Sim names

Colours? Colours?

I assume the reasoning behind naming new sims after colours rather than the traditional street names has to do with either convenience in name selection or a percieved mnemonic advantage.

However, I can assure you that naming sims after colours is far, far more confusing than naming them after streets, which in turn are generally named after people, places or events. By using a naming scheme with vastly dissimilar origins for each name, the reader uses dissimilar mnemonic techniques to remember them. Using a naming convention with like names, like using colours, the mind's ability to create independent mnemonics for each one is vastly decreased.

Compare the following lists:
1. Apple, Tiger, Lake, Murphy, King.
2. Orange, Puce, Yellow, Black, Violet.

The reader's ability to create new associative mnemonics relies upon their experiences and relevant memories. By selecting from a diverse list of names, as in the first list, one can be assured that their audience will be able to remember some details about the list, if not the exact list itself. By limiting the names to colours, you limit the audience's frame of reference.

Furthermore, if you're going to pick a naming scheme that's inherently limited, why pick one as subjective as colours? Everyone sees colours slightly differently, and that's not even taking into account the millions of people who cannot percieve colour. Approximately 5% of North Americans (statistically mostly, but by no means limited to, males of Western European ancestry) cannot distinguish between red and green, the most common type of colour blindness. What I call "red" is not necessarily the colour you see as "red". and someone else might see that colour as what you or I would call "green".

I'm sure that the motivation for naming sims after colours was to make things easier, but speaking personally, and from talking to others, I believe they have done just the opposite.

And what about the color-blind?! They'll never know which is which!

/cry

As this newbs first impressions go... I felt that the color named sims were slightly unappealing, perhaps because it seemed mundane.. not sure, just my gut reaction.

Of course, I do like some colors as names.

Its really no biggie, but since I'm here and the thread was started.

I'm pretty sure color-blind people are able to distinguish between color names just fine.

But that doesn't stop color names from being boring.

I think they just got tired of thinking up new inventive names and just took a box of Crayola Crayons threw them against a wall really hard and the ones that stuck were the ones that were chosen as the new names, congrats to Magenta!

I liked the individual and unique names, the color naming just makes me feel like I'm living in a giant rainbow or Crayola box.

Don't you feel sorry for the poor shmoes who will live in Bisque? That's not just a fancy name for boring old beige, it's also a yucky shellfish-based cream soup. Bleh.

LOL!

I'd like to see sims named after different cheeses. Cheddar, Gouda, Camembert.

My first reaction to this is that maybe they are colors because of the things Catherine points out as downfall reasons. We have no quick associations with colors, so there is no reason to associate them with RL.

I know I instantly think of SL when I see the colors named Teal, Mauve, Chartreuse...

I'd like to see sims named after parts of the digestive system. For example, "I got a lot in Duodenum in the last auction." "Oh, I wanted to but I had to settle for a place in Pylorus." "I live in Rectum. "

Edit: Ok, so maybe like is too strong a word...

Ok, I have to admit, I totally do not get the point of this thread. What is so horrible about naming the recent sims after colors - they have used a variety of approaches in naming sims as new ones have been brought on. Federal, Luna, Coney, Zoe et al are not color names. Does the individual sim name even matter all that much? Colors do seem to have become the preferred naming scheme, but the vehicle sims are not color named, nor was Cayman when it made an appearance. To each their own I suppose, it just seems odd to complain about the mnemonic pattern of sim names. Furthermore, the thing about color blindness is just bizarre - the sims are not colored those colors, they are simply named them. Color blindness does not prevent someone from reading the name of the sim.

Each 'continent' in Second Life has it's own, distinct naming theme. The regions on the original continent were, as has been documented, named for alleys in San Francisco. The northern continent region were all named for colors, and the Vehicle Recreation sims are neither alleys or colors, but are of a third scheme.

The six new regions joining Second Life in the North are named for colors because they are of that continent. Future regions added in other areas won't be colorized.

Rollingwood, Balcony Heights, Hyde Park, Tarrytown. Those are neighborhoods in my town. I know what they are like but they probably mean nothing to you.

Same goes for SL sim names. If I say Federal, Chartreuse, Clara, Dore, you will probably know what Im talking about. I dont think it matters what they are named as long as they are easy to spell.

Fair enough

Can we throw crayons at the walls anyway?

Rethinking this I don't really care what new sims are called, because, hey, its a new sim, I'll take it even if it is named "rectum".

WOOT! Black and White sims!

It would be great if Gray was inbetween Black and White, then you'd have Black, Gray, and White.

I love the color names. It allows me an excuse to play Ken Nordine's Colors album on SLive. ;)

Hey now! My mom makes a butternut squash bisque that's incredibly delicious!

i like being an olivite!

Shrimp bisque and lobster bisque are delicious!

But will they be letterboxed?



But would you want to live in it?

Shouldn't we get some input into the Sim names?

I hereby request we get some input into the naming of future sims.

(I won't even charge a modest consulting fee.)

Seriously... even something as simple as "here are the five choices for the next sim name - let's all vote on them" would be better than "Gee, let's name the next sim "Martini" (goes next to Olive)...

=SV

Cubey's cheese suggestion is a good one...
I'm all for naming a new continent after dairy products.
There are sooo many choices.

Who wouldn't want to live in charming "Cottage"?
Mature sims would require strong names like Limburger,
or Whipping Cream.
Then there's Butter, Yogurt and Milkshake...

Cheese names alone could result in some interesting
social nuances. The upper crust will swarm to Brie, Roquefort and Camembert, while those of us with small allotments will make do with Colby, Jack and Goat.

The lactose intolerant will just have to look elsewhere...

how about a sim in the cheese rack called "Lactose free"?


I want to see a cheese rack.


An animal rack should also be considered. The first three animal sims should be named Cow, Hippo and Monkey.

I don't agree that naming them after colors is confusing.

I know that in Teal there is a castle, and Slate used to have a bunch of giant trees, and Green and Brown are for prefab homes. I know that there is a Towers of Hanoi simulation running in Mocha, and that there's lots of cool stuff in Rose. And I definitely know the deal with Gray.

If anything, those colors are more easy for me to associate with than the names of alleys I have never visited.