History Main / AddressingThePlayer

* If you sign into the [[Wiki/SCPFoundation SCP Foundation]] site, some articles are actually capable of ''using your wikidot username'' and addressing you directly, giving the impression that [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou you're not as safe as you thought you were behind that screen and keyboard of yours, Troper.]]

** Same for the first ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars'' (as advisor), but both series dropped the concept in later installments. As the first six Fire Emblem titles as well as the first six Nintendo Wars titles were never released outside Japan, this was done to attempt to make the games more immersive for western players.
** Fire Emblem returns to this in ''Heroes of Light and Shadow'' and ''Awakening'', making the player one of the main characters and a member of the fighting army.

* The opening sequence of ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' is set in a suburban neighborhood just before the Great War. A VaultTec rep comes to your door to get your information (this is how the game lets you assign your name and SPECIAL points). Right after this, your [[RobotBuddy Mr. Handy housekeeper Codsworth]] addresses you by the name you chose (if it's one of the [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Codsworth/recognized_names hundreds of names]] that he recognizes, including unusual ones like [[Film/MadMax Humungous]], [[Franchise/SuperMan Kal-El]] or [[PrecisionFStrike Fuckface]], with more added in a later patch).

* ''VideoGame/AncientEvil'' uses this for purposes of scariness. One room contains seven [[CreepyCoolCrosses crosses]], from which hang six decapitated corpses, with the heads piled in a corner. By each cross is a sign naming its occupant (e.g. Gutripper The Warrior.) The final, unoccupied cross bears the name you chose at the start of the game. (This is the game's ''only'' usage of HelloInsertNameHere--it seems to be banking on the probability that you named your character after yourself.)

-->-- '''Tony''', asking the player's name in ''VideoGame/EarthBound''

** ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' had probably the most 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.]]

* Overlapping with ThankingTheViewer, ''VideoGame/PunchOut Wii'' has this when Little Mac retires. At the end of the credits, it shows (name of Mii in save file) as Little Mac.

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* In ''VisualNovel/{{Melody}}'' the bartender asks for MC's name at the beginning, prompting the player to enter his name.

* Done in-universe in the Pokémon finfic ''Fanfic/{{Jessica}}''. The Pikachu gained by Cameron in Pokémon Black starts saying weird and disturbing things, and Cameron eventually realizes that she is talking to ''him'', not to the player.

* In VideoGame/TeenTitans, [[spoiler:At the end of the game, it turns out the reason for all the random chaos is because the developers are putting them through these situations merely to entertain "[[TheManBehindTheMan You there on the couch]]". You are the BigBad]]

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** ''{{VideoGame/MOTHER 3}}'' also asks the player's name in two occasions, once in the Prayer Sanctuary near Tazmily and in the Clayman factory. [[spoiler:At the very end of the game, the characters are relieved to notice that the player is okay after what seemed like an ApocalypseHow and proceed to converse with him or her a bit. Mostly they thank you for helping out, but they also wonder what our world is like and ask that world to treat you kindly. Finally, they hope that they can meet you again soon. It's hard not to feel a little warm and fuzzy inside during this.]]

* In the ''FIFA'' football/soccer games, you get to name your avatar in manager mode. You can also create a player which along with the FIFA 2009 addition of Be a Pro seasons gives you the chance to have the footballing career you never had.
* The ''NCAAFootball'' and ''VideoGame/MaddenNFL'' series have Road to Glory and Superstar modes, respectively, where you control a single player, often named after yourself, and guide him through his college and pro careers, respectively.
* ''VideoGame/NHLHockey'': Not only in the "Be A Pro" modes, but within exhibition games (starting with ''NHL '12''), where a player will be given a highlight package of their best goals or hits.

* ''VideoGame/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.

* ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword]]'' casts the player as the 'tactician', and the lords will face the screen to address you by name.

However, some games are aware enough that they are games to actually ask your name and will be genuinely interested in the reply. They don't try to [[HelloInsertNameHere foist your name onto a pre-existing character]]. They don't file down your name and never use it again. They use your name to actually address ''you'', involving you as a 'character', or they use it in a strange {{Metafiction}}al way in order to involve you, discard you, or just [[MindScrew confuse you]]. May cause the game to lose some emotional punch when the characters are begging "President sk8rnijna" not to take funds from their charity.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Stay|2018}},'' you are not a specific character; you are simply the person on the other end of Quinn's chat program. {{Lampshaded}} during the opening credits.

* In ''VideoGame/{{STAY}},'' you are not a specific character; you are simply the person on the other end of Quinn's chat program. {{Lampshaded}} during the opening credits.

* Occurs just once in ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', if you reload the game after seeing the GoldenEnding. [[spoiler:Flowey points out that, while the characters have all earned a happy ending, ''you'' still have the power to SaveScum them back to the beginning.]] He uses the name you gave the Fallen Child at the beginning of the game, seemingly under the impression you're one and the same. [[spoiler:You're not, but the only character who knows that is the Fallen Child themself, and they only tell ''you'' at the end of the KillEmAll route, so Flowey's mistake is understandable.]]

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* In ''Videogame/Destiny2'', the Ahamkara are incredibly powerful and bizarre "dragons" who consume paracausal powers and can grant wishes, and are able to survive after death and whisper to those who wear their bones as armor. They gleefully whisper to their wearers, offering gifts and wishes in exchange for violence and destruction, and will offer their boons to anyone, and in one lore entry, they directly address ''the player.''