Welcome!

Welcome to my new Armchair Analysis blog!

After careful consideration, I decided that it was worth setting up a blog to specifically discuss and analyze retail sales and business trends in the console video game industry. While I've been writing about this topic since 2008, this is the first step in establishing specific experience and subject matter. Unlike my writing at my other blog, Consoleation, my aim here is to focus strictly on analysis. This means a lot of data, a lot of numbers, and some predictions. 

Some have asked me why sales data is important. Why write about it? Does it really matter that the Xbox 360 sells more than the PlayStation 3? Does one month of disappointing sales means doom and gloom? The fact is that I find this data interesting. These numbers can be indicators of trends to come, or things to be watchful of as time marches on. Numbers can be spun many different ways, but it's not always easy to interpret their meaning. My predictions aren't necessarily going to be taken under advisement by the powers that be, but I've had decent success in the past. 

I want to thank Michael Pachter and Jesse Divnich for their inspiration and support. I had the honor of meeting both men in Los Angeles during E3 in June of 2011, and it was very flattering that they had read my previous work and knew who I was. Analysts get a bit of a bad rap among the core gaming community, and I admit that I used to be equally negative about the work that they do. However, once you get an idea of the numbers that they crunch and what their responsibilities are, you'll see that they don't work to make friends or say what gamers want them to say. They make calls as they see them, despite whether it's a popular opinion or not. While I'm not a professional analyst and base my analysis on observation and general retail experience, I do strive to be another voice in the field. 

Your feedback is always welcome. Comments are active, or you can send an e-mail to gameguypeter@gmail.com with questions or comments that you'd like to keep off the record. I'd like to make this blog interactive, including getting predictions from you. I do ask that you keep your comments civil and respectful. I'm sure that you'll likely disagree with a thing or two that gets posted here, but you're more likely to get your disagreement acknowledged if you keep the vitriol to a minimum. 

My posting schedule will vary, so if it's been a few days between posts, don't be alarmed. 

Thanks in advance for reading, bookmarking, and replying to my work. I'm looking forward to 2012 as the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo's Wii U make their debuts and the industry continues to captivate millions of consumers.