Poll: Is being mainstream a curse, while being niche is a blessing?

[Sung-Hwan]

While I could go on a vicious rant about the antics of Ben Croshaw, Spoony, and the ANN staff, given they are what recently incurred my boiling wrath, I will simply pose this question: The way I see it, when something is niche, the audience it attracts is remarkably rational, intelligent, and kind. I believe this is because of the fact that it is NICHE, it will attract a small fanbase of very specific individuals, cutting off all the fat of mainstream audiences. When something is mainstream, it attracts the worst sort of unholy scum, bias, propaganda, feminism, and the list goes on.

It's why when I enjoy something niche, I pray it does not attract much attention. I will not even name what I have in mind due to this. When I enjoy something popular or mainstream, I try, but often fail to disconnect myself from the drama. Do you personally agree? I would honestly like to know what rational people think of the supposed benefits of niche, and unpleasantness that mainstream media attracts.

 

[Sung-Hwan]

I know of by far too many communities out there that are strict about conformity and rules. Especially those low-key internet gaming sites.

I came from Kongregate in an attempt to be anti-conformist. But they are VERY strict about their rules and regulations, though the regulations are quite Spartan.

Whatever you do, make no mention of either Developous nor Nexus there, ok?

And you do not like strictly enforced rules? Seems to me that the more rules are enforced, the more likely that the unpleasant people will be exposed and swiftly removed.

This is if the rules are fair though.

 

[MysticSlayer]

I think people exaggerate the whole "stupid mainstream" issue. You're just more likely to come across stupid people if you choose to follow something mainstream because, well, there's more people (obviously). Even if the percent of stupid in the fan base is the same between the that of mainstream film X and niche film Y, you're still going to have considerably more stupid people in the fan base for X. In other words, if 10 million people play game X and 1 million people play game Y, then if even 10% of the fans of X are stupid, there's no way there will be that many stupid fans of Y. At the same time, though, you're ignoring the 90% of the fan base that is actually rather smart.

And then there's the whole fact that you actually need to qualify the fans as being smarter, which I honestly see very little of. It normally just boils down to, "Well I like Y, and I don't like X. Let me just say that people who like Y are smarter, because it makes me feel better about myself. The fact that it puts me in some small, elite group of smart people just makes things better."

Oh, and just for future reference: Cherry picking a couple stupid YouTube comments from one group of fans is not suddenly proof that your group of fans is smarter. (That comment is more me ranting on some stupidity I see among music fans than it is targeting anyone here.)

 

[CaitSeith]

snip

I think the real answer is Mu (short version: wrong question).

Long version: That generalizes all the niches and mainstream genres. The reason it seems that niche public in general seem more rational is because most people don't bother in searching for flaws in them. In the sense of getting a sense of privacy, being niche has the advantage; but in the sense of big games being made, niche genres are in disadvantage, limiting them to indie and AA studios.

 

[San Martin]

So Sung-Hwan claims to be "rational, intelligent and kind", as evidenced by the fact that s/he has niche interests, yet at the same time refers to feminists as "unholy scum". Seems legit.

 

[NPC009]

Look, if you're into something niche you're less likely some nutjob from your fandom embarass him/herself in public, but why should that matter? Your own reputation isn't based on your fandom, or atleast, it shouldn't be.

Personally, I think it's a great thing some of the things I like are becoming more mainstream. It means there are more people I can talk to about it, there's more merchandise being made and so on. The things I like aren't a status symbol, they are just the things I like, and I like sharing those things. It doesn't even mean I have to put up with the crazy ones. For instance: I like Sherlock. Lots of crazy Sherlock fans out there, but they're fairly easy to ignore if you stay away from tumblr. So, I stay away from tumblr. Problem solved.

The truly smart people don't give a *bleep* about niche or mainstream, they simply enjoy what they enjoy the way they enjoy enjoying it.

 

[Dansen]

So Sung-Hwan claims to be "rational, intelligent and kind", as evidenced by the fact that s/he has niche interests, yet at the same time refers to feminists as "unholy scum". Seems legit.

The more I see of this guy, the more I'm convinced he is someone doing these threads for kicks, considering everything I have seen him post has this idea that niche is inherently better than mainstream. I might be miss interpreting this but in a previous thread about niche anime (surprise, surprise), he called all of Miazaki's films objectively bad because they appealed to the mainstream.

 

[Queen Michael]

So Sung-Hwan claims to be "rational, intelligent and kind", as evidenced by the fact that s/he has niche interests, yet at the same time refers to feminists as "unholy scum". Seems legit.

The more I see of this guy, the more I'm convinced he is a troll. I might be miss interpreting this but in a previous thread about niche anime (surprise, surprise), he called all of Miazaki's films objectively bad because they appealed to the mainstream.

Dansen, you might wanna remove the t-word that rhymes with "stroll" in order to avoid mod wrath.

 

[CManator]

Mainstream gamer's attitude: Stop liking what I don't like!

Niche gamer's attitude: Stop liking what I like!

Two sides of the same coin, really. And just like any other aspect of life, if you are letting other people's opinions dictate your opinions on something, you are doing it wrong.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Here's a difference you might not notice... In a niche there's more chance of an echo chamber situation happening, whether be it the fans are fairly similar in tastes or that some fans might be reluctant to go against the grain for fear of being exiled by the niche group. Mainstream fans are more likely to voice their opinions, the most vocal usually being the most passionate or the most negative and lacking the fear that they'll be ostracized by the mainstream because there's so many diverse opinions out there that someone is more likely to find people who agree with them in some aspect.
I have noticed niche fans can be a bit quicker to gang up on someone with a minority opinion without much discussion. Sometimes niche can be a fucking nightmare for some folks.
Mainstream has its pitfalls too, its not an across-the-board thing... I've seen mainstream fans be just as douchey as niche fans, but like I said the wider audience seems to have a bit more diversity which allows a lot more leeway for opinions.

 

[TakerFoxx]

Look, if you're into something niche you're less likely some nutjob from your fandom embarass him/herself in public, but why should that matter? Your own reputation isn't based on your fandom, or atleast, it shouldn't be.

Personally, I think it's a great thing some of the things I like are becoming more mainstream. It means there are more people I can talk to about it, there's more merchandise being made and so on. The things I like aren't a status symbol, they are just the things I like, and I like sharing those things. It doesn't even mean I have to put up with the crazy ones. For instance: I like Sherlock. Lots of crazy Sherlock fans out there, but they're fairly easy to ignore if you stay away from tumblr. So, I stay away from tumblr. Problem solved.

The truly smart people don't give a *bleep* about niche or mainstream, they simply enjoy what they enjoy the way they enjoy enjoying it.

This person speaks wisdom. You ought to heed their words.

I'm part of several mainstream and niche famdoms, and I've met several incredibly wonderful people as well as some utter prats from both camps. I'm a major Touhou fan, which is as niche as you can get in the US. And let me tell you, I have met some outright wankers in this fandom. I've also met a ton of awesome people. It's niche status truly doesn't make a difference. The only real downside I can see to something being mainstream is that it invites the possibility for unneeded outside control, but if the creator is allowed to do their thing, I say let them have at it. All the new fans are more than welcome.

Honestly Sung, this coupled with your other thread kind of indicates that you might be becoming what you hate: a hipster/elitist of the pretentious kind. Stop worrying if other fans are as dedicated as you are or if your fandom is mainstream or not. Just like what you like and let others do the same.

 

[Sung-Hwan]

snip

I think the real answer is Mu (short version: wrong question).

Long version: That generalizes all the niches and mainstream genres. The reason it seems that niche public in general seem more rational is because most people don't bother in searching for flaws in them. In the sense of getting a sense of privacy, being niche has the advantage; but in the sense of big games being made, niche genres are in disadvantage, limiting them to indie and AA studios.

That is generalizing. As I observed the people that look for flaws in niche mediums are very level-headed and focus on what really matters. Mainstream criticism is a very different beast, so give me a while to explain fully what I mean, and why Ben Croshaw was brought into this.

And at the other poster, I don't dislike the idea of feminism; I dislike nearly every person that ever supports it as they are always hyper aggressive, irrational, incompetent, and occasionally psychopathic, though this mostly applies to the women I have seen supporting feminism. There is even a topic in this board right now regarding their recent antics. I only say "nearly" because I HAVE to believe there are some reasonable feminists out there. It's just so hard to swallow how everyone that supports a concept can be insane, but with how long I have endured sitting with feminists, I can safely say I HATE them all.

 

[the_dramatica]

Depends on your goals. You wanna be able to explore creative development or provide jobs for thousands of employees?

I personally am biased towards companies with 50-200 employees since they don't have to make their game appeal to every global citizen so that they are more likely to cover development costs, thus they can try more things and be a little more controversial.

talesworld (mount and blade) and tripwire (red orchestra/kf) are probably some of my favorites.

 

[Erttheking]

Don't really care how popular something is (Unless it's multiplayer, in which cause popularity is wanted) so long as I can enjoy it.

Heck, I wish some niche games I like were more popular so I could talk to people about them more. I want to be able to talk to people about SMT without them looking at me funny. Or my parents ranting about how it portrays god...ok I got off topic towards the end.

 

[San Martin]

And at the other poster, I don't dislike the idea of feminism; I dislike nearly every person that ever supports it as they are always hyper aggressive, irrational, incompetent, and occasionally psychopathic, though this mostly applies to the women I have seen supporting feminism. There is even a topic in this board right now regarding their recent antics. I only say "nearly" because I HAVE to believe there are some reasonable feminists out there. It's just so hard to swallow how everyone that supports a concept can be insane, but with how long I have endured sitting with feminists, I can safely say I HATE them all.

I'm a feminist and I am none of those things, except possibly imcompetent. Furthermore, the vast majority of feminists I have met, or whose posts and articles I have read, are every bit as reasonable as I like to think I am, so it's a shame your experience has been so different. You're free to hate me if you like, but it is an injustice on your part.

 

[Darknacht]

Haha, not even close, most of the most toxic communities I know of are set up around niche products.

 

[Ieyke]

Mainstream is stupid.
Niche is stupid.
The good stuff is spread across both.
The shit stuff is spread across both.

 

[FPLOON]

I think the answer is neither yes or no, depending on which perspective you're looking at... I mean, sometimes, the more niche something is, the less likely some of its flaws would even be recognized and improved on... Or, on the "flip" side, the more mainstream something is, the more likely some of its flaws would be improved, but at the cost of gaining new fans and loosing old ones... I don't really see this as the full "black and white" spectrum that the poll is trying to map this logic behind, but depending on which side you see it from can make it seem as "black and white" as you think it is in the long run...

Then again, one's popularity doesn't always equate to something that you, yourself, would or would not enjoy in the long run...