Character names vs real name?

[Loethlin]

Noone calls me by my real name anymore. Everyone just call me Loethlin, or Loe, really, even my parents, most of the time. It's not really my character's name. It was, once upon a time, long time ago, when I was 14, and I needed a name for my elven warrior in a game of WHFRP. My friend found some sort of elven dictionary and found me a name. He later admitted that he made a typo, so it doesn't mean anything really. It's stuck so well half of my friends don't even know my real name.

Then, my friend's druid is called Loethlin, after me, because I usually play Wizards or Druids in D&D.

But my character's name? Only on vent and RL guild meetings. And sometimes by my RL friends when I just won't shut up about WoW.

Edit: stupid typos.

[Bellatryx]

Well.. I've been called by my in game name IRL a bunch. My first ever hunter's name was Jezebelle and I was called Jezzy or Jez for a good 4 years. The next was Lovecat, so I was called "Kitty"... and finally I was called Bella for a good year or so with Bellatryx..

I get used to it and I will respond to it if anyone calls me Jezzy, Kitty or Bella IRL. lol it's odd.

[Trinia]

I'm mostly called by my game name over Vent and in chat and such. So, I respond well to Flo/Flore. Been tempted to tell people it's my nickname IRL. xD; All of my only-RL friends call me by my real name, with the exception of a few who know an inside joke I used to wiggle a friend out of getting asked to Prom by someone she didn't like. For friends I trust enough to have my Real ID and such, or know both online and IRL, they still call me Flo/Flore or some call me Snow, a nickname I've had since I was eleven. Or furthering the inside joke between one of my best friends and I, where we're called Dave and Phil. (If you've watched "Dude, Where's my Mount?" and then talk to the two of us together, it is PLAIN AS DAY, why those are our guy names. XD;; (Clearly, I'm Dave, and she's Phil. However, I do like the phrase, "It's goggle time!")

That was my long-winded post... xD

[Calomel]

I've been Calomel for years, online. Even though that character is no longer my main, I will still respond to being called Cally in Vent. Sometimes even in real life, if my friends are teasing me with it. I also respond to Sorina (my main). The names are me as much as my real name is, I see no problem with people calling me by my online handle.

[Antares]

I don't have that many friends who play WoW, so no, no one would use my toon name to refer to me IRL.

On the other hand, most people have a tendency to abbreviate toon names to the first three letters, and I do NOT like what that gives in my case

It also demonstrates that most people have no idea how to pronounce my toon's name! It's not that hard, and it does NOT rhyme with the insult.

And on yet another hand, I have SO many alts, which name would anyone use to refer to me? I play ALL of my alts, without exception. My in-game friends are used to seeing me jump regularly from toon to toon.

Well, my name is Mark and I can't seem to figure out a cool name that utilizes my name (I try to choose names based on in-game conventions). Therefore, for awhile, when my "Main" was Vyndren, I would make alts using "vyn" so that people might know who I was if they saw an alt. But, I fell out of that. Now, I usually choose names that use in-game conventions. Lately, if I have your RealID, I'd be more likely to just call you by your first name, unless you're on your "main."

We (bf & I) have a few friends who play WoW. On two occasions, when we had a party and they were the only ones who showed up, we ended up talking Warcraft all night. With alcohol. It's fun having "Real Life" friends who play WoW - And affirming knowing you are not an eccentric, obsessed gamer.

[Royi]

And affirming knowing you are not an eccentric, obsessed gamer.

I think it affirms that you are a eccentric, obsessed gamer by having drunken warcraft talks with RL friends

Eh we might as well all admit it right?

[Mr. Perfect]

Hmm... It wouldn't be my first instinct, no. My character's names have nothing to do with my name or usual online screen name. They're the character's names, not mine. Throw in the fact that most people simply butcher them in voice chat and the name may simply go unanswered, at least until I figure out that Share-a-bee means Shah-Ra-Be. I would, and do answer to Mr. Perfect(usually shortened to just Mr. P or MP) however. I've been using it for over a decade, so it's natural.

Besides, most times peoples' name of choice is taken. If it isn't, you can only use it on one of your characters, so all the alts end up with random names.

[fatman]

Considering that my mains' names are pretty unique, Cymandir (LotR derived, it doesn't mean anything) for my NE and Catahecassa (Native American name, which I'm not) for my Tauren, I'd look around to see who is calling those names IRL. It doesn't matter that none of my IRL friends know those names, if somebody calls me by those names, I'm sure they are the Men in Black. And I'd better get my booty out of there!

[swordoath]

I play with a few of my RL friends, all of which I either got to play in the first place or convinced to move to my server. One of them has taken to calling us by our character's names; I get called Zerb quite a lot by him. I try to tell him not to do it because it seems silly, but it doesn't bother me per se.

One of my friends uses a nickname he has in real life as part of his character name so it kind of flows into conversation occasionally.

[Tudyk]

My Xbox name is even the same as my druidess because I'm just fine with being called that (and it wasn't taken), those who know me know its me, and I'd rather someone cuss out a toon name than my name in an FPS, I can just imagine her smacking them with a bark back hand or bear bagging them. It's all good ^_^

Ditto!

Only time I don't like my game names being used outside of game are in work environments. Professional environments don't look too kindly on gamers, even if you are the best employee they have.

Got forwarded an email back in Vanilla that my guild leader at the time had sent out at work (he's a lawyer) where he signed it "Big Ed" and then awkwardly explained in following mails that it was a nickname from college ... (his char's name was BigEdCuddly, his real name is "Scott" lol).

My BF's little brother (who I lived with for a while, before WoW even came out) STILL for some reason calls me my first char's name every once in a while. And I respond immediately. Not sure what's more disturbing ...

[Mania]

My BF's little brother (who I lived with for a while, before WoW even came out) STILL for some reason calls me my first char's name every once in a while. And I respond immediately. Not sure what's more disturbing ...

I know what you mean. I still respond to my handle from the BBS days (Naja). Not that many people call me that anymore, but when they do ...

[Magli]

I haven't ever been called by my character name out of the game, but I am occasionally called by my real name in game (the guild I'm in started was started by people who post on a certain message board, and my board ID over there is a derivative of my real name), which kinda freaked me out the first time it happened.