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<blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 5533381" data-attributes="member: 22779">Just to expand on this for a second because the other part of my original point I think got a bit lost in the scrum.&nbsp; It's not that we don't have bits of information, it's that the information lacks a great deal of context.&nbsp; If you look at the anecdotal evidence that comes out, it comes in one of two flavours.&nbsp; Either it's:A) I like game X, it's doing really well where I am.orB) I don't like game X, no one is playing it where I am.What you rarely see is the following:C) I like game X, but, I'm really having trouble finding anyone else in my area who does.orD) I don't like game X, but, everyone else around me loves it.In other words, the popularity of a game is directly proportional to the amount a person likes that game.&nbsp; The bias is obviously pretty thick.&nbsp; All things being equal, you should see C and D just as often as A and B.Or, take the &quot;evidence&quot; from various FLGS owners.&nbsp; FLGS owner claims, &quot;Game X flies off the shelf but game Y sits and gathers dust&quot;.&nbsp; But, again, there's no context given.&nbsp; Let's say that Pathfinder is doing well at the store and 4e isn't.&nbsp; There could be many reasons for this, other than just the popularity of the games.&nbsp; For one, the store could be actively biased for or against a given game and that wouldn't be the first time that's happened.&nbsp; Or, perhaps this store is selling the books, but the store down the street is running Encounters and Gamma World events six days a week and all the 4e buyers go to that other store.&nbsp; That's just two off the top of my head and I'm sure there are many other reasons that could be just as true as &quot;Game X is more popular that Game Y&quot;.So, yes, IMO, anyone who comes to any sort of conclusion based on the flimsiest of evidence that we have presented here is holding the tail of an elephant and claiming it's a snake.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Hussar, post: 5533381, member: 22779"] Just to expand on this for a second because the other part of my original point I think got a bit lost in the scrum. It's not that we don't have bits of information, it's that the information lacks a great deal of context. If you look at the anecdotal evidence that comes out, it comes in one of two flavours. Either it's: A) I like game X, it's doing really well where I am. or B) I don't like game X, no one is playing it where I am. What you rarely see is the following: C) I like game X, but, I'm really having trouble finding anyone else in my area who does. or D) I don't like game X, but, everyone else around me loves it. In other words, the popularity of a game is directly proportional to the amount a person likes that game. The bias is obviously pretty thick. All things being equal, you should see C and D just as often as A and B. Or, take the "evidence" from various FLGS owners. FLGS owner claims, "Game X flies off the shelf but game Y sits and gathers dust". But, again, there's no context given. Let's say that Pathfinder is doing well at the store and 4e isn't. There could be many reasons for this, other than just the popularity of the games. For one, the store could be actively biased for or against a given game and that wouldn't be the first time that's happened. Or, perhaps this store is selling the books, but the store down the street is running Encounters and Gamma World events six days a week and all the 4e buyers go to that other store. That's just two off the top of my head and I'm sure there are many other reasons that could be just as true as "Game X is more popular that Game Y". So, yes, IMO, anyone who comes to any sort of conclusion based on the flimsiest of evidence that we have presented here is holding the tail of an elephant and claiming it's a snake. [/QUOTE]

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