Video game console manufacturers are proud to offer their customers a variety of choices. Microsoft, for example, asks which console is right for you? The standard Xbox 360, the Elite, the Arcade? Xbox special editions come in a variety of colors and configurations, such as the Halo 3 Special Edition. Sony’s strategy is similar, with slim, fat, and special edition versions of its PS3, including the recently announced Final Fantasy XIII Lightning Edition.
Such choices help to create the right console for each gamer. That’s great news for consumers, right? In The Paradox of Choice, Why More is Less, psychologist Barry Schwartz argues that offering too many choices can confuse consumers and make products less attractive.
In chapter 9 of Innovation and Marketing in the Video Game Industry, we examine how Nintendo used the concept of “more is less” to make the Wii the console of choice for new gamers.
Psychologist Barry Schwartz takes aim at a central tenet of western societies: freedom of choice.
Prof. 
