Chart Kings Dealt With: Why Current Video Game Sales Rankings Are Worthless Garbage
The validity of cumulative best-selling video game charts is fundamentally questioned due to flawed methodologies. Specific complaints target the improper mixing of franchises, such as the perceived mix-up between 'Mario Kart 8' for the Wii U and the Switch Deluxe version, noted by 'memphis'. Furthermore, the sheer volume of 'Tetris' iterations on top lists confuses concept sales with individual releases, as 'Master_Increase_4625' points out.
Debate rages over what counts as a true 'sale'. A major flashpoint is the inclusion of pack-in or console-exclusive titles; 'Prox' dismisses them outright ('It was a pack-in for the console. Not like people had a choice there.'), while others argue they powered initial hardware adoption, citing 'Wii Sports' as proof for 'rozodru'. Beyond sales metrics, users are arguing about genre dilution, with 'Kolanaki' calling many 'soulslike' imitators weak compared to genuine 'Dark Souls' experiences, while 'Coelacanth' warns of genre fatigue.
The community consensus points to a profound distrust in established sales data. The primary fault line exists between historical context—that comparing pre-variety sales to today's options is unfair, as 'Mac' argues—and the structural problem of including non-elective titles in raw metrics. Users are demanding adjustments for global inflation and the actual active player base at the time of peak performance, as suggested by 'HarkMahlberg'.
Key Points
Sales charts improperly blend franchises and confuse different console versions.
'memphis' criticized the chart for mixing titles and pointed out factual errors regarding 'Mario Kart 8'.
Pack-in titles should not count as personal sales achievements.
'Prox' forcefully stated that titles included solely because they came with the hardware lack real selling choice.
Best-seller lists are corrupted by listing every minor installment of one concept.
'Master_Increase_4625' argued that 'Tetris' iterations dilute the meaning of best-seller status.
Comparing sales across different market eras is inherently flawed.
'Mac' suggested early titles benefitted from a limited market, a point others use to criticize modern chart inflation.
The concept of 'soulslike' games is frequently diluted by imitators.
'Kolanaki' asserted that many derivative titles lack the core quality of true FromSoftware works.
Source Discussions (3)
This report was synthesized from the following Lemmy discussions, ranked by community score.