I beg to differ. I often don't want the choice to pick a name, but your kind have often won this argument in the past simply because the squeaky wheel gets the grease. It is a simple line of code to allow for it, and many developers bend the knee to appease your kind.It's always the same argument with naming MC(s). Some folks, like me, want custom naming to add suspension of belief. I do play/read as the MC and it's quite frustrating when I'm stuck with a name someone else has chosen. So, no matter the "good reasons" given, removing the option is a bad idea and cause for me to skip titles. Why not let people choose? They can still use your default names and you "should" be able to control things using variables which is why you shouldn't put an MC name as part of a variable name. MC1 and MC2 should work just fine.
I get that some authors want their readers to "do it their way" but that doesn't get you much if it puts people off your title. As I said above as long as you have your variable names straight this should be an easy option to include. Good luck with your project.
There are plenty of good reasons to not have custom names.
1) The name could be symbolic.
2) The name could be seen visually on name tags, or drivers licenses, or signatures, or placards adding depth.
3) The name could rhyme with something and be a story element / an important plot point / part of the dialogue. Perhaps they encounter a bully who picks on them for their name.
I have heard this sort of overly dramatic ego-centric argument before so many times. I guess I will finally say something back to all the cry bullies out there.
Shouldn't a rose by any other name smell just as sweet?
Did you get to pick your own name in real life when you were born, or are you stuck with the one your parents picked? Shortly there after as a little kid did you go to parents and demand they change your name to what you want it to be? Is that you "SuperNachoCowboyNinja"?
When you read a book do you first pay someone to go through the book line by line with white out taking out all mentions of the protagonists name and write in your name in it's place?
When you watch a movie do you first hire someone to over dub, and voice act your name in place of the starring character?
In school, when they were teaching you history did you always raise your hand to have the teacher put your name in there instead of the historical figure?
Do you pass up playing triple A games that don't have custom names? Fuck Tomb Raider, I'm not playing as Lara Croft unless I can name her Tits McGee!
