: Re: Why are one-word titles so dominant in books, film, and games? Something I talk about with friends when planning and sharing our projects & media we like is titles - and specifically my

@Karen856

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Because sometimes expressive isn't what the intent is. Sometimes a creator wants something succinct and punchy, while actually still giving enough away about the setting or premise to be intriguing. Longer titles contrary to your belief are popular, but are not necessarily any more clear, even if they are more expressive.

You also have to remember that the name of a work doesn't exist in a bubble. It will exist alongside cover art, box art, posters, trailers etc. and it's the name coupled with the imagery that will give you the impact and make it memorable. You're associating a word with the iconography of the media you are trying to sell, and that is very powerful. Even decades after their release, some people will hear the words "jaws" or "psycho" in regular conversation and their minds may still make links to those films.

A couple of the examples you mention can be used to demonstrate this. The name Fallout, alongside the imagery used on the boxart immediately tells you that this is some future post-nuclear armageddon kind of setting. The name Memento, as well as the posters featuring polaroid prints, actually indicate a lot about the premise of the film.

It's not a catch-all way of doing things, though, and I think it varies case by case on whether it's a good idea. There is no one good way of titling all works, though there will certainly be trendy formulas.

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