Video Game Inspired Dog Names

Like video games themselves, dogs have come a long way in being tied into our digital pastimes, but they may have culminated with Dogmeat of Fallout fame. 

Dogmeat has been featured in at least some facet throughout the entire Fallout series, but he truly hit his stride in Fallout 2, when players were first allowed to recruit him as a companion, otherwise known as a non-player character who can be given orders to execute such as fetching loot or attacking enemies. He was given a bit of a backstory as well, fleshing out his character on the whole and even setting up a prime meeting in the second game of the series, when he recognizes the player from his Vault Dweller jumpsuit. 

Considering the limited interaction most dogs had in video games previously, the newest generations of game designers are finally giving canines a more prominent role in storytelling, ones they know they can use to tug at the heartstrings of most players, especially with the modern level of interactivity that allows players to do more than just look at them. 

But that’s not to say notable dogs didn’t exist in video games prior. For instance, who could forget the timeless giggle of Duck Hunt Dog when you missed too many shots? Of course, dogs have been featured in some capacity since 1984 when Duck Hunt was released, but many of them have largely been anthropomorphic versions like 1992’s Wonder Dog. Until the early 2000s, dogs had largely been side characters or digital pets like Nintendogs, but since around 2003, when Dog’s Life came out for Playstation 2 and allowed players to control a dog as a protagonist, game creators seem to be taking dogs a bit more seriously. 

Parts of Call of Duty, Kane and Lynch 2, Resident Evil 4 and Metal Gear Solid all featured dogs for a small part of their storyline, but other games such as Fable 2 and Grand Theft Auto V actually let players interact with their canine companions, the latter including the ability to invite them to ride along in your car, play fetch and even attack people if the player chose to do so. 

If nothing else, even if players aren’t given complete command over a main-character-like dog, at least they’re being incorporated with more consistency and depth. And what’s more, is that allowing players to do so has created a demand for even more interactivity and control, leaving the door open and a crowd waiting for the next savvy game developer to take advantage of the fact that some of their most popular characters and previous games may finally be able to make the leap to fully-functioning protagonist.