We need to talk about "Hype"

"Hype" isn't a game, but it's a term I've come to use when something gets so much attention that it gets kinda annoying that you end up hating it because everybody else will sing this particular item to the heavens. Now I won't bring up what I think gets too much hype, but we've all had that popular game that gets so much praise and acclaim that it just makes you go "why"? You end up playing the game yourself and begin to wonder what all the "hype" is about?

The question I ask is does hype affect your gaming experience and does it make you on some subconscious level, want it to fail? What I mean by fail is that you don't want to enjoy it just because you don't wish to agree with people that praise the game like they discovered gold?

"Hype" is a very powerful thing and can change your perception of things even if you don't want it to.