Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Francisco Rodriguez and if you were to see me on the streets I wouldn't catch your eye much. Unless you have a fetish for old Hispanic guys with epic white beards, and rather wild wavy hair. There's nothing really special about my name either, aside from it sounding ethnic but in actuality Francisco in Spanish circles is as plain as John, Steve, Jim and Dennis. My last name is probably shared with 75% of the Hispanic population.



So when it fell upon me way back when what to call myself in an online forum/log in, I thought long and hard about a new name to encompass and reflect my existing personality as well as bring to light, through an alias, an untapped part of myself that would never have been if not for this opportunity to rename myself. As a matter of fact, I thought to myself how many people have used aliases to do that very thing.

If you think about it, quite a few people change their names, from actors, to musicians as it
allows the artist to re-invent himself and his sound, sometimes the result can be great and other times it's just an outlet for something darker to emerge. It's not surprising to see these alternate names to be adopted by authors and just normal folk as well, through pseudonyms, aliases, nicknames, working names, legalized names, pen names, noms de plume, maiden names... etc.


Your name is mine until services rendered.


Notable authors with pseudonyms are a plenty but here are but a few.

Poe, Edgar Allan
[Hans Pfaal, Quarles]

Lovecraft, H(oward) P(hillips)
[Laurence Appleton, John L. Dunne, Harry Houdini, Humphrey Littlewit, Archibald Maynwaring, H(enry) Paget-Lowe, Richard Raleigh, Ames Dorrance Rowley, Theobaldus Senectissimus, Edward Softly, Lewis Theobold Jr., Albert Frederick Willie, Zoilus]

Somehow it doesn't surprise me Lovecraft had this many..

Hemingway, Ernest
[Morgan Llywelyn]

Stephen King-
[Richard Bachman, John Swithen]

Dean (Ray) Koontz
[Paige, Robin]

I remember picking my alias y0j1mb0 almost immediately. Being an Akira Kurosawa fan and loving Toshiro Mifune's depiction of his character in the movie of my namesake, a character aloof, with hidden honor and conniving, his character's name had to be adopted by me. A funny thing happens when you use another name and that's online either here in Destructoid or in online fisticuffs with your friends on LIVE or PSN, that's your name forever more. If you introduce yourself to them as such, your branded with the name.


Life in MB is complicated; I created Aliases, killed Aliases, banned Aliases, smuggled Aliases, sold Aliases. Perhaps now, things will be different -- Niko Bellic, Liberty City


I know Taylor Rexford is Shipero. But somehow when I chat with him, or play Stuntman: Ignition with him and god knows what other game, I'll call him Shipero... or Ship. If I were to meet him in person this would be the same. Maybe I'm weird like that. Hell if I went to one of these infamous Destructoid get togethers I don't think I could wrap my head around the idea of calling people their real names.

I think I had the most fun joining The Destructiod Army in Facebook and being shocked by other Dtoiders real names. lol. That had alot to do with this post really. That and thinking am I the only one that thinks like this regarding names and aliases. I started thinking: I wonder why they chose the names they have.. some are pretty self explanatory Br0nxb0mber's name is because he's a Yankees fan.. but what about Takeshi? Or king3vbo? I mean does he likes whoppers that much? And when you really break it down which name do you prefer to be called online in games, Destructoid or in waking life and consider your real name in your head?

Let me formally introduce myself again. My name is y0j1mb0 and I'm a super badass aging video game playing movie watching samurai on a mission to rule the world. And you are?