Is VGChartz, by nature, a volatile community?

[Grey Acumen]

 I was looking through various posts, there are always the basic complaints where one set of console fans are teasing another set, or complaining about being teased.

 Now obviously some people are all about the teasing, and come here just for the purpose of riling up the other side. however, there are at least as many people who just like to see the numbers move and try to figure out what it is that makes the Video Game industry tick, to watch the ripples that form from companies casting their stones into the video game community pond.

 So why the constant state of bickering?

 

 I think I may have managed to track it down to two very simple things: Accountability and Predictions

 As a community, VGChartz is pretty much established itself as a comprehensive view of the console wars both present and past, with a great deal of its focus on future events.

 Where most communities simply have "OMG! Halo 3 will Kick ASS!" and "Hurry up SSBB!1" and "MGS4 FTW!" they have little to support their outbursts and there is no way to say in any definitive manner which is better or more popular. Each person is left secure in their preference and can generally shrug off anyone else.

 This is much like a bunch of 8 year olds playing with toy guns. Everyone will say they hit every shot, and say that everyone else missed them every time. Everyone else knows this, so no one really expects to actually win in any place other than their own imagination.

 However, VGChartz turns this upside down. Figures are kept for consoles and games. People begin placing signifigance on certain numbers, such as first day, first week, or overall sales, sales in certain regions, whichever place gives them the best advantage.

 So with this, we still have a bunch of 8 year olds, no more mature than those kids with toy guns, but now we're giving them paintball guns. Now the kids have to deal with the reality of getting shot, they can't deny the paint on their clothes. Or can they?

 One kid says that only shots to the chest count so that people don't try to aim for the face, another says that headshots shoudl count for extra, since it would be a certain kill. Another kid says that it's not fair that they're getting shot so much because everyone is picking on them. Then you have an uproar over how one kids gun is more expensive than someone else's, and the other kid has two guns which also isn't fair. Then you have one kid who won't stop shooting even though he's been shot multiple times. He claims he's not dead yet. one kid is saying that there should be teams and the other kid is saying it should be free for all. You have someone else claiming that it only counts if you get shot when you aren't on base. Another person claims you have to shoot everyone else to win, while another says that you have to be the last one left who hasn't gotten shot to win.

 On top of this, you have predictions being pushed. People are trying to guess which console will sell the most, make the most money, get the most games, get the most GOOD games, etc.

 Now in this Kids with Guns scenario, they aren't just playing, they're playing in the hopes of WINNING. Remember, we've got a bunch of 8 year olds, many of whom are prone to make outrageous claims for their victory, and just as many of whom are ready to rub it in their face if they don't manage to back up their boasts.

 Nobody has established any real rules, and it's not like we can stop the game and make rules up ahead of time, so any rules that come up have been made on the fly. Anyone that is at a disadvantage from those rules will claim foul, even if the rule is reasonable, and anyone who stands to benefit from it will immediately rally to support the rule.

Of course, with this you have the kids who recognize that the whole game is utterly ridiculous. These kids will usually play by their own rules and shoot whoever fits their personal criteria, or sometimes whoever happens to irritate them at the time. Depending on who they shoot, accusations of cheating will be thrown about, denied, and accusations of "you're ruining the game" will occur just as often.

 

So there you have it. It's not that VGchartz is different from the kids playing with toy guns, it's just that here, you know when you get shot. However, we're still making up rules as we go, and we're still freaking 8 year olds on a playground.