Talk:Ball on chains
Potential rename from "cog" to "ball on chains"
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So apparently, we call these object cogs, because an official Australian Nintendo magazine called these as such when listing various objects in Super Mario Land 2. As discussed on a talk page about another cog (how cognitive), though, I found myself wondering if there wasn't a better name for this item, as honestly, this isn't really a cog at all (it's a ball-shaped lift that's attached to chains), and likewise, other languages don't seem to refer to it as a cog either. So I did some digging on Archive.org, and found a page of a Nintendo Power issue in which these things are being referred to as "balls on chains".
So, personally, I think a rename is in order, for the following reasons:
- Again, this isn't really a cog, and other languages don't refer to it as such either.
- Actual cogs (referred to as gears in Nintendo Power and other guides) appear in Super Mario Land 2 as well, as platforms and obstacles; in fact, they appear in the exact same zone, too. The current title for this page doesn't make that clear and could cause confusion, especially since the relevant article for the gears currently has nothing on their appearance in Super Mario Land 2.
- Given that "cog" comes from an Australian source, and "ball on chains" from an American one, I believe that the American Nintendo Power has priority as a naming source.
The new name could simply be Ball on chains (or Ball on chains (Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins) if that's too similar to Ball and Chain, or articles with similar names). What do you guys think?
As for why the Australian magazine calls it a cog instead of a ball on chains, or a ball lift, or whatever, I could guess they misinterpreted the sprite as a cog (it does kinda look like an eight-teethed cog on that magazine page, after all). Similar discussions on sprite misinterpretations have been made on the wire/horizontal bar from Donkey Kong, another Game Boy game from around that era, so it wouldn't be all too surprising. 
rend (talk) (edits) 12:03, April 12, 2024 (EDT)
