Came here to make sure this point was made. Bob Ross Inc's only mission is to make money off a dead man and to ensure his family doesn't receive any of the proceeds.
One other variable I'd like to see studied is the average cost of new releases over time. I have a hunch that this price has been steadily rising in the age of Kickstarter and deluxe editions.
Higher price tag means a stronger urge to justify that purchase with a higher rating.
I don't believe that's the case. Just listened to Craig Federighi on Jon Gruber's podcast say that the intent is that the relay is regionalized. Your IP will be anonymized, but it will at least correspond to the general location you are in. Possibly this was just a bug in the beta?