Clan tags are a method of showing one's association to an online gaming clan. Typically, the clan name is shortened to a two or three letter acronym. Or, if an acronym is unable to be formed from the clan name, other accepted methods include making the clan tag the first letter of the clan name, or using a couple of the more unique letters from the clan name.
However, the true purpose of a clan tag is to wear it. In online games, In most games, one is prompted for one's name, and the clan tag is simply added via the player as a part of his name (see below.) In some games, such as Tribes 2 or Planetside, however, the tag is added by the engine based on your clan membership.
Common clan tag examples, with available inversions included for completeness:
- Bracket* form was (and still is) the dominant form of clan tag. They were especially prevalent in the Quake community as the preferred form of tag. It's usually seen as:
- [E2]Arakiel
- Arakiel[E2]
- {E2}Arakiel
- Arakiel{E2}
- (E2)Arakiel
- Arakiel(E2)
- |E2|Arakiel
- Arakiel|E2|
Reverse brackets* are occasionally seen in the Counter-Strike community. It's somewhat rare due to the obfuscation inherent in going directly against tradition. See:
- E2[Arakiel]
* - The word "bracket" often implies any symbol that is "bracketed" around the clan tag, and does not require the actual [ and ] symbols. "In his/your brackets" is slang for one's clan tag that is independent of whether or not there are actually brackets being used.
Separation tags are sometimes seen as "cleaner" and make the overall player name shorter. See:
- E2.Arakiel
- E2/Arakiel
- Arakiel.E2
- E2 Arakiel
- E2|Arakiel
- Arakiel|E2
- E2_Arakiel
Et cetera. For the purposes of generating an actual clan tag, the primary purpose is to make the clan look as one for the purposes of both pride and logistics; any variation which presents the clan as a defined group will suffice.
Source: Far too much time spent online