Halo: More Than a Name

By: Dave Stricoff

Posted: 3/15/05

What do "Batman," "Campus Pizza," "TCERT," "Jimmy Jones," "diisopropylamine," and "a big dildo" have in common? While they sound like the ingredients for the most memorable of all costume parties, those are just some of the names you are likely to encounter when logging onto the network to play Halo 2.

Halo 2 is the sequel to Halo: Combat Evolved (imagine that?). Released last November, Halo 2 was one of the first XBOX games to utilize Microsoft's XBOX live technology. This allows gamers on campus to log on to the network and kill each other from the comfort of their own dorms. Add the ability to taunt your opponents through their TV screens with XBOX communicator, and it is easy to understand how this first-person shooter has become one of the most popular games on campus. At any given time, you are likely to find one of the aforementioned players or their video-gaming peers engaged in a game of slayer (the most popular multiplayer game option). With screen names ranging from the political to the profane, the questioned is begged: what's in a name?

While there is a general consensus that reading "'Dirty Harry' splattered by 'your mom's box'" or "'John Bladders' betrayed by 'a big dildo'" will never get old, the fact remains that a good number of Halo screen names are intentionally offensive. What do names such as AIDS or Anorexia Princess say about our student body? Granted, the vast majority of players are male. And, if the Facebook group devoted to the game is any indication, freshmen and thus do not accurately reflect anywhere near the entire student population. These names almost make Dick Hersh's social agenda make sense.

Speaking of our beloved former president, his name is someone's alias. Not to be outdone, Jimmy Jones is also represented. Appropriately, the latter is the better player. Others have adopted science professors Thomas Mitzel and William Church as their screen names. Barring the possibility that "Kim from Mather" really is Kim from Mather, "Church" is not Church, et al, one has to wonder what kind of example they have for the student body to be emulated in such a fashion.

Fashionable indeed are pop culture references. Some, such as "the Dude," "Chuck Norris," and "Bruce Lee," pay homage to iconic figures of our youth, while others, like "Flava Flave," "ODB lives," and "a blue state" are particularly apropos. For the most part, these are the names that will make you think. Tipping his hat to Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous, "I am a Golden God" evokes the memory of one of the most-quoted film scenes of this decade while proclaiming his video-gaming prowess.

Similarly, "a Better Man" presumably is a nod to the Pearl Jam anthem as well as a statement of Halo gospel. While they all might not be deep, screen names based on popular culture show nominal awareness of the world beyond Trinity and in this respect are most representative of the actual student body.

Those who choose not to lampoon or offend seem to draw their names from whatever is handy. Clearly drawing their inspiration from takeout menus, few things are sweeter than watching "Campus Pizza" and "Sgt. Pepperoni" snipe at each other. Surprisingly, "Cranlambic," a derivation of Sam Adam's Cranberry Lambic, is the only reference to beer. While some got their names from labels, "cyanoborohydride" and "diisopropylamine" must have raided the index of a chemistry book. Perhaps the least intriguing are those who simply choose to use their instant messenger screens for Halo. But hey, at least we know who they really are.