With entertainment purchases (books, films, etc.) do you like to know exactly what you're getting, before the purchase?

For books, I never read reviews. Either I get something by an author I’m familiar with or I buy something I know nothing about and hope for the best.

Music: Same with books.

Movies: I don’t buy movies I know nothing about. I’ll watch a movie first, usually a rental, and if I like it so much I have to have it then I’ll buy it.

Games: I just need a general idea of what the game is about if I’m not familiar with it. For games that I know I want, (Fallout 3, Fallout: NV) then I stay far away from it until I buy it.

I like to have a general idea of what I am spending my money on. Like you, when buying a music album I ike to be a bit familiar with some of the songs or, at least, familiar to what the artist or band has released before. I usually read the back of a book before deciding whether I want to read it or not and the same goes for films unless it has a favourite actor of mine (in which case I will more than likely watch it based on that fact alone!).

I, too, like to have some idea of what I’m spending my money on. And not just money, but also my time, because I have lots of other fun things I could do instead of watch a crappy film, or read a quarter of a book that sucks, etc.

With books, I don’t read reviews, but I do pay attention to what’s ‘hot’ and the books people are talking about. I might check it out on Amazon to read a synopsis and to look at how many stars it has, and see if it’s something I might enjoy. I do get a lot of hand-me-down books, so I’m fortunate to have my reading material partially filtered by quality as it is.

Movies, if I’m buying it, I have to have watched it and loved it enough to watch repeatedly, which is not very often. Seeing movies at the theater, I have to think it’s going to be really good or interesting in order to plop down the $12 or whatever to see it, so I will listen to the buzz and check out reviews. Most often, I tend to see films like Avatar 3D in the theater because it’s an event and you can’t really watch movies like that at home and have the same effect.

Games are where I’m most picky. I have to play a demo, for sure. There are loads of games that seem interesting on the surface, but then after trying them, I discover they’re clunky, uninteresting, ridiculously easy/difficult, or I quickly grow bored of playing them. My main issue is paying $30—$60 for a game that doesn’t hold my interest. Admittedly, most games bore me eventually. My best purchases are games like Starcraft and Rise of Nations, that have kept me interested for years. The Sims is fun for a while, but then it gets old, as do so many others.

It’s 50/50 for me. I usually buy things after I have seen it or read what it’s about.. And the ratings with it. Now, if I’m in Barnes and Noble and I am taken by the book cover and the little paragraph about what it’s about (don’t laugh my brain is dead at the moment), then I buy it. Same with movies. (:

For movies, I like to have a general idea about the movie, especially the genre, because there are some types of movies that I’m not particularly interested in. For example I enjoy romantic comedies, but I don’t really like macho action movies. Also, if there is an actor that I don’t care for in a movie, I probably won’t go to see it. Sometimes friends or relatives have suggested movies that they thought were good, but I’ve found that knowing the genre and avoiding my least favorite actors is a much better way of seeing a movie that I like. I have a few close friends and a brother that knows my taste pretty well and I’m never disappointed when they suggest a movie (or suggest ones to avoid).

With books, if I’ve never heard of the book or the author, I do like to read the book jacket to get an idea of what it is about because some subjects are interesting to me, while others are not. I enjoy looking at other reader’s book reviews on Amazon, but I don’t usually read the reviews by the book-sellers because they are more like ads and the real readers can give you a better perspective (hopefully without spoilers). And I will almost 100% read a book by an author that I already love, whether or not I know anything about the subject. A couple of close friends and relatives have consistently had good taste in books, so I always listen to them.

Plays are one thing that I will go into without having any information. I’m lucky that one of my neighbors has season tickets to one of our local playhouses and every now and then he can’t make it, so me and my mom usually go instead. I’ve never been disappointed in a play that I have seen in my whole life. I would like to attend more plays.

I don’t play video games, so I can’t relate to that subject. Although I did like Asteroids when I was a kid.

If it is a product that I am going to buy (like a TV, camera or an appliance etc.) I try to do some homework before making a purchase. My best assistant is Consumer Reports.

Music – I tend to buy albums on the strength of one or two tracks that I’ve heard and like.

Books – generally based on the plot synopsis on the back.

Movies – partly on the synopsis and partly on the cast. There are a handful of actors and actresses I “follow” and tend to watch pretty much everything they do. Sometimes I’m disappointed, often I’m not. I’ll tend to watch a movie in the cinema before buying the DVD.

Computer games – never play them.

It used to be that I’d buy an album because I liked one song.
I keep an eye out for a book exchange every time I move to a new town, so I don’t feel like I’m taking too much of a risk with books, and of course there are series that I buy in hard cover just because. I still have old video games from my play station days, and used to read reviews on the development of the resident evil games, and I managed to get all excited about the sequel to MYST. I don’t know why I just lost interest after that. Now I just play my Guitar Hero and try not to piss the neighbors off.
With movies I buy them and frequently kick myself later, but since I got Netflix, that money drain has diminished significantly.

Music—If possible, I will try to stream the album online, or at least preview the tracks on Amazon.

Books—At the very least, I will read reviews, but most of the time I check the book out of the library and then buy it if I really like it. Every once in a while, I might buy a used book from the thrift shop. Then if I don’t particularly care for the book, I’ve only spent $1.

Movies—Usually, I will rent the film first.

My answer is the same for all categories. If I am familiar with the previous work of the creator (& enjoyed it) – I will ignore all reviews/synopsis/screenshots/demos/trailers/excerpts/sample-tracks & I will buy/rent/hear/play/see it without any preconceptions.