By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

Forums - Sales - Britney Spears Syndrome (BSS) - People who assume top sellers suck.

frybread on 24 February 2009

Often times when discussing game sales, at least one person will display B.S.S. and utter something like, "SO WHAT?! Just because something sells doesn't mean it's better, Britney Spears sold millions!  People are sheep."

The logical flaw here is that by choosing Britney Spears as an example, they are cherry picking. The reason they cherry pick is because the #1 selling musical act of all time, The Beatles, doesn't convince anyone that sales are meaningless.

Britney Spears, who isn't even in the top 100 all time, is an example of appealing very well to a niche market (teen, suburban girls) and poorly outside of that market (everyone else).  Britney, and other acts that dominate a large niche, will sell well, but none of them have a shot at #1 all time.

The Beatles, on the other hand, captured a near universal appeal.  They loved to experiment, and their influence on the music industry is immeasurable.



PC + Wii owners unite.  Our last-gen dying platforms have access to nearly every 90+ rated game this gen.  Building a PC that visually outperforms PS360 is cheap and easy.    Oct 7th 2010 predictions (made Dec 17th '08)
PC: 10^9
Wii: 10^8

Around the Network
TWRoO on 24 February 2009

Britney Spears albums are also very frontloaded... I wonder what that says?



Zones on 24 February 2009

I have never heard anyone talk about BSS in my life. :/



Pristine20 on 24 February 2009
Zones said:
I have never heard anyone talk about BSS in my life. :/

 

^This. The Op looked totally alien



"Dr. Tenma, according to you, lives are equal. That's why I live today. But you must have realised it by now...the only thing people are equal in is death"---Johann Liebert (MONSTER)

"WAR is a racket. It always has been.

It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives"---Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler

SamuelRSmith on 24 February 2009

People aren't arguing that million sellers automatically suck, they're arguing that million sellers aren't necessarily good just because they've sold millions.



Around the Network
Blacksaber on 24 February 2009
Pristine20 said:
Zones said:
I have never heard anyone talk about BSS in my life. :/

 

^This. The Op looked totally alien

 

I would say more of a hybrid of alien and human but thats because I'm nitpicking....^_^



Former something....

frybread on 24 February 2009
SamuelRSmith said:

People aren't arguing that million sellers automatically suck, they're arguing that million sellers aren't necessarily good just because they've sold millions.

 

 Right, which is an ok argument, but they often cherry pick their examples.  Why don't they ever use #1 sellers?



PC + Wii owners unite.  Our last-gen dying platforms have access to nearly every 90+ rated game this gen.  Building a PC that visually outperforms PS360 is cheap and easy.    Oct 7th 2010 predictions (made Dec 17th '08)
PC: 10^9
Wii: 10^8

SamuelRSmith on 24 February 2009

If examples weren't cherry picked, then they wouldn't be (very good) examples at all. Prove me wrong with a non-cherry picked example, I dares ya.



Zones on 24 February 2009
frybread said:
SamuelRSmith said:

People aren't arguing that million sellers automatically suck, they're arguing that million sellers aren't necessarily good just because they've sold millions.

 

 Right, which is an ok argument, but they often cherry pick their examples.  Why don't they ever use #1 sellers?

Knowing that Bejeweled is the best selling game further proves "their" point.



Phoenix_Wiight on 24 February 2009

no. its the same with almost everything

popularity = simpleness

USUALLY, shows, video games, books, anime, manga, etc, the most popular ones are usually the most simple ones. they are usually the easiest to just pick up and understand completely. when it comes to games, games like halo are so popular because anyone can pick it up and play it and have fun.

does that mean they suck? NO.
BUT, theres usually SOOOOOOO much better games, anime, manga, etc, then them.
does halo suck? no, its just not amazing like some people make it out to be. its simple.

end explanation.