I've been a serious gamer for about 3 years. Before that I used play games, of course, but not seriously. I got into gaming really fast, and there was a lot information to soak up. To think, 3 Years ago I had no idea what the abbreviation GoW meant. Now it defines my life :) My point is this. When a game with good reviews, and good feedback comes out, I would buy it. I bought oblivion, to find I disliked it. Mass Effect had the same effect (No pun intended) and the same thing with Fallout three. That's how much it cost me to find out I don't like American RPGs, and I haven't even started to wade through JRPGs yet!!!! My point is this. In gaming, it's important to have your own style. I used to go let other peoples opinions guide me to what games to buy, it's important what other people think about the games but in the end, what it comes down to, is what you like. Becoming a "generic" gamer who buys every game that gets over 8/10 on IGN deeply scares me. Although, slowly but surly, I've started forming my own opinions now. This took me a while to get used to, for whatever reason. Finally I've found out that I like action adventures are third person shooters. The world of gaming is a gigantic and confusing place, and for newcomers, it can be very, very intimidating. So take it easy on the newcomers!
 
For the record I still don't know what FTW (For the World???) means. I'm too ashamed to ask :)