Game Name: Hoi Polloi?

[James C. Smith]

EDIT: This is an old topic. I no longer need feedback about what you think if “Hoi Polloi”. I activated this old topic to talk about what the game eventually became. Original question fallows and the new discussion starts on page 2

What comes to mind when you hear of a game named Hoi Polloi? Don’t look up what it means. Just tell me what kind of game you think it would be or what emotion it evokes. Or if you know (or think you know) what it means literly that is okay also as long as you didn’t have to google it.

[3dben]

Without second guessing myself, I would say something Hawaiian... Maybe sweet like pinapple glazed fish or something. :p

My first reaction, emotionally was ack! what kind of name was that.. but then very quickly I felt compelled to investigate.

my 2 cents.

-=ben

[3dben]

Oh.. and Parrots. :D

-=ben

[Chris Evans]

For one, I struggled to pronounce it even in my head. Initially Polloi made me think of Polio vaccines. :)

Then when I looked at it again to figure out what game it could be, it made me think of some tiny obscure Japanese game. Maybe like a card game or something.

[BantamCityGames]

I've heard this term before, but still have no idea what it means so I guess I fit your criteria. My first impression: it sounded foreign and soley on the sound of the words, the term hodge podge came to mind... in other words, a collection of miscellaneous objects. *Now going to google it*

[Sybixsus]

It'd make me think of some kind of conflict between the classes. Patricians and Plebians or something like that. For me, it has a very English feel to it too, a sort of English historical context to it.

[Davaris]

Its Greek or Latin or somthing like that. It means the common people.

[James C. Smith]

Mmmmmm the common pinapple ;-)

[oNyx]

>Just tell me what kind of game you think it would be or what emotion it evokes.

a) no idea
b) no emotion stuff at all

For me it's just a bunch of random letters, which are somewhat pronounceable (there are vowels). But that's about it. I don't even associate it with a real language.

[Anthony Flack]

It makes me think of the upper class. Even though it means the opposite. Perhaps because it's been used incorrectly in the past, or more likely because it's a word I imagine the upper class would be more likely to use. It also reminds me of the band "Scritti Politi" even though I'm not at all familiar with them.

As a name, I like it. It has a nice ring to it.

As a game, it makes me think population strategy, or sims-style game of some kind. Set in the present day, regular life. Or at least, in the last 100 years.

Is it dumbed down enough? Pah. I'm sick of everything being dumbed down. I suppose you needed to change "Ricochet" to "Rebound" because "Richochet" was too fancy a word? I say go for it.

[DFG]

Reminds me of poi, some ground up something or other Hawaiian's eat for some reason and love while many tourists, like myself, dislike.

Also harkens images of Hanoi...and possibly Jane Fonda.

[aduro]

wasn't there an 80's christian band called hoi polloi?

[Rod Hyde]

What comes to mind when you hear of a game named Hoi Polloi?
First thought: an unrowdy rabble - the great unwashed.

--- Rod

[Jack Norton]

In Italian language, POLLO = CHICKEN :D
So would sound a bit fun honestly!!

[Kai Backman]

I was with Jack here. I immediately saw a large delicious chicken and banana pizza steaming before my eyes. Maybe with some other fruits thrown in for the measure. Hmm... Ok. Time for lunch .. :)

[mahlzeit]

A platform game with a little girl in pajamas and a teddy bear, as the hero. Like Crazy Sue although she had a lollypop instead.

[princec]

It's quite a well-used term here in England to describe the riff-raff (which is what the upper class twits call us lerr clarses). I couldn't even begin to think of a game about the great unwashed though.

Cas :)

[Nutter2000]

Yes but what we call upper class twits is pure Anglo-Saxon and not repeatable :D

Being British, it makes me think of the great unwashed :)

Regarding a game, probably a sim-city type game with a medieval/fantasy slant to it and with some sort of politics involved.

[ggambett]

I thought "Hawaii" as well.

"Pollo" is "chicken" in spanish as well but I'm used to ignore these kinds of similarities between spanish and english (except in blatant cases such as the infamous Mitsubishi Pajero!)

[papillon]

Being the confused US/UK crossbreed around here, I thought of both "a bunch of annoying people running around" and "fish or other hawaiian food". :)

[Nemesis]

What's the game all about anyway? First thing that came to mind was some sort of game that made fun of elitist classes.. or the opposite extreme!

[Nutter2000]

Being the confused US/UK crossbreed around here, I thought of both "a bunch of annoying people running around" and "fish or other hawaiian food". :)
You mean a bunch of annoying hawaiian fish people running around? ;)

[Night Elf]

It didn't sound as a particular game genere to me. But I thought of somthing funny/crazy.

I'm used to ignore these kinds of similarities between spanish and english (except in blatant cases such as the infamous Mitsubishi Pajero!):D

[Red Marble Games]

"Great unwashed Hawaiians" seems to be the consensus, and that's the way it struck me too, at least with a game in mind.

I thought of that multiplayer console title of a year or so ago, can't remember the name now, in which you ran around on an island trying to conk other players on the head. There were totem poles or shrunken heads or something that gave you special powers. So make the island a Hawaiian island, and there you go. Hoi Polloi - a bunch of people running around on an island trying to bash each others' brains in.

[Nutter2000]

Hoi Polloi - a bunch of people running around on an island trying to bash each others' brains in...
... with chickens. :D

[James C. Smith]

For me it's just a bunch of random letters, which are somewhat pronounceable (there are vowels). But that's about it. I don't even associate it with a real language.

That’s what I thought when I first saw it! The word came up in the thesaurus what I was looking for a way to describe swarms/hoards/large groups.

Most of these images are completely inappropriate for the match 3 game I am working on. It has no chickens, people or “classes” and there is nothing unwashed about it. But it is similar to something Hawaiian and it does have masses/hoard/swarms/large groups of things.

I don’t think I will be calling my new game Hoi Polloi but this thread have given me all kind of new ideas for a different game. ;-)

[Nauris]

"Hoi" in Russian would rather sound like a "dick".

[Nutter2000]

I don’t think I will be calling my new game Hoi Polloi but this thread have given me all kind of new ideas for a different game. ;-)
I think this thread has given us all lots of interesting idea's for new games ;)

[Midnight Synergy]

My wife and I use this as one of our greetings. Rather than "hi" we often say "hoi", and then "hoi polloi". ;)

[dan]

As a game name, I like it because it rhymes and is unusual. Downside is that some people may be iffy about pronunciation (even though they don't need to pronounce it).

It made me think of upper and lower classes of people and I couldn't remember which it referred to.

[Greg Squire]

The first thought that came to my head was "hokey pokey". Then I tried pronouncing it (not sure if I got it right), but it does sound Hawaiian or Polynesian. Beyond that it had no meaning to me.

[James C. Smith]

Remember this old topic?

If you didn’t make the connection already, I thought some of you may be interested to know that the game I was trying to name is the game that eventually became Big Kahuna Reef. (http://www.bigkahunareef.com/screenshots.shtml) It is a match 3 game that takes place underwater with lots of tropical fish. I was looking for a name that described the multitudes of fish that gather around as you play. Hoi Polloi was one name I considered because it sounded interesting and unique and because the dictionary said it means greater number, the commonalty, the masses. I thought it was a stretch to apply it to community of fish but it sounded cool until I found it is commonly associated with class warfare.

We ended up using Big Kahuna Reef in spite of the fact that it is often associated with surfing and there is no surfing in this game. The game is doing very well but who knows if the name we chose is helping or hurting the sales. Maybe we would have sold even more with a name of Hoi Polloi, Fish Aplenty, Kauhulu, Barrier Reef, Tropical Reef, Aquatic Kingdom, Aquatic Realm, Tropical Sanctuary, or Aquatic Gathering. Or my personal favorite tongue in cheek names: Fish Gone Wild and Ocean Quest.

[ErikH2000]

What comes to mind when you hear of a game named Hoi Polloi?
I didn't even read the rest of the topic, because I didn't want to be influenced. Raw, unfiltered, braindump follows:

A simple, casual puzzle game, non-violent, colorful cartoony graphics. Probably a pattern-matching game of the type I'm really sick of but maybe other people like. Maybe you are throwing coconuts around or doing something cute like that. "Hoi Polloi" sounds Hawaiian to me, but I could be wrong. (Tempted to look it up, but you said not to, so my ignorance will go on display.) I expect some kind of theme to the game--tropical, nautical--it won't just be abstract.

-Erik

[Abscissa]

It makes me think it's something very colorful with a totally "out-there"/unique type of gameplay. Something kinda oddball. Or maybe a bright colorful kids game.

[ErikH2000]

I didn't even read the rest of the topic, because I didn't want to be influenced. Raw, unfiltered, braindump follows:
Frack. I shoulda read the whole topic or at least noted date of first post. Instead I responded weirdly to a bump.

Still, "Hoi Polloi" did manage to evoke the right stuff for me to predict what Big Kahuna Reef was about. :)

-Erik

[Dan MacDonald]

I stil can't get a good read on how to pronounce it.

It's like a cross between "hoity toity" and "rollie pollie". Yet it's neither of those and it's driving me nutz!

[DangerCode]

What comes to mind when you hear of a game named Hoi Polloi?

Still reeling from a bitter and nasty Presidential Campaign I think of a slur used against anti-war VietNam activists. I remember seeing the term Hoi Kerry used a bit.

[the2bears]

What comes to mind when you hear of a game named Hoi Polloi? Don’t look up what it means. Just tell me what kind of game you think it would be or what emotion it evokes. Or if you know (or think you know) what it means literly that is okay also as long as you didn’t have to google it.

I've purposely not read the thread... so as not to taint my first reaction.

And that is.... Caddy Shack! Of course, I thought immediately of Ted Knight's character.

My second thought was of a colleague back in Princeton, Bob, who does a great impression of said character.

Bill

[C_Coder]

I thought of pirates...You know the Ahoy Matey style of pirates... :D

[ErikH2000]

We are all looking very silly responding to this name James already threw out. :)

-Erik

[C_Coder]

We are all looking very silly responding to this name James already threw out. :)

Well even though he 'threw it out' already, I still wanted to give my feedback! ;)

And besides, being silly is a health sign! :D

[Nutter2000]

I think Big Kahuna Reef sounds a lot better anyway.

off-topic, I thought it was interesting that the Americans among us generally assumed it was Hawaiian and the Europeans and Brits generally thought/knew it was Greek.
Just goes to show how wide apart our civilisations can be at times.:)

[James C. Smith]

I am sorry about the confusion. Now I have gone back and edited the original post to include a note saying that this is an old topic and I don’t need feedback about the name anymore. But thanks for the feedback anyway. :-)

[C_Coder]

Maybe we can ask Dan or Svero to close this thread then :p

[Dan MacDonald]

Good idea :)