name alone, that is a problem the recovering person has to overcome on their own. Welcome to the internet, prepared to be offended.

Greetings everyone!

We appreciate the constructive discussion that is taking place!

Additionally, we just wanted to give more information regarding our Naming Policy which you can find in our Terms of Service and Rules of Conduct:

Naming Policy

 

When creating a character or guild name for Star Wars: The Old Republic, it is encouraged that you select a name that reflects the theme of the game. The guidelines listed below outline the types of names that you can NOT use, and apply to both player or character names, as well as guild names.

 

1. You may not use any names that violate the General Rules. This includes the use of names that are hateful, defamatory, racist, ethnically offensive, obscene, vulgar, sexually explicit, or any other language that is offensive in nature.
    
   
2. You may not use names that are harassing or defamatory to other players or employees of EA, BioWare or LucasArts, e.g. EASUX, Timsretarded, and Biowaresux.
    
   
3. You may not use names of any EA, BioWare, or LucasArts employee or service related to Star Wars: The Old Republic.
    
   
4. You may not use names of copyrighted or trademarked characters, materials or products, e.g. Coca-Cola or Dr. Pepper.
    
   
5. You may not use names from popular culture or media, e.g. Lady Gaga or George Lucas.
    
   
6. You may not use names that are religiously or historically significant, e.g. Jesus, Winston Churchill.
    
   
7. You may not use proper names of areas within Star Wars for character names. Guild names, however, MAY use the proper names of specific areas to help promote role-playing and realm pride, e.g. Defenders of Tython or Protectors of Hutta.
    
   
8. You may not use proper names of non-player characters within Star Wars: The Old Republic, e.g. Darth Malgus, Satele Shan, Yoda, Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker.
    
   
9. You may not use names containing titles or ranks within them, e.g. General Supertrooper, Captain Tim, Darth Timmy, Knight Wakey.
    
   
10. You may not use names that refer to drugs or that are drug related.
     
    
11. You may not use names that contain an inappropriate phrase, sentence or any fragment of a sentence or Leet speak, e.g. uberhaxer, xxspeederxx, lolface, rofl, Noobwhacker, TimmyF**k, kock, fuk.
     
    
12. You may not use misspellings or alternative spellings of names that violate any of the above rules, e.g. Hamsolo, Yooda, DorthVader.
     
    
13. You may not use gibberish names when creating character, e.g. ajsdu, rifndsw, qweszs.
     
    
14. If you violate any part of the above Naming Policy you will either be assigned a new name, or given the option of changing the name. In addition to this, your account could incur a penalty up to and including account closure.
    

This being said, we do take reports against other players very seriously and ask that if you do see someone in-game that you feel is breaking the Terms Of Service, please report them by following the these instructions from our Customer Support Help Center:

Please click on the question mark icon on your game menu interface, and open a ticket with Customer Service. This will open a free form text box where you can provide further detail. It will send a notice directly to our Customer Service Agents who will then investigate the issue and act accordingly. Due to privacy restrictions, the Agent will not disclose to you any specific actions taken regarding the situation, but rest assured they will investigate and take action when appropriate.

You can also contact our Customer Support Team directly via our Online Customer Service Form.

We appreciate everyone's assistance in keeping our forums and game a safe, friendly environment!

I play a lot of Mass Effect 3 multiplayer...

 

... and I don't have time or patience to shepherd someone...

Groans at pun.

You may not use gibberish names when creating character, e.g. ajsdu, rifndsw, qweszs.

Wha...? Pretty thin line between gibberish names and many Star Wars canon names. Who decides if it is gibberish or a bona fide Star Warsie name? Qweszs seems like just the kind of name that would be in Star Wars.

Greetings everyone!

Additionally, we just wanted to give more information regarding our Naming Policy which you can find in our Terms of Service and Rules of Conduct:

Thanks for the update on the ToS, Eilvaan - I hadn't even *thought* to check the ToS for naming conventions. I'll edit to include them! :-)

Paige

Groans at pun.

/bow

;-)

Paige

In SWtOR and other MMOs I've played over the years, I've generally gauged a person's maturity based on their choice of names. This is a first impression of course. But, as in RL, the first impression is always the most important in my opinion.

If somebody dressed in a prison jump suit asks me for a ride, I'm probably going to politely decline and walk away. Sure, it may be the latest fashion.. but, I'm not going to waste my time and second guess my instincts. Same goes for the goofy named characters looking for a group. They may have all the maturity of Dick Cavett, but its easier for me to move on and choose one of the dozens of others with less childish names who are also looking for a group or assistance.

To each their own. We make our own decisions and create consequences based on those decisions. Whether that is creating a stupid character name or passing up "clownpants" for a pick up group.

Enter Adam Sandler.. "Who are you to judge me!"

Thank you Adam.

Interesting post. Some of it is definitely common sense. Like bluntastic LOL!.

I fall under the unoriginal category. No FireHawkeForever. My character names are like Korso (TONS of tells on this name.) Hawke, Jackson, Jaeson, etc.

The first few weeks of the game, I was threatened by hundreds of tells (I am on a PvP-RP server) about reporting my name. Funny thing is... I am still there as Korso. As I see Korso being a roguish name. I could have gone with Corso.. But I prefer the K. And there is nothing Bioware could do about it, legally. I mean they could change it, but that would just be a ***** move. No leg to stand on, since it is generic.

The first few weeks of the game, I was threatened by hundreds of tells (I am on a PvP-RP server) about reporting my name.

That's totally the wrong way for folks to go about it. People can't change their own names so actually talking to them about changing their name is pointless. You might could ask "hey, how'd choose that character name?" if it's something that might be a nickname or call sign, but even that's not worth it for DarthClownpantsTequilaChugger.

Ignore 'em and report 'em is all you can do.

Paige