I think you make some valid points but I also think you’re creating a false dichotomy (speaking of pretension, I just had to use that word) with your “like vs. appreciate” distinction. Yes they are different, but that doesn’t make them mutually exclusive. When I first played Shadow of the Colossus, I just enjoyed it on the level that you would consider “liking” – not because it had the trappings of an important work of Art , but because it was fucking awesome. As a result, I naturally feel resentful when somebody like yourself comes along and suggests that my feelings about the game must be insincere just because it has subsequently been canonized. Well, guess what? Sometimes a work gets canonized because it’s really goddamn good, and yes, it is possible for a game to be enjoyable and relevant at the same time. I don’t think the tendency of people to be frontrunners has any bearing on the actual quality of the original work.

As for what I agreed with in your post, I do think you are onto something with your description of the way people select certain media as a way of defining their own personality or even manufacturing an identity. But I don’t find this inherently pretentious. As you point out, we all do this. I think it’s really just a natural process that arises from our relationship with media. As long as we’re not deluding ourselves into thinking we like something because we feel obligated to do so (and only you can really know if you’re doing this, so it’s pointless to accuse others of it), I think it’s valid that our favorite media should be whatever speaks to us, or whatever helps clarify how we perceive ourselves and our lives. So basically, I think that deriving some sense of self-satisfaction based on our tastes isn’t altogether evil or pretentious.

The only caveat would be people who try to make a distinction between “high” and “low” culture, where the line between the two always seems to be suspiciously aligned with their personal preferences. That is evil, and as a fan of pro wrestling I can’t condone it.

I think allot of people probably agree that because we literally invest more in a single games purchase than we do with any other media purchase we feel compelled to justify our choice more than we would otherwise.
A choice which of course is often guided by the critical rating a game is given.

… he said in the least concise way possible.

I like the Like vs Appreciate distinction, although for me there’s also a Shadow List (B-movie starring a washed-up Josh Hartnett) between the two of games I really, truly like and recommend but can’t get into playing. I’m thinking of Deus Ex and Planescape Torment here, and older games like Star Control 2: great games that I treasure but somehow never find time for. That’s different to, say, Galactic Civilizations, which I didn’t enjoy all that much but respect for all the smart things I can see it does.

This website seems pretty cool but I’ll only say I like it until other people start liking it and then it’ll be lame.