Back in February, Bethesda announced that if someone had a baby on November 11, 2011, the release date for Skyrim, and named that baby “Dovahkiin,” a name used in the game that translates to “Dragonborn,” they’d get a prize. If this IRL quest was accepted and completed, instead of a few points to dispense between health, magicka, or stamina, Bethesda would provide free Bethesda games — past, present and future titles — for life. Well, a couple took Bethesda up on the offer and gave the world 8 pound, 1/2 ounce Dovahkiin Tom Kellermeyer.
Dovahkiin’s mom explains:
We’ve toyed with Dovahkiin and the ramifications of naming a child that name, and that name being based on a video game character (however awesome), and what impact that would have on him. But the more I thought of it, the more I settled on Dovahkiin, contest or no.
She also cited her daughter, Kyari, already having a unique name, so they wanted their son to follow suit. They did give Dovahkiin a normal middle name, Tom, just in case the whole Dovahkiin thing ends up being a terrible idea.
A good rule for naming your kids that I’ve always believed is to remember that naming your kid isn’t an outlet for self-expression. That kid will have to deal with the ridiculous name you gave him or her, and if they just go by something else, wouldn’t it sting that your kid didn’t like his or her birth name so much that they got rid of it? This can all be avoided if you remember that ruining your kid’s life isn’t worth naming him Link like I am going to name mine.
- The initial contest
- Someone modded Skyrim’s map to behave like Google Earth’s zoom
- Skyrim arrived with Bethesda’s enormous ambitions
