A New Publishing Name

Wow, did this one hit me like a ton of feathers last night. Been pondering a name for my gaming publication efforts for a while. Originally, almost two decades ago, I came up with Vizhon Design Studio, Vizhonsoft, Vizhon Games, and so on as an idea, and I am indeed using Vizhon Design Studio as my primary DBA. Thing is, at that time, the idea of actually publishing pen and paper games like I am working toward now was a fizzle in a fart storm in the back of my mind and I was thinking software. Well, over the years, I've just never managed to get my hands on all the tools needed to go far with the programming ideas. Few useful applications that were for little more than personal use was about the furthest I ever got.

Ever since I started this blog, though, the name Vizhon Design Studio and Vizhon Games just hasn't sat quite right with me for a publishing identity in a PnP style market. Oh, I've bounced names around in my head. Most don't do anything for me, and those that do are either already taken, or have something very similar to it already in business. It's that whole thing about distinctly standing out with a company name rather than sounding like part of the crowd. Oh, I've had ideas alright, enough that I have long since lost count, sometimes a few dozen in one day, but just none of them stuck. That is, until last night.

Last night, when I was particularly stoned, and more relaxed than I have been in a long time, I started really milling over the idea. I knew I had something that was tickling my fancy, but it just wasn't quite coming to the surface. The first thing that came to mind was a trademark that I won't actually describe at this point, as even the concept will take work before it would be iconic enough to actually work as a trademark. Suffice it to say the image set me to chuckling. It's not very flattering and would be a rather humble trademark in the gaming industry but in the indie markets and with gamer's humor, it's tongue in cheek enough that it could work.

Once I had the visual image, it didn't take me long to run threw a handful of possible company names that would go well with that image or one of it's general flavor. The first several got bounced but one cracked me up... Got me so good that when I stopped laughing it took me a couple minutes to remember which possibility I'd run through I found so funny. Remember, I did say I was particularly stoned, as in way more so than normal. Normally memory isn't a problem when I'm stoned because of the type of weed I smoke - I much prefer Indian Hemp or Indica over the more prevelant Cannabis Sativa and it's effects are considerably different. Indica is what is usually termed medicinal and works better than Morphine for many pains but doesn't have the degree of psychological effects that normal THC laced locoweed does, but like I said, I was quite heavily medicated on it. When I did remember which name it was, I filed it away in my memory where I wouldn't forget and decided I'd see if it still sat well with me after I slept on it.

Well, it's well into tomorrow. I have run around town for a few hours, taking care of business and chores, spent too much time on the phone to the executives at Wells Fargo concerning an email spam issue they have been denying responsibility for for over a year, but that I just proved them wrong. Oh yeah.. I'll share a little on that.

In a Nutshell, if you look up Wellsconnect on google, it's regularly reported as a source for phishing email, and Wells Fargo has been telling me for over a year that that is the case for all email advertising from Wells Fargo, which is not true, because Wellsconnect is the name of Wells Fargo's email advertising campaign done through the advertising firm Responsys. That isn't to say there is no phishing that claims to be from Wellsconnect, but in every example I've seen of them, there is something sorely mispelled or out of place about the URL the phishing is coming from. Anyway, they finally conceded that yes, they do advertise in email, but still claim the execs at their HQ were not aware of it till I gave them enough info to track it down and that it seems to be coming from some department in the bank that may not actually have permission to be doing so.

But here I am, late afternoon, early evening, mostly sober, clear headed, and still irked at my bank, and the PnP RPG publishing name I'd come with still appeals to me as much as it did when I thought it up, though it may not be quite as much of a gutbuster. So, without dragging this out any further, and not trying to make the company look any more grand or illustrious than it is, I'll present the name DBA I plan to do my publishing under: Bubblegum and Bailing Wire Games or BNBW Games for short.