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Would You Ever Change Your Real Name To Your Gamer Name?

Would you ever change your real name to your favorite character's name?


  • Total voters
    52

Captn Norrington

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I was wondering about this, considering UO is 17 years old, some people have had their gamer names for pretty much their entire adult life.

If it did not affect your real life, or work life in any way other than being called something different, would you ever consider changing your name to whatever your favorite character's name is?

Think about walking into work and hearing "Good Morning Mr./Mrs. ____".

Good, or not so good?
 

MalagAste

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I think that folk might look at me a bit strangely if I said "Hi my name is Malag'aste Hla'ate.".... and yeah... Now Willa maybe... but Willa of the Yew-wood.... UM.... no.
 

Valura

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Considering some of the names the PvPers seem to be attracted to I cannot see them using them in RL. Although it would be kind of funny to introduce yourself as Mrs DeAThKillZZ ...and then have to spell it out for forms/applications etc.
 

MalagAste

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Well I kinda knew I played UO too much with Vent on when my Daughter told her Teacher that my name was Willa. I guess the Teacher asked her what my name was and of course she said "Mommy"... the Teacher then asked... Well what do other people call your Mom? And she said..... "Oooh..... Willa."

LOL
 

Shelra

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Mine is a derivative of my real name. :) There are so many interesting names out there- some make me laugh, some make me gasp ;p; I'm curious how everyone came up with theirs.
 

MalagAste

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Mine is a derivative of my real name. :) There are so many interesting names out there- some make me laugh, some make me gasp ;p; I'm curious how everyone came up with theirs.

Willa got her's as she was the first character I created.... and at the time the book I had that came with UO:R said choose something decent that you are ok with as this is something folk will "know" you as. I wanted to be "In-character" and RP..... I thought about it for a long long time...... finally I was about nuts trying to come up with something and I looked up on my movie shelf and there sat the movie "Willow".... I was like.... Willow isn't very lady like... So I went to Willa. Now Willa started in Yew. I lived out of the bank there for a long time... and when I finally got my first house it was just south of Yew. I always pictured her as a Woodland Elf of some sort so eventually she became known as Willa of the Yew-wood. That's how she stated her name officially. Anyway eventually she married (back when they offered UO Weddings).... And took the name Willa of the Yew-wood. And she's been that ever since.

As for Malag... Malag-aste Hla-ate is Drow. It was something I created using a Drow name website.... his name means "The Keeper of Secrets of the house of the walkers of the way."... But fiction wise in UO he is Malag-aste Hla-ate.... He was the Prince of the Third house of Ra'Dashann (A shard in the void)... One that follows pure chaos.... ruled by Drow most humans there were killed or are slaves of Drow houses. Malag traveled to Great Lakes seeking his "Brother" a former slave of his house to return him to Ra'Dashann.... it was not until he arrived on Great Lakes that he realized not only did Lloth not really have an influence here.... but that the few Drow there were on the shard were "weak" in his eyes.. barely knew their own language. And that he was completely unable to return home. Eventually he was given a choice.... die or follow the path of Redemption and learn the Virtues. He chose to live and has turned away from Lloth and follows the Goddess of Magic Mystra and walks the path of Redemption. Now one of three leaders of the Royal Knights of Redemption. Loyal to the King. Something he never would have considered the day he arrived on GL's. Sometimes he still is disgusted by what he's become.... ie "human"... it disgusts him on occasion. He's still very much the Prince. Though if asked he does say that he has since learned the "lie" of his race. As in that the Drow way of life and following Lloth is not good and is a lie. Lloth is weak... as he has seen Mystra is far more powerful than Lloth. And therefore Mystra's teachings of Virtue and good are then the truer course... and that Lloth's teachings are a lie designed to enslave the race of Drow and blind them to her will. He willingly insults his own race... though doesn't much tolerate it from others afterall 500 years of teachings have taught him that the Drow are superior to others in every way.
 

Larisa

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Other then the stealth/ninja/archer person I had back in the day, most of my character names are pretty tame.
Larisa was just something I thought up off the top of my head. My real name is Lauri so it's fairly close. Devious Desire would be fun :) She's my archer...Maharia..again simple enough to be a real name, though her full name is Maharia Vashti, still pretty cool. Tinkerbell my crafter..might get in trouble for copy-write reasons :) On Napa I still have Carla my crafter, Melody my peacer, my original Maharia...so yeah other then Shrouded Darkness who was my stealther...though that would be a pretty cool name too :)
 

Elden of Baja

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Once met a man Named Elden, Also had a teenager walk up to me in the store and ask me if I was Elden. He had me mixed up with someone else though because he would of been Around 7 the last time I was playing the character.
 

Nonel

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Why not? Like many of the names I come up with, it was created by combining pieces of names from labels in my pantry. So yeah, it'd be a funny story at least. I'd rather use the name that preceded "Nonel Topd", but GMs made me change it (after several years of sporting it). Not sure a judge would allow it. *grins*
 

Speranza

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I actually have a CD signed by an artist to Victor Speranza. We were corresponding by email for a while setting up a party at one of his gigs, he signed the CD for me then stopped, looked at me, and said, "That's not your real name is it?" I asked him, "Is Voltaire your real name?" He laughed and gave me a free CD :p

But no I would never change my name IRL to my in-game name. I'll respond to Victor in chat/voice but it's just my pseudonym.
 

Pawain

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OP: When I started gaming I and the average PC gamer was 35. So, I have not used this name my entire adult life. N0oB

I wanted a name that was "Knightly" to use in UO. I was driving in a subdivision named Camelot and saw Gawain. Put a P where the G is and its my first and middle name crammed together. So, I have used that for everything online.

I wouldn't go by that name in spoken voice.
 

Hinotori

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I have a hard enough time remembering my name as it is.

I like my old anime. Hinotori is from Gatchaman. Science technique hinotori


You might recognize it in it's normal form
 

Lore Denin (GL)

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Willa got her's as she was the first character I created.... and at the time the book I had that came with UO:R said choose something decent that you are ok with as this is something folk will "know" you as. I wanted to be "In-character" and RP..... I thought about it for a long long time...... finally I was about nuts trying to come up with something and I looked up on my movie shelf and there sat the movie "Willow".... I was like.... Willow isn't very lady like... So I went to Willa. Now Willa started in Yew. I lived out of the bank there for a long time... and when I finally got my first house it was just south of Yew. I always pictured her as a Woodland Elf of some sort so eventually she became known as Willa of the Yew-wood. That's how she stated her name officially. Anyway eventually she married (back when they offered UO Weddings).... And took the name Willa of the Yew-wood. And she's been that ever since.
A member of my guild (and RL brother) learned how sensitive she was about her ears long ago....
 

drcossack

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Nope. However, if I ever made a char named msankey86, then maybe...but that's bringing RL into UO (first initial [well, I've preferred "Mike" since college, but for my signature, it's the full], last name, and birth year)

That said, I wouldn't mind going by Phillies Suck or Sir Annoyed during baseball season, since both would work VERY well.
 

Minerva Foxglove

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My first and main char is Mim. after the purple Disney witch . Made her when my sons were 12 and 14. They are now 26 and 28 and still call me Mim..always..:blushing:
 

Ray_Martin

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LOL My stratics name is my real life first and mid name. My character name is Knyght... that's too odd. I had wanted to name change all my toons to more realistic names with a common last name, but it's too expensive just for that.
 

Aran

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I was wondering about this, considering UO is 17 years old, some people have had their gamer names for pretty much their entire adult life.

If it did not affect your real life, or work life in any way other than being called something different, would you ever consider changing your name to whatever your favorite character's name is?

Think about walking into work and hearing "Good Morning Mr./Mrs. ____".

Good, or not so good?
My "gamer name," if it must be called that, is older than UO by a year, I've been going by it since I was 10. And no.
 

Aran

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LOL My stratics name is my real life first and mid name. My character name is Knyght... that's too odd. I had wanted to name change all my toons to more realistic names with a common last name, but it's too expensive just for that.
Just get a Trans Am, it'll work. Trust me
 

MalagAste

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A member of my guild (and RL brother) learned how sensitive she was about her ears long ago....
Ooooh... Your real life brother was the one who sooo viciously licked Skylars ears at a battle outside Whispering Winds... when she put a bounty of 100k in gold on his head. NEVER touch elven ears! Unless of course you want to start something...

Very nasty. She returned to her lifelong slumber in her tree still wanting his head. It's something still discussed by many in the Yew-wood to this day. Skylar and her desire for the head of Christopher of Whispering Winds. Willa would still honor that bounty given by her her great, great, great Aunt Skylar.

Now there is a story for you... LOL.
 

MalagAste

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My first and main char is Mim. after the purple Disney witch . Made her when my sons were 12 and 14. They are now 26 and 28 and still call me Mim..always..:blushing:
Most of my "bonus" children I've had over the years still call me "Major Mom"... Since I got the reputation of running a tight ship and having "rules". I work at a Hospital as a Laboratory Technician and the Nurses all get a kick out of it when one of them will come in and tell them they want "Major Mom" to draw them.
 

Yadd of Legends

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I was wondering about this, considering UO is 17 years old, some people have had their gamer names for pretty much their entire adult life.

If it did not affect your real life, or work life in any way other than being called something different, would you ever consider changing your name to whatever your favorite character's name is?

Think about walking into work and hearing "Good Morning Mr./Mrs. ____".

Good, or not so good?
Were you considering asking real-life people to start calling you Captain Norrington? Or do they already?
 

Captn Norrington

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Were you considering asking real-life people to start calling you Captain Norrington? Or do they already?
The Norrington part as a last name yes, I've always hated my last name, partially due to not getting along with pretty much all family members most of my life, and a couple weeks ago, to my surprise I found out that about 500 people in the world have Norrington as their real last name, mostly in the US and UK.....I'd already been thinking about changing it for a while, but could never decide what to change it to, so figured since I already choose to call myself this in games, it might be worth considering in real life too.
The Captain part no, unless I somehow feel the desire to buy a boat one day lol.

Idk, it just seems like it would be a nice "re-invent yourself and leave the past behind" type of thing.

Was wondering if someone would eventually ask me that :)

*waits for someone to say I'm completely insane* ;)
 
Last edited:

Lore Denin (GL)

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The Norrington part as a last name yes, I've always hated my last name, partially due to not getting along with pretty much all family members most of my life, and a couple weeks ago, to my surprise I found out that about 500 people in the world have Norrington as their real last name, mostly in the US and UK.....I'd already been thinking about changing it for a while, but could never decide what to change it to, so figured since I already choose to call myself this in games, it might be worth considering in real life too.
The Captain part no, unless I somehow feel the desire to buy a boat one day lol.

Idk, it just seems like it would be a nice "re-invent yourself and leave the past behind" type of thing.

Was wondering if someone would eventually ask me that :)

*waits for someone to say I'm completely insane* ;)
Are you naming yourself after your character or a character in Pirates of the Caribbean? The reason I ask is people in the real world are going to think you really must have liked that movie (which may be true), rather then linking the name to a character you play in UO which may have been inspired by that fictional character but has taken on a life of its own separate from that character's identity.

I am not saying this to discourage you, only point out names from other sources come with additional expectation and preconceptions. Its your name and your life. Call yourself what you want and don't stress on the haters.

-Lore's Player
 

MalagAste

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The Norrington part as a last name yes, I've always hated my last name, partially due to not getting along with pretty much all family members most of my life, and a couple weeks ago, to my surprise I found out that about 500 people in the world have Norrington as their real last name, mostly in the US and UK.....I'd already been thinking about changing it for a while, but could never decide what to change it to, so figured since I already choose to call myself this in games, it might be worth considering in real life too.
The Captain part no, unless I somehow feel the desire to buy a boat one day lol.

Idk, it just seems like it would be a nice "re-invent yourself and leave the past behind" type of thing.

Was wondering if someone would eventually ask me that :)

*waits for someone to say I'm completely insane* ;)
Not really... My son is "disillusioned" by his father and has often considered changing his last name to mine to "lose" the association between his fathers family and him.... and his sister and him... so... I do understand.
 

Yadd of Legends

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My favorite characters lately - Autumn and Autumn Lisa on Atlantic. Would I change my real name to Autumn? No, since it's my wife's real name.
 

MalagAste

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My favorite characters lately - Autumn and Autumn Lisa on Atlantic. Would I change my real name to Autumn? No, since it's my wife's real name.
Yeah you might not want to have folk calling asking for "Autumn" and you having to go which one?!? The male or female? I actually have an Autumn Stormsong... As well I have an Amber Dawn.... now I wouldn't change my name to that...... it's my Daughters name. I also have a few Summers, Violets, Violetta, Raven, Lavendar, and such.... I like my one Misty River ..... but I wouldn't change my name to that either... Nor would I change it Sunny Vale, Mystic Waters or Midnight Blue. LOL
 

Zuckuss

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It has been a running joke with some of my close RL friends to refer to me as Zuckuss. I started playing before high school. Throughout all sports I played they would refer to me as Zuckuss. My varsity football coach even got involved in this. It was one of those things people would really lay into me for to give me a hard time.

We would be out somewhere and they would begin speaking in old English like a bunch of role players. It was kind of funny. So yes, it has sort of become a nickname that my good friends would call me... Still to this day.
 

Merlin

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Michael to Merlin wouldn't be too hard of a transition. Plus, I love Mary Stewart's Arthurian Legend series of novels told from the perspective of Merlin (hence all my Arthurian named toons).
 

Captn Norrington

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Are you naming yourself after your character or a character in Pirates of the Caribbean? The reason I ask is people in the real world are going to think you really must have liked that movie (which may be true), rather then linking the name to a character you play in UO which may have been inspired by that fictional character but has taken on a life of its own separate from that character's identity.

I am not saying this to discourage you, only point out names from other sources come with additional expectation and preconceptions. Its your name and your life. Call yourself what you want and don't stress on the haters.

-Lore's Player
I originally named the UO character after the Pirates of the Caribbean character because I liked the movie and that character alot. So I'd be fine with people thinking I named myself after that character even though I would actually be naming myself after the UO character.

I found online that apparently the movie named their Norrington character, after a real guy in the British navy from the early 1900's, which would mean the name existed long before the movies did.

I appreciate the support :)
 
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