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forethought14 said:
Let's look at the definition of "hype", according to the dictionary: "to stimulate, excite, or agitate" Think about it this way, if there's a lot of excitement for a game (across a large audience, not just the same people here and there posting a ton of topics, and not just from the internet, though the internet has expanded from the past), then that excitement should lead to a good amount of sales for the first few days of any product on the market. If the game sells poorly (like Conduit for example) then the hype wasn't real and a bunch of those apparent "hyped people" weren't really hyped enough (those fakers!!!). Sonic Lost World for example, several are very excited (high levels of hype) for the game, therefore, they will do what they can to get it at launch or at least near launch, correct? (assuming that it's not just the loyal Sonic fans) If there's a ton of excitement for the game as you say there is, then there should be a large amount of day 1 or week 1 buyers, also bunch of pre-orders. If not, then how could the hype level have been as high as one possibly believed it was previously? Where did these apparent "excited" people go? It's mainly the hyped people who pre-order games they want because they want them as soon as possible. Why? Because they're excited for them. I had the Wii since launch, and did have a look at many titles through its years and though Conduit was apparently highly anticipated by some, it sold terribly at launch. If the hype was there (if they truly were excited so much so, that they'll want to get it as soon as possible), then why didn't it sell well? Because that apparent "hype" wasn't as high as you or any others thought. A bunch of these apparent "hyped" people weren't really excited enough to buy it. Conduit had hype, but much of it wasn't real hype and was a bunch of hogwash. I asked about Wii Sports Resort because I didn't really follow what went on with anything about it before it released. I heard a saying here and there about it, but never payed much attention. To me, Wii Sports Resort is an anomally because it had something other games don't, brand name (the "Wii Sports" name) and longitivity. However, It sold very well in its first day and week on the market (several hundred thousands per region, plus factor in the fact that Wii has a huge install base). If it truly had no hype whatsoever, then what would stimulate a person to buy it in its first week, or even less, in its first day on the market? They bought it, because they were interested in it. Plus, the "casuals" realized this "extension" to Wii Sports (which was a game-changing phenomenon for many people who were never interested in games before); therefore, they had to go out and buy it themselves to try it out because they enjoyed the original. Plus, Wii Sports Resort has been bundled with Wii consoles for several years now to further add to its high numbers. And it includes a Wii-Motion Plus controller along with a game, sounds like a good deal. Bundled stuff like this looks very appealing and would further add to the high numbers And Wii Sports Resort is besides the point, I did mention that hype is measured based on its first few days on the market, not the entire life-span. The "life-span" part would include those others who are like "ehh, I'll buy whenever I feel like it", hence, not hyped enough to buy it as quick as possible, and those who recognize brand names, and "Wii" is /was a big brand name known by many. There are anomallies to this hype-sales relationship, and Wii Sports Resort is an anomally. As for Lost World, well, we'll see how big this apparent hype is when it launches, won't we? If there is a bunch of excitement from a lot of people (not just the sonic fans posting a bunch of topics), then it should have no problem selling well when it launches. I have no doubt it will sell well at launch (or rather, launch week) because I'm sure Sonic Fans are dying to play this. I'm gonna get it, I'm anticipating it, but so far my hype level isn't high enough to warrent a day 1 buy. Don't get me wrong though, hype exists for almost anything, it's just the level of hype that is questionable sometimes. And this is how I view the hype-sales relationship, it's not like it's a written rule or anything (though, these two things do seem to fit hand in hand), and it mainly is sort of "measured" based on the launch week performance, not life-time sales. |
I disagree; people can be excited for something only to change their mind if reviews or word of mouth aren't good. Hype doesn't "lock in" a sale.
And anomalies still count; they're what changes a definition into a general rule.
