History Main / AddressingThePlayer

* In ''DeusEx'', you are asked for your real name, but all the game's characters refer to you as JC Denton, your codename. As you play the game, you can read newspapers which tell skewed versions of how you accomplished previous missions, while the evil conspiracy reveals your true name (the player's) and brands you a terrorist.

* ''{{Earthbound}}'' had probably the most [[TearJerker emotionally gut-wrenching]] version. They ask your name once in Toto, where Jeff's roommate Tony asks for it for a school project, and later in Tenda Village after they overcome their shyness. In the end, the characters must fight a boss [[NighInvulnerability invincible through standard means]], which requires [[spoiler:use of Paula's oft-overlooked Pray command. As Paula prays, she calls out to various characters the player met on their adventures, and, to finish the boss off, calls out to ''the player'', and begs them to wish them success with all their heart.]]

** The end result of the spoiler-marked example is [[spoiler: [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome you ''personally'' inflicting more damage to Giygas than]] ''[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome any RPG attack in history has ever done.]]'']]
** Ultimately, this means that [[spoiler: the characters you control don't beat the game; YOU DO. Meta commentary!]]

* Normally, {{Pokemon}} is just a HelloInsertNameHere. However, your name is vital to the [[TheMissingno MISSINGNO. glitch]]. Which letters or symbols you have in certain slots for your name will determine if the glitch generates Missingno, M-block, or a different glitch Pokemon.

* Normally, {{Pokemon}} is just a HelloInsertNameHere. However, your name is vital to the [[TheMissingno MISSINGNO glitch]]. Which letters or symbols you have in certain slots for your name will determine if the glitch generates Missingno, M-block, or a different glitch pokemon.

* ''WarioWare'' asks for your name and sex, and uses it as the name of the prince/princess Kat and Ana have to rescue on their stage, and the name of the cab passenger on Dribble and Spitz's stage. Wario also addresses you by name in things like the stage select screen.

* The TropeNamer (from when the trope was called AnyoneYouKnow) is ''MetalGearSolid2'', which uses it in a way that, depending on your interpretation, might be a {{Deconstruction}} of the trope. Right at the beginning of the main story, the player is asked their name, sex, nationality, date of birth and blood type. [[spoiler:Right at the end, Raiden reveals to Snake the dog tags he's been wearing ever since the GainaxEnding kicked off, and they have the player's details on them. He observes (when Snake asks) that he doesn't know the name, and throws the tags away.]]

* ''SuperMarioRPG'' uses your save slot name as a password. (To recreate a scene from the ''DonkeyKongCountry'' promotional video, released around the same time, name your slot "Diddy".)

* The SFC remake of ''DragonQuest 3'' does this. At the beginning, it asks you for your real name (using Japanese only.) It doesn't do anything with it until the credits, where it prints it in roman letters.

* The TropeNamer (from when the trope was called AnyoneYouKnow) is ''MetalGearSolid 2'', which uses it in a way that, depending on your interpretation, might be a {{Deconstruction}} of the trope. Right at the beginning of the main story, the player is asked their name, sex, nationality, date of birth and blood type. [[spoiler:Right at the end, Raiden reveals to Snake the dog tags he's been wearing ever since the GainaxEnding kicked off, and they have the player's details on them. He observes (when Snake asks) that he doesn't know the name, and throws the tags away.]]

* Normally, {{Pokemon}} is just a HelloInsertNameHere. However, your name is vital to the [[TheMissingno MISSINGNO glitch.]] Which letters or symbols you have in certain slots for your name will determine if the glitch generates Missingno, M-block, or a different glitch pokemon.

* ''{{Contact}}'' for the Nintendo DS is an RPG entirely built around this trope; the characters acknowledge the player as an entity from another dimension whom they are somehow able to communicate with, and who uses a computing device called a "Nintendo DS" to exert a mysterious influence over their world. The player is asked for his or her real name (and favourite food, and home town) when starting a new game, and remains a main character in the story from start to finish. It's an unusual game.

** Turned on its ass by the end of the game, where [[spoiler:the characters turn on you. All of them. Including all of the bad guys, and the character you've been playing for the whole game. The last thing you do is fight your character. ''You lose.'']]

* ''{{Earthbound}}'' had probably the most [[TearJerker emotionally gut-wrenching]] version. They ask your name once in Toto, where Jeff's gay roommate Tony asks for it for a school project, and later in Tenda Village after they overcome their shyness. In the end, the characters must fight a boss [[NighInvulnerability invincible through standard means]], which requires [[spoiler:use of Paula's oft-overlooked Pray command. As Paula prays, she calls out to various characters the player met on their adventures, and, to finish the boss off, calls out to ''the player'', and begs them to wish them success with all their heart.]]

* Normally, {{Pokemon}} is just a HelloInsertNameHere. However, your name is vital to the [[TheMissingno MISSINGNO glitch.]] Which letters or symbols you have in certain slots for your name will determine if the glitch generates MissingNo, M-block, or a different glitch pokemon.

* Normally, {{Pokemon}} is just a HelloInsertNameHere. However, your name is vital to the [[TheMissingno MISSINGNO glitch.]]

* ''BatenKaitos'' uses your name (and gender) as the name of a "guardian spirit" which guides Kalas, who will (at times) [[NoFourthWall turn directly to the camera and address you by name]]. Shame the voice acting has to [[HelloInsertNameHere leave a very noticeable gap]] where your name is, but [[SoBadItsHorrible you should have already turned it off, right]]?

* Normally, {{Pokemon}} is just a HelloInsertNameHere. However, your name is vital to the MISSINGNO glitch.

* ''{{Earthbound}}'' had probably the most [[TearJerker emotionally gut-wrenching]] version. At the end, the characters must fight a boss [[NighInvulnerability invincible through standard means]], which requires [[spoiler:use of Paula's oft-overlooked Pray command. As Paula prays, she calls out to various characters the player met on their adventures, and, to finish the boss off, calls out to ''the player'', and begs them to wish them success with all their heart.]]

** ''{{Mother 3}}'' does something similar.