I don't remember most people giving a crap about "ray tracing" until Nvidia made it THE thing your graphics had to have in order to be taken seriously by tech bros. The tech dates back to the 80s, but broadly, people didn't care. So, I think it's as noted. There were other "Ray" games, and "Ray Tracers" sounded cool for another "Ray" game. I don't think it's any deeper than that, honestly.
"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality
"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world
