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Create free account3 Game Names! - Which ONE? [Jonas is confused.]
Key insights
6 takeaways- 01Quantitative scoring systems are often insufficient for selecting a game title when candidate names yield nearly identical ratings between 7.7 and 7.9.
- 02Independent developers must balance the strategic trade-offs between rhythmic memorability, search engine optimization, and general auditory appeal when naming a project.
- 03The naming process for solo developers is inherently difficult because it requires transitioning from technical design skills to subjective, creative branding.
- 04A game's title serves as a foundational element of its identity that requires both community input and aesthetic evaluation to finalize.
- 05Visual experimentation with typography, fonts, and graphic treatments is essential to determine how a game title functions as a brand identity.
- 06Drafting experimental, non-final logo designs provides a realistic perspective on how a potential title will resonate with a target audience.
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Transcript
here are the three finalists for the name of my game I need you to vote there will be a poll in this video click on the little eye icon on the top I don't want this to go wrong the name of your game is really important and I just have to admit that naming stuff is not one of my strengths first of all we have always overs then we have Stella one which a lot of you seem to like as well and then finally a new one which is over Snover and here once again in the opposite order over Snover and by the way we're not voting on a logo we're just voting on the name so scale over just so you can imagine how it could look not how it will look and almost over I know it's not gonna be an easy decision what we he have to take one anyway have you voted because I will tell you my opinion and that will probably heavily influenced you so vote now and then I'll tell you what I think first of all the advantage of Ava's ovis is that it fits really well if you magically it just it is two times the same word but connected which reminds me a lot of those X let's split
into two parts the cool thing about Stella is that it's a really unique word that you cannot find on Google so that's absolutely amazing in the proton called Google test when you type it into Google and the best thing about ovis Nova is letters just sounds cool so which of them would I think if I didn't knew what your opinion was drumroll I would probably stick to office office because it's very easy to remember I feel like even if it's a little silly even if it's a little stupid I think it's something that sticks into your mind more than the other names you might be wondering why do I even ask you why even bother if I know what I want I'm really not sure about this okay I think all three of those names are really good and it's a really hard position I'm just not good at naming stuff and I don't trust myself I know that I can create fun games that I can create fun gameplay but when it's about naming things I don't have that much confidence the rest of this video will be done cool behind
the scenes footage you know two hours of work edited down to five minutes of video let's go I'm really struggling with the name of my game at the moment you guys gave me a ton of useful feedback thank you very much for that here are the new three favorites I tried my scoring system here but really it doesn't work when the numbers are that close we have seven point seven seven point seven and seven point nine and that's way too close to make a decision based on that let's try to do a bit of photoshop and maybe we can figure something out this way obviously this just an experiment this will not be the logo the official logo of the game because I want to model the official logo out of door as well out of clay so I could imagine something like this let's experiment with the layer style yes this clearly looks awesome clearly looks perfect okay let's speed this up a little because I clearly understand you don't have the entire day to watch my stupid videos one interesting questions also why do I
create logos when I just want to decide on a name and that's actually just to get a better feel for the name it's really hard to tell how good a name is if you don't visualize it properly or at least that's my opinion because if you just write it down on a piece of paper if you just write it down on YouTube or something like that that in a standard font then it will look way way different and it will still influence you so better do it in a way that to see when a somewhat realistic way because if you just use a standard font or look at a standard font then you're not really getting a good idea of of the name some names just look better in certain fonts some look worse and I wanted to get them on a similar level because I think that makes them a lot easier to compare them and as you see in this video the fonts are also something I experiment with a lot I'm just moving things around trying different stuff and actually for fast forwarding this video I think is a really cool way to show you all the things I tried I really tried crazy things mirroring fonts up and down underlining
and even over lining my text absolutely crazy poor I know your mind is blown and then once I'm done I can just click export a voila we have a couple of beautiful names for our game but which one will read aside on which one will it be find out in the next episode of Jonas chooses a name thank you very much for watching make the world your playground because the verge is a playground peace out
Summary
Selecting an appropriate title for a game represents a significant challenge for independent developers, often requiring a balance between memorability, uniqueness, and aesthetic potential. The decision-making process involves evaluating three primary candidates: Ovus-Ovus, Stellova, and Ovus Nova. Each name offers distinct strategic advantages, ranging from the rhythmic, easy-to-remember nature of Ovus-Ovus to the search engine optimization benefits of the unique term Stellova, and the general auditory appeal of Ovus Nova.
Quantitative analysis through a scoring system proves insufficient for reaching a final decision, as the candidates consistently yield nearly identical ratings, hovering between 7.7 and 7.9. This narrow margin necessitates a more qualitative approach to branding. To bridge the gap between abstract naming and tangible identity, visual experimentation serves as a critical methodology. By applying various fonts, layer styles, and graphic treatments to the names, developers can better assess how a title functions within a visual context, as standard typography often fails to capture the intended impact of a brand.
Ultimately, the process highlights the inherent difficulty of creative branding for solo developers who may possess strong technical and gameplay design skills but struggle with the subjective nature of naming. Visualizing potential logos—even in experimental, non-final forms—is essential for gaining a realistic perspective on how a name will resonate with an audience. This iterative approach underscores that a game’s title is not merely a label but a foundational element of its identity that requires both community input and careful aesthetic consideration to finalize.
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