The Power of a Name
“Knowing his father’s name made Janner think of him as a real person, not just a happy shadow from his dreams.”
Names are powerful. In our modern, western world, we forget that sometimes. Some of us pick names for our children not based on what they mean but because they sound cool. I confess that I’m guilty of that with my own children’s names. (They are cool, by the way). But the act of naming is an essential job, and it happens to be one of Adam’s first assignments in this world (Genesis 2:19-20).
As a programmer, I spend a lot of time thinking about names—way more time than the average person. My job requires that I name things…. a lot of things—variables, methods, classes, game objects, scenes, events—to name a few. Given that I work on a team, everything I name impacts the rest of the team. If I mislabel an object or I choose a name that causes confusion, our team has a problem.
Clarity and accuracy are at the front of my mind when selecting a name. There is a constant cycle of questions going through my head.
Is this name clear?
Is this name true?
Does it really describe what this is doing?
Does this make sense in context?
Will my teammates know what I mean?
Is there a better name?
Names are powerful, and in game development, they have the power to speed up your team or slow them down. Take it seriously.
