Not liking something because it gets a lot of praise is just as stupid as liking something because it gets praise.
Either YOU like something or YOU don't. If it's a matter of others liking it or not, sadly, then you are a tool.
That's true. I am somewhat of a tool. I'm aware of it, and found I can't do anything about it. I've always felt less and less interested in something the more I notice other people talking about it. I'm not sure if it's some bizarre after-effect of always having lived in the past, behind the times, sort of (I played Half-Life 2 for the first time in my life yesterday!), but that's the way it is for me. It might also have something to do with me being cautious and trying to stay as neutral as possible until I can experience something of my own. The downside of that is that to stay neutral, when everyone thinks something is SO GOOD, I balance it out by convincing myself it's NOT that good. I think I take that too far sometimes. I've got a recent example, too. Gears of War. Everyone I've seen praises that game. Everyone I know who's played it are scheming on forcing me to try it out as soon as possible. The impression I get from all of this, is that it's overrated. I know I'll like it if I try, but I haven't tried it, so to stay neutral I consider it mediocre until further investigation. Now I accept that it is good, even though it still doesn't interest me at all, but before it was released I was ashamed of all the extreme hype going on about a game I honestly DID think looked mediocre at the time. Hype is bad!
It's not a conscious choice I've made, to work like this. It's just something that happens. I'm not exactly proud of it. But I confess that I find it slightly more acceptable than assuming that something is AMAZING, just because everyone else says so. Even if it is, in one way, the exact same way of thinking. At least this way I can be pleasantly surprised if proven wrong. I think something in the past has triggered me to always avoid potential disappointment whenever possible, or something. This behaviour may be a part of that. Make no mistake, though, I never think something is BAD because people talk about something. It just lessens my expectations a lot.
Whee, psychology.
[edit] By the way, I'm talking about first impressions here. It's not like I'll ALWAYS hate EVERYTHING that is popular. See, I'm playing Half-Life 2 for the first time here, and I'm already having mental speculation with myself about what exciting things might happen if/when they make a HL3. It's a fantastic game. It's just, like I wrote above, my expectations on a product go way down the more people talk about it. But that's just how I expect it to be, not what I'll always think. Okay, I think I'm done writing now.. [/edit]
I guess that works in reverse, Rox? The most people hate MSpaint, automatically the more you think you're hardcore for working in it?
Heh, not quite. I've never said I'm hardcore. Stop judging me and assuming things! But, yes, outside of the community, part of the charm with pixel art is, actually, that I can make it with what seems to be passed as the MOST USELESS SOFTWARE EVER MADE. Because Paint ISN'T useless. It has uses, and I'm using them. See?
But... the kicks people get when they see pixel art for the first time, that's a minor point (even though it is fun to leave an impression on people). I've already established why I use Paint! It's easily accessable, and with pixel art being a minor hobby of mine, is all I need.