Ambiguous Name (titles crowner 10/9/13): Grand Theft Auto Effect

The title of Grand Theft Auto Effect is a "The [work] Effect" type title, which is bad. Additionally, the Grand Theft Auto series are better known for having another type of effect on people than for having memorable soundtracks that become associated with the game, which is what the trope is actually about.

"Grand Theft Auto effect" appears to be an established term for (1) "doing something and noticing other people are doing the same", (2) certain painting techniques, or (3) New Media Are Evil. I can find no evidence of it being meant for "people associate a certain song with a game", we appear to have made that up. At any rate, this effect is much older than GTA; the Gameboy's Tetris is arguably the trope codifier here.

Also, for something so common as having famous music in a video game, it's really not thriving, with only 68 wicks / 82 inbounds.

edited 4th Sep '13 8:23:06 AM by Spark9

This name is bad, and it should feel bad. GTA is known for much more than the music on the radio.

Well, some sites outside of TV Tropes use the term as we do. But with the pitiful usage stats, at least some redirect farming is needed, if not a rename with subsequent disambiguation.

But the term is not being used to mean what TV Tropes defined it as, which is associating music with a medium. I say kill the name entirely. There are few enough wicks to not need to redirect. As for another name, this is an actual thing called the Mere-exposure effect. And why doesn't this page list examples? Just because its YMMV doesn't mean the page needs to be blank.

I'm guessing just for a dearth of examples. It's pretty pitiful to have such a wall of text description and then a couple piddly examples 1/8 the length of the description.

Yeah, I'd say that the lack of examples needs fixing, moreso than the name.

I'm increasingly feeling like this isn't a trope.

The thing is, you can't really quantify "you are so exposed to the song that you begin to like it or associate it with a particular work." That's just... something that sort of happens. Claiming it for particular songs would depend a bit too much on various people, barring extreme examples (Also sprach Zarathustra being one of the only actual examples I can think of).

That looks like Asbestos-Free Cereal argument to me: This is an Audience Reaction, not a trope, and in that regard it's fine.

Here's a tile suggestion: Acquired Audience Association?

Exactly what is says on the tin. It's an association acquired by the audience.

As far as I know, Fast Eddie actually shot down a YKTTW entry's name for being too vague for public use, despite the fact that it was already an academic term in use.

His reasoning is that it must be easier for ordinary people to use, not just academics, etc.

So even if this is a correct usage of the term, you might not realize that what this trope's title is referring to without knowing what it's referring to.

So I support a name change.

edited 6th Sep '13 5:46:36 PM by KarjamP

An obscure preexisting term is better than an ambiguous term we made up.

Acquired Audience Association isn't the best, but it's far superior to the current.

An obscure preexisting term is better than an obtuse one we make up. So far, none of the suggestions we've thought of have really been terribly clear.

Iunno, how about just Song Association? Not exactly witty, but relatively clear, I think.

edited 6th Sep '13 8:15:57 PM by Larkmarn

This seems like a variant of Weird Al Effect.

I like Acquired Audience Association, and I think it's time for a crowner.

An obscure preexisting term is better than an obtuse one we make up.

No, it's not, especially since Grand Theft Auto Effect has never been used in this context outside the wiki, so someone just made up. And the it is very, very obtuse. The term exists elsewhere, but it has a completely meaning. I fully support a rename, but we need a crowner.

edited 9th Sep '13 7:29:39 AM by Rethkir

Um... I agree. To clarify: I was referring to Grand Theft Auto Effect as the "obtuse name we made up" and "Mere-exposure Effect" as "obscure real-life term."

I'm sorry for the confusion. I am SUPER okay with axing Grand Theft Auto Effect. It's an awful, awful name.

edited 9th Sep '13 7:34:25 AM by Larkmarn

Oh, of course!

Single prop crowner's hooked.

Isn't this like Popcultural Osmosis but more specific?

That one's is about knowledge you get from references and sources other than the original.

Acquired Audience Association sacrifices brevity for alliteration, and it's not clever. Also, nothing's being associated with the audience, nor are they forming an Association of Acquired Audiences, so it's not really an Audience Association. Dislike.

edited 4th Oct '13 12:07:18 AM by troacctid

Don't we already have several tropes for all different kinds of that?

Don't know.