The Name of the Game: a Co-op Session with Video Game Writer Cosette Gonzales of Cloud Chamber
The Name of the Game is the series where my interests in naming, branding, and video game culture convene. Many video games require the labor of hundreds of people — each with unique skills and perspectives — to bring them to fruition. Cosette Gonzales is a game writer and narrative designer who graduated from Princeton University and is currently based in Montréal, where she is working on the next BioShock title at Cloud Chamber. She is very passionate about using interactive media to explore imaginative worlds and adventures.
I enjoyed a candid and spirited conversation with Cosette that revealed elements of her video game writing and naming processes, as well as her thinking on creativity and interactivity.
So fire up your game system, select co-op, and take this open-world conversation for a spin.
Spoiler Alert: There is a subtle spoiler for the end of Red Dead Redemption 2 towards the end of this interview. Read at your own risk.
How far back does your relationship with video games go?
Cosette: I started playing games as a kid actually, because my dad is a big gamer. He started bringing home games for PlayStation 2, but before that I was also playing PC educational games and mystery games like Nancy Drew. I think when my dad brought home one of the Final Fantasy games, I was like, “Wow, there are such good stories in games and they’re so immersive; I want to see what this is about.”
When did you begin writing? How did you break into video game writing in particular?
I just loved stories as a kid — I grew up as an only child so I always had to make up games to entertain myself. I think that translated into getting into creative writing as I got older. I kind of followed a traditional creative writing track, where I was really into fiction and writing short stories, but I knew I wanted to make a career out of writing for games. It seemed like it would be more stable. Don’t get me wrong; it’s challenging in its own way, but it seemed like a beast I could manage, or something more compatible. I didn’t really want to write a novel, and I wasn’t sure that being in academia was for me. Video game writing seemed like a good way to make a living out of something creative — something typically chaotic and unstable.
In college I did internships in the film and TV industries, and marketing for video games. I wanted to experiment and make sure I wasn’t closed off to any particular field. I tried a bunch of different areas, including journalism. After college, I got my first job in mobile narrative games, where I was a Senior Writer and Creative Lead, and led 10 titles. And now I’m writing at Cloud Chamber — that’s sort of the journey overall. I guess I knew I wanted to write for games for a long time, so I’m really happy it’s worked out — so far! [laughs]
What are some of your favorite video game character names?
I like the name Zoë Maya Castillo, which is from The Longest Journey adventure game series. I believe Zoë means “life,” Maya can mean “illusion or supernatural” depending on which cultural standpoint you’re coming from, and Castillo means “castle.” She has a very multicultural upbringing. I haven’t played the game in a while so I can’t recall exactly how these names all tie together, but they made me think, does it tie to “the house in the dream world” in the story? Or is she a “fortifying support for people?” Regardless, I thought it was a really pretty name.
I also like the character April Ryan from the same series. It made me think of spring, and nature or the world opening up because she opens portals and jumps through worlds, which kicks off the whole adventure. I believe Ryan means “little king”, and she’s a leader in many ways. I thought it was a very sturdy, pretty name.
Lastly, I love the names in Red Dead Redemption 2. I’ve been talking about those characters a lot because I just finished it. [laughs]. I loved your article on the naming in that game — that’s my little plug for it. [laughs] There are lots of good names in there.
Thanks! How much do you feel like video game narratives are based on history and mythology?
That’s such a good question. I feel like every kind of story draws a lot from the classics or certain formulas that just work. Thinking of “The Hero’s Journey” and Joseph Campbell and the oral tradition, I feel like we’re always referencing stories that came before. We’re always absorbing ideas then outputting those ideas and hopefully doing a different take on them. Even if it’s sort of the same arc, you can get it across in a new way or with a different feeling. You might tell variations on the same story a million times, but it could be a different experience every time. Like how you could give people the same writing prompt, but I doubt it would end up in the same form. I think there are definitely lots of influences from history and mythology, even if we’re not always aware of it.
To your point, when a story, trope, archetype is brought into the genre of video games, giving players control of them is a very different experience.
Exactly, now you have the agency, you’re the hero, and you’re in control of how it goes. At least within the parameters of the game design!
When you are developing and writing a video game character, how are they named? How is the name developed? Does the name ever come before the character is fully fleshed out?
Well, first of all you’re the naming expert. I wish I could hire you! [laughs] There are moments where a name might come to me and it just sounds nice phonetically or matches the personality. Sometimes I just go with what feels good — kind of a gut intuition thing.
But, when I’m working on projects that involve a lot of other people, I do a lot more preparation. I’ll think a lot about the character’s origins beforehand. I might think about where they grew up, or ethnicity or nationality, or the time period we’re in, and different defining characteristics like their personality or certain philosophies that they adhere to. Sometimes I’ll enter these fields into a name generator to just get info on a starting point, but then I’ll branch off from there.
I’ll be systematic when I do research: I’ll make a long list of names and then use process of elimination and get additional points of view from other people on the team. After all that it’s intuitive — we have to make a decision from there. But it really depends. I feel like everyone has a different process and mine is always changing.
It’s understandable that the approach differs when you’re working solo or with a team.
Yeah. I wrote a short story recently just for fun — kind of just for my own eyes — and I don’t think I looked up the names at all. I was like, oh that sounds nice, [laughs]. The name sounds like them; now, I’m curious to see if the etymology matches their personality. Now that I know more about them, I might want to go back and retroactively see if the names made sense fortuitously.
How do you prioritize the different tiers of names needed in a game? Whether it’s characters, weapons, items, skills, or places. Is there more energy spent on one more than the others?
I would say they’re all really important in their own way and it might depend on what kind of game you’re making. For instance, some games might not have weapons or named items or things like that. Characters are really central and are often at the heart of the story so sometimes that’s a good place to start. But other times, locations are a “character” in their own way, and definitely need a lot of attention and cohesive branding too!
I love that you also brought up weapons, items, and skills. Those add a lot of flavor to the game and I like them because they’re mechanic-driven — they’re what you’re using so often and you want to reference them easily and know what they do — maybe you also want them to have catchy names so that you’re more drawn to using them.
In terms of what I prioritize, it might be whatever needs a name right away because we’re in production and need to reference them. You’re starting to build a universal language with the team so that you can collaborate and you’re not getting confused all the time.
Have you ever been involved in naming a game title? If so, what was that like?
Yes, a few! Sometimes, to match the tone of the platform or series, these were a play on words that gave a hint as to the genres of the title or were a bit tongue-in-cheek. One thing that is fun to see is what the logo of the game ends up being or how the title looks on cover art. The art, shapes, and colors can interplay with the words in a fun way to place more emphasis on certain parts of the name.
In your experience how are game title names developed?
It depends! Sometimes a more concise name, which gets at the heart of what the game is about, is strongest. But it’s great when it has enough to intrigue players who might want to learn more. You’ll probably need to brainstorm first to get an idea of what your game or story is generally about before you can even get to the name. But who knows? Maybe the name comes first to some creators and that’s the jumping-off point of inspiration for the game’s actual content. And then, of course the name goes through a reviewal process so it can become official.
How has video game writing and naming evolved since you joined the industry? Are there trends and narratives that you’ve been noticing?
I think it definitely has evolved, namely as our technology has evolved, and we can make things look more realistic or do things that are more complex.
I feel like it’s cool when a story might not necessarily need to be told with a lot of dialogue and you can let the mechanics do the telling for you. Like the title Journey — I don’t think it had any text, but it was very moving. You could see your character struggling. And you got a sense of the civilizations that came before. Also the game Florence — the mechanics told the story really well. Like once, the characters were on a date, and you had to put together puzzle pieces to form dialogue bubble shapes. But as your connection grew and you felt more comfortable, you eventually only had to put together puzzles made of one piece each. Or when the characters moved in together, and you had to sacrifice certain belongings because they couldn’t all fit on the shelves.
In other kinds of games, I feel like we’ve been moving a little less toward cutscenes where you’re just watching. You can utilize a fun, immersive sequence in which you can still interact or do something. It’s still cinematic, but you feel more like you can play a part.
Naming-wise, it’s nice when you can get art or worldbuilding to do the heavy-lifting for you. For example, you could be walking around an environment and looking at the storefront signs or the billboards. You’re still absorbing the words, but you’re not necessarily in a conversation all the time. There’s a place for wordiness, but I love when you can say less and just let the story be told through the combination of art, design, music — all of that.
Do you recall the first video game that you took note of specifically for its naming? What naming elements stood out to you?
I would maybe call back to Final Fantasy X again. I thought it was really interesting because sometimes they’ll draw from Japanese culture and some names are very fantastical. So it really helped bring the fantasy element to life. Of course, sometimes they drew from mythology too. Some name examples from the game I can think of are Spira [“wreath, coil, twist,” in Ancient Greek and “peak, point, spire” in Old Norse], Yuna [“kindness” or “moon” in Japanese], Aeons [“age, eternity” from Ancient Greek or “a power existing from eternity” from Gnosticism], Zanarkand [from “Samarkand”, a city in modern-day Uzbekistan that was once a wealthy city on the trade lines between China, India and the Arabic empires], Kimahri Ronso [“rules, custom, habitual practice, conclusion” and “argument, a collection of essays” in Japanese, respectively], Sin [the main antagonistic force in the game, is named by the people of Spira who believe the beast came into being as punishment for their ancestors becoming a hedonistic society], Rikku [“land, continent, ruler” in Japanese], Lulu [“an outstanding example of a particular type of person or thing” in English]. All of those were really fun for me to see as a kid.
Another interesting thing about that series is I feel like the games are not usually connected per se, but they sometimes share a similar lexicon or style. As in, maybe some abilities sound the same or the currency has the same name — or you’ll see a chocobo (a type of bird) again! — and that will connect the series. So gamers like myself will say, “oh, that’s familiar” — it connects the titles and reminds us that we’re still in the same magical world of Final Fantasy. Naming can be the uniting link.
“Naming can be the uniting link.”
Do you think good naming can help a game?
I think it helps a lot. This makes me think of my game marketing internship. Let’s say a player is browsing GameStop shelves or at least the online storefront. You want to intrigue the player. Maybe make them think, “What does that name mean? What is that about?” Especially if it works well in tandem with good cover art. Then in the in-game experience, like we’ve talked about, I feel like the names help to create the world, and give you a shorthand for describing everything you are doing or seeing. I love to populate games with names that are fun or catchy to say. I think it’s enjoyable, it adds to the flavor, and helps set the mood, the tone, the atmosphere.
Does “fun or catchy” mean playfully phonetic and conceptually engaging?Yeah, exactly. Names that roll off the tongue in a fun way or maybe have a double meaning. Names that you would like to say often and could relate to the game.
What’s the hardest part of early writing and naming for a game?
In game writing, it’s sometimes hard to just get a draft on the page because it’s always gonna suck the first few times and you have to rewrite it a lot. You can get very self-conscious about it. So it’s hard to get that first draft on paper, but you have to just push through and meet your deadline and let the process naturally fix it over time.
That’s why sometimes I like to write short stories for myself that no one will see. I’ll write something for fun, finish it later, and sometimes I’ll think, “Oh, I wouldn’t mind if someone saw that.” [laughs] It can take the pressure off so that’s really helpful. If you have fun doing something, that can come across.
For naming, sometimes a bunch of places or characters are already named by the time I join that project, but sometimes you might have to populate a whole area that doesn’t have any names yet. It can be challenging to make sure they all make sense, have the right tone, are intriguing, and fit well together. Another interesting thing I came across recently was sometimes I’m naming something that a character within the game named. So it’s not me thinking of what I would name it. It’s more thinking in the mindset of that character, and it might not even be a name I would necessarily choose. So that might be a critique of the character, and a tricky name to choose for sure.
What connections or contrasts do you see between video games and TV or film in terms of writing and naming?
One difference I was thinking about is that sometimes in video games you can choose what you want to name things. For example, imagine you’re playing an RPG and you can name your character, or maybe you can name your house or your horse. So it is interesting to see if a game picks more of a blank slate character that people can project onto and name, versus someone more specific with their own backstory and name. It can be fun to name your own characters and objects because it makes them feel like your own, and you feel like you’re customizing that world. Although you’ll want to make sure someone who’s more of a blank slate still has enough flavor. So it’s a tricky line to walk for sure!
Of course, video games have more of an interactive element where you’re playing as someone and possibly making different choices that have various effects. I don’t view watching TV or film as totally passive though! I’m always processing and thinking about what’s going on.
What’s your favorite video game title name?
I really like Disco Elysium because it made me think, “What does this mean?” Elysium feels kind of mythical, but the name also has this fun, funky “disco” element. I think it might be a play on words, because disco also means “I learn” in Latin. So you have multiple meanings. Regardless, I thought it sounded really beautiful, funny, intriguing, funky, and psychedelic all at the same time.
In regards to your personal video game projects, which were hardest to name for?
So I have a side project just for fun (where all the beautiful art from Jiayan Yu you’re seeing is from) and I haven’t even named the characters yet. It’s been so much easier for me to just call them by their archetype or main personality type — they symbolize certain types of people. I’ve been doing that while I figure out the main plot beats first. The archetypes have been my dev names for them, my shorthand, but I definitely will name them eventually. [laughs] I once wrote a short story for my thesis where I didn’t ever name the main character or the city on purpose because I wanted to create a dreamy, ambiguous effect.
But, it really varies from project to project. Sometimes I get lucky and something just comes into my head and it sounds cool; it matches. Other times, I do a lot of research to see what’s out there — I make lists and consult with a lot of people to get a sanity check to see what they think. Like when I reached out to you via text earlier. [laughs] For me, it’s sort of a mix of doing that work so that I have something to start with, while also going with my intuition or gut once I have the materials I need. It’s a balance.
It seems like good names aren’t usually accidental, they’re very intentional touchstones for meaning and narrative. Some gamers might miss the message, and still play the whole game. Maybe it’s just a slightly less “rich” experience.
I heard someone say recently that if we don’t do things with intention, other people are going to assign their own meaning to it anyway, so we might as well be intentional. [laughs] So I think it’s good to build things with that in mind. Although it is interesting to hear people’s interpretations. If they came up with their own meaning, that means it moved them, and I think that’s really cool and valid.
This reminds me of when I was reading your Red Dead article; I was thinking about Marko Dragic [a Nikola Tesla analog]. I noticed that if you reverse the letters in his name it could be close to “dark magic.” I don’t know if that was on purpose, but it’s cool that when naming you can play with order and rearranging name elements.
Definitely. In those times electricity might be seen as dark magic.
That’s true! Some of that was like sorcery. That’s the fun thing about the ambiguity of naming. You can have these discussions about it, and I feel like they can still be valid because everyone has their experience of the game and it’s still real.
What’s the most emotional moment you’ve ever had playing a video game?Oh, that’s so tricky. Let me look at my list of favorite games. [laughs] Well, this is a spoiler so maybe we can censor it. But yeah, like when we reach “that sad part” in Red Dead. Of course that was very visceral. I remember, even though I already knew the spoiler going in, it was really moving when I was experiencing it. I didn’t think I would relate to [that character] because we’re just so different, but he’s such an interesting and flawed guy.
I remember I was drinking a beer. I was feeling emotional and then my partner kind of interrupted me about the dishes or something and I was like, “Not now!” [laughs] Anyway, they built such a good moment with that scene. It was definitely something they worked to build up throughout the whole game. Also, the music!
What’s your favorite part of writing video games?
I think it’s really fun to work on something creative every day, collaborate with other people, and just make up things. You’re creating an experience together. You are collaborating a lot with designers or artists and you all have different specializations — together you can make something really special. That’s always fun. I hope that what we make can provide people with escapism and respite, or make them think about something in a different way, or just move them.
I also love the interactive element. I think that’s what drew me to games. It feels like a very new, innovative medium and there’s a lot to explore — what do we let the player do, how does interactivity play a role, what are the mechanics? Working from a narrative design standpoint — that is all really, really interesting to me. It’s a challenge, but it’s fun for sure.
What inspires you as a writer?
This makes me think of my thesis from college. I had such a great advisor and the summer before we had to start work we did an “absorbing phase” where we didn’t write at all. I just read a lot. I feel like I draw a lot of inspiration from other media — TV, film, books, games. I don’t collect anything physical, but I kind of collect what I consume in a way; I keep track of it. I also love things that are kind of dreamy or inspired by magical realism.
I just make sure to live my own life, have experiences, and make sure to rest. Get to know people and ask questions — be very curious. I think you’ll inevitably get some inspiration from all of that. However, when it’s your job, sometimes you wake up and you’re like, “I don’t want to write. I’m tired.” [laughs] You have to be disciplined and motivated, and power through. Finding that disciplined side of me has been interesting as well — on the days I don’t feel as inspired, so to speak. You can’t just wait for it, you have to create it sometimes. Also, create other stuff for yourself just for fun. Whether it’s a different hobby or writing a story no one will see. Even just journaling, where you can process what you’ve been going through and that might turn into something you can write about later. All of those things are helpful in the process of creating too.
Thanks to Cosette Gonzales, Ben Weis, Eli Altman, and Patrick Keenan.
