Managenta
Why did I chose the name Managenta, you ask?
It all started with… magenta! A word I’ve always loved. The color not so much, really, but the name sounds so magical. Maj-jen-ta! It sounds somewhat like majestic, and it also has a gentle vibe, gentleman almost. It just sparkles my imagination.
Then, after some research into the name magenta, I found out why I liked it so much. First of all, the color is named after the Battle of Magenta, which was a part of the Second Italian War of Independence. Since I love world history, that seemed like a solid connection, even moreso as it took place in Italy, which hosts my favorite place in the world, Venice, ever since I’ve played my favorite game, Majora’s Mask. The beauty of Venice lies in the fact that cars are not allowed anywhere on the venetian lagoon. This allows the city to be one big romantic entanglement of pedestrian allyways, piazzas, bridges, steps and plazas.
Back to magenta. So the word shares a mythical connection with my favorite (non-game) hobby and my favorite game. Would there also be any professional tie? There certainly is!
Psychics who are able to observe people’s aura with their third eye state that a magenta aura is a sign of artistic and creative values. So I must be liking the word so much because it resonates with my aura! But that’s not all. Before the color was actually named magenta it was known as fuchsine. It was changed into magenta for marketing purposes.
There we have it. A hotly debated topic these days. Are games applied art or fine arts? Are game designers artists or designers? Since I dislike definitions but love the Buddhist Middle Way and the concept of YinYang, I can now say, fully confident, magenta can be anywhere in between!
The End.
Or so I thought! When the time came to actually look up the facts, I noticed a little something. There already exists a Magenta Software game developer! I wonder if they followed a likewise path to their name? Anyway, I just couldn’t let go of the name. It was a perfect fit. That’s when I shapeshifted it into its current incarnation, managenta.
It sounds just as sparkling and has some additional associations. First of all there’s mana, a link to the worlds of fantasy I adore, which is a nice balance with the real-world connotations of magenta. Next to that, it also sounds a bit like Magna, as in Magnum, the Latin (there’s the Italian tie again) word for great. Managenta. Great Magenta!
And that is why I’ve chosen Managenta! Well, that and because it just sparkles my imagination.