Ask Massively: A column by any other name...
Just in time for the weekend, it's another edition of Ask Massively, the column where no question is too great or too small to be treated as the subject of a dissertation from a guy who thought <Oops> would make a great guild name. Speaking of which, this week's question comes from one of our loyal readers, who writes...
Please help me, oh pulchritudinous paragon of pungently perfect profundity!
I am fairly new to the business of creating a guild, and my new guild mates and I are looking for advice on a guild name. How do we come up with something that A) hasn't been done to death and B) is a guild name that we won't cringe at 6 months later?
- Perplexed
Being a playful, yet ponderous, purveyor of perspicacity and punditry (not to mention 'profundity') can be potentially problematic, especially for people as pompous and pontificatory as I am. Perhaps this week, in order to properly pose a solution to your problem, we shall peek into the past.
One of the more popular topics that I have encountered over many an alcoholic beverage with my gaming friends is guild names. From the serious to the sublime, from those who conjure images of sinister swords and sorcery to those that leave you scratching your head and saying "Huh?", how does one pick and choose a guild name?
Guilds, and therefore guild names, are so ubiquitous that it can be a daunting task to come up with something distinctive that both inspires pride in it's members and generates interest from those who aren't members. Most people want a memorable guild name, and there are several different paths to choosing one. For instance, the most common form of guild name is the "We went to an online guild name generator and picked this one." Most online generators have a variant of the following algorithm.
Step 1: Pick a word from this list
Shadow
Dark
Dragon
Storm
War
Death
Step 2: Pick a word from this list
Council
Congress
Army
Lords
Knights
Step 3: Pick a phrase from this list (optional)
of Death
of Despair
of Agony
of Flatulence (Just checking to make sure you're paying attention)
of War
The lists used are somewhat longer, but you get the general idea. This would explain the large number of <Shadow Congress> or <Dark Council of Despair> guild names that appear in many MMOs.
The second most common guild name is anything that contains Latin. From <Novus Invictus> to <Rick O'Mortis>, many guilds will toss in words from a dead language that just "looks cool" in a guild tag. If someone in your guild decides to go with a guild name from another language, do yourself a favor and confirm the meaning of that phrase. There is a large difference between <Divine Exercitus> and <Divine Excretus>.
The next most common group of guild names should be fairly obvious. Humorous guild names are nearly as abundant, if not more so, than the more common guild names of yesteryear. From <STDs are BOP> to <Naga Stole My Bike>, there are message board threads, articles, and lists aplenty. In the interests of full disclosure, I have been involved with a few of these guilds myself.
A guild name reflects the personality of the guild's membership. A sense of humor is nearly always a desirable trait, but if your guild is less about personality than about hardcore raiding or PvP, then you might want a name that is a little more serious. In the end, there are no right or wrong answers. It's all about how you want to present yourself to the world. On the other hand, I have no idea what image this guild is trying to project (aside from bleeding eyes), so maybe it doesn't matter so much after all.
That's all we have for this week. If you have a question for us, feel free to send us an email, or stop by our tipline.
R.I.P. Gary
