MechaPilot
Explorer
Sure, but are 20 flavors better than 6?
Better? That's too subjective.
But, if we assume that each flavor has its own unique appeal, and that it also has some additional appeal that overlaps with that of other flavors, then each added flavor adds at least a fraction of its total appeal to the overall appeal.
As an example (using simple BS numbers for ease of illustration), let's say that each option appeals to 100 people. Of those 100 people, let's say that 50 of them already enjoy the appeal of other options. That would mean adding that option would expand the overall appeal of the game by 50 people.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/27/your-money/27shortcuts.html
TL;DR: at least read the 4th and 5th paragraphs.
Interesting, but here's the thing about that: it's up to the DM to be the store and decide which flavors of jam will be offered. The store however, is a middle-man. The one actually creating all the flavor options is the jam company. More jam flavors should be good for the jam company (provided each added flavor appeals to enough customers who are not already appealed to by the other flavors). It's also good for the stores, who then have more potential choices with which to fill their selection (whether they elect to offer a limited selection or not).
In other words, as long as a D&D options has enough unique appeal, adding that option should be good for WotC, and the existence of that option should be good for DMs who can choose to allow it or not.
Personally, I allow quite a bit. It's not that hard to accommodate a player who wants to do something out of the ordinary. For example, there are no warforged or dragonborn in my homebrew setting. But, if a player really wanted to play one, it wouldn't be hard to fit one of them in, even if I just took the lazy option and said they arrived there from another plane or dimension.
Also, I've never had a player paralyzed by the wealth of options available to them. But, I also don't shove a stack of books at a player new to the game and say have at it. I ask them to come up with a character idea, and then I help them find options to fit the bill. Once they have a suitable amount of familiarity with the game, then they can dive into the pile of books because they'll have a better eye for finding what they want than when they first started.