Region differences. Differences in what? Sales? That sounds like sales to me.

Media influences? What does the media influence? Sales?

Genre differences aren't something you can put into numbers, I don't even see why it's relevant.

You measure popularity by measuring how many people like the game. In this quoted text, which I assume is the one you referred to, you have suggested no alternative to measuring sales.

If you look at region differences, you're no longer measuring popularity, you're comparing a game's popularity in different parts of the world.

If you look at media influences (what do you even mean by that?) - I'm assuming you're talking about games getting a lot of publicity in the media, you're measuring the quality of a publisher's marketing tactics.

And by looking at genre differences, you will have nothing to do with popularity.

Summa sumarum: My point still stands, and you have said nothing to disprove it. (my point being that the only reasonable way of measuring popularity is by looking at sales)

"Wow. Did I actually just scroll through multiple walls of text with someone trying to bring objectiveness into opinions?"

......... yep

"Someone actually trying to factually disprove the merits of FF VII - and thereby branding a good big majority of the gaming community incompetent?"

pretty much, yeah. That sums it up.

"The only way to objectively determine the quality of a game is to judge by its popularity, i.e. it's sales."

thats hilarious. im totally using that quote as my signature on every site I frequent.

Arg here we go, another pointless 10 post debate back and forth that just comes down to someones ego being bruised.

Region differences, as in the two points I brought up.  Sales are the EFFECTS of a region difference.  Not the cause.  In the same way, because sales is one of the EFFECT of popularity, it is not the overall CAUSE.

Media infulences, do I really have to explain this?  Commercials, marketing, in-store ads, promotional plugs, word of mouth....  One game can have massive advertising for a game and sell TONS, while another game in another region can have no advertising and sell lackluster or horribly.  People can't buy a game if they don't know its out there.  But both regions can have an active market for the game (aka, another term for popularity).  [Insert cause and effect here].

Genre Differences.  What one game sells well from one genre (say FPS) in one market (say America) sells horribly in another (say Japan).  And I beg to differ.  Looking at the genre difference between Metroid and Zelda can show you very little, but the sales difference in Japan is MASSIVE.  You didn't take into account all the factors with your absolutism statement of 'sales = popularity 1:1'.

Holy fucking shit pastro, you quoted pages and pages AND PAGES of that stuff, without ANY attempt to downsize it by removing older posts and dead space, only to post just two lines of your own content? 

Please don't. 

And @ arbitor:  very few people are listening to your rants, and you are convincing nobody with your vitriol.  Everything on the topic of FFVII has to be turned to your vicious hatred of that game and the fact that its sales bitch-slap those of the games you like.  If he is talking about music revews not being biased just because they think FFVII music is better, he doesn't want to hear about a game review you dispute.  (And even if you're right about that review, that hardly proves other reviews are so biased.) 

At least try to pretend you can walk past a copy of the game without snarling at it. 

You know, I didn't even realize you could avoid this character's death until I read the stuff twesterm linked.  I'm definitely trying that next time I play this game. 

And twesterm, thank you.  I just read a whole bunch of those and that's just a great series of articles. 

Of course it's not the cause. When you measure popularity you don't measure the cause of it, you measure the effect. Very simple. And to nit-pick a little, sales aren't the effects of a region difference. The reason some games sell better in some regions is an effect of region differences. But never mind that. You seem to have misunderstood my point again, I'll tell you why:

Sure, there are factors that in some ways affect sales, but what I've been saying from the start is not "sales = popularity". It's getting fairly annoying how you constantly misunderstand me. What I'm saying is that "The only way to effectively measure popularity is by looking at sales". Do you get that? I asked you twice to suggest another method, not because my "ego was bruised", but rather because I wanted to know. The first time you referred to points that had nothing to do with measuring popularity, and the second time you explained those points further.

Sure, if you can point at a better measuring stick than sales here, I'll be glad to pipe down and accept that I was wrong. Instead you just assume that I'm saying that sales equals popularity (a case, btw, that could very well be made, but I won't go into it here, because of reasons that would probably offend you and hurt your ego) and go on and on missing the entire point. At least you've got it right - the posts are pointless. It would be much faster if you just reread what I said and did not misunderstand it.

"The only way to objectively determine the quality of a game is to judge by its popularity, i.e. it's sales."

You said this, no?  The phrase "popularity, i.e. sales" directly equates the two.  i.e. basically means "in other words"; the latin is id est or "it is" -- i.e. "popularity = sales" is precisely what you said. 

"The only way to objectively determine the quality of a game is to judge by its popularity (note that I've explained that popularity is best, or only, measured in sales), i.e. its sales."

Please excuse my bad grammar ("it's" instead of "its"? Embarrassing).

I also agree that I worded it badly, and I apologize for anything offensive or presumably offensive in my responses. I do hope that my point, that sales is the most reasonable (while not perfect, the only one that could be at least somewhat credible) way of measuring popularity, went through eventually.

I did not know the exact meaning of i.e, I used it to say something along the lines of "in other words, to judge by its sales". Maybe not incorrect, but I realize the confusion, and it's entirely my own fault.

http://forums.gametrailers.com/thread/popularity-determines-quality-/987868

oh look! someone made a thread about this whole "popularity = non biased quality" argument on GT. who in the world could have done that??? it wasnt me, I swear!!!  (hint: i could be lying)

well, the people at game trailers seem to have alot to say. maybe you guys should stroll over there and take a gander

http://forums.gametrailers.com/thread/popularity-determines-quality-/987868

So ... you're crowing about posting this on GT and a bunch of people agreeing with you? 
... does the popularity of your argument prove its quality?