The Problem with Fanboys
Fanboys, by definition in the video game industry, are the raving and rampant champions of their preferred system. Usually fanboys take up allegiance to a certain console and will not only buy pretty much anything that comes out for the system, but champion it across the battlefield of every major forum on the video game website front. They are the first line of defense against any game exclusively coming to one system or the other, and will usually show up in news posts to deride or defend the game; most of the time one that the world hasn’t even played yet. Logic is usually their worst enemy and they will attack you simply for owning a different system, not only insulting your system, but indeed your very way of life. Fanboys are a mean and nasty virus of contempt for anything they don’t own that are holding back the gaming community.
At this point you may be saying to yourself “Hey, screw this guy. Just because I love me some Nintendo, doesn’t mean I’m a troll and a blight on the industry.” You are correct good sir/ma’am; just owning a console and being happy with it does not make you a fanboy, merely a fan of something you love. You don’t usually broach fanboy status until you completely disregard, put down, or generally hate on any game that doesn’t come out on your system. That’s when you cross the line from a mere fan, to a raving forum lunatic.
To truly combat the fanboy we must first understand this creature of contempt. Usually I’ve found fanboys are forged out of a few key values that when combined together create a paragon of corporate loyalty. The biggest factor usually is that the person chooses a system at the start of the generation, cannot afford the others, and so to make themselves feel better about their purchase set out to tear everyone else down. Many of these people can’t afford all three consoles, or even two of them, so the standard buy both consoles argument will bounce off them like they were made of titanium. In defense of this I can completely understand. I don’t typically have a lot of disposable cash so one console a generation is usually enough for me, especially in this generation when exclusives are dwindling quickly and major releases come out on pretty much every platform. Still, while I may be envious, I don’t tear down a game simply because I don’t have the console to play it on.
The second factor can also be pretty important and can coincide or appear completely separate from the first factor. This is the almighty factor of nostalgia or brand loyalty, usually inspired because the system they first owned or the system that they enjoyed the most was the predecessor of the current console. You don’t see as many nostalgia driven 360 fanboys, due to the Xbox not being around as much, so this is usually more rampant in fanboys that fly the PlayStation and especially the Nintendo flag.
Third, and most annoying, is the person who really and truly doesn’t care about the console or game they are trashing. These individuals are there just to inflame the rage of fanboys and either vanish into the inter-webs like a troll ninja or stick around and continue to poke a bear in the zoo. These are probably the easiest to understand and the ones that have the least impact on the industry, but are the most annoying. Luckily they can be handily explained by John Gabriel’s Greater Internet F***wad Theory (Warning Strong Language: Link Here).
The damage to our gaming community is easy to see, all you have to do is click into any news post on just about any gaming website, but especially something about a game exclusive to one of the consoles. Immediately you’ll see not only personal insults, but people tearing down a game they’ve never played usually while throwing around some (to them) amusing words like Gaylo (Halo), Xbots (Anyone who would enjoy this game and owns an Xbox), Gaystation (Tear on Playstation) and a few others you don’t even want to see in print here. It makes people hesitant to post to even say they think the game looks great because invariably some fanboy will come along trying to tear them down. The attacks don’t always stay strictly on the game either, they are fast to devolve into personal attacks on an individual that the fanboy doesn’t even know.
The worst part may be that the game itself might be something the fanboy himself would even enjoy if he gave it a chance. However because it’s not from his chosen system or a developer he doesn’t care for he instantly will decide to hate it, going so far as to boycott and attack others over it, just to show his loyalty to a company that, quite frankly, couldn’t really care less about anything more then the consumer’s dollar. Worst still, is that these very vocal individuals are not only making themselves look bad, but the gaming community as a whole. Trolls in general seem to lurk everywhere in the gaming community, not only to strike out and offend people who only have one system or like an exclusive game, but to complain and whine every time anything doesn’t go how they think it should. Really it ends up making gamers look like mean and nasty internet inhabitants that are as whiny and entitled as they are close minded.
Now I’m not saying that the gaming community as a whole is worthless. For instance, here at theparanoidgamer.com, I think we mostly have an understanding and accepting group (a few bad apples not withstanding). There are those that disagree, even our own writers, but do so in a respectful and intelligent manner. Those of us that dislike a game for truly meaningful and real reasons, not just because Nintendo or Microsoft is publishing it; and that’s okay!
My point is not that we need to agree, it’s that we need to disagree in a better manner, and not just decide we hate something because it’s on our current system. We, as gamers, need to hold developers responsible for poor business decisions such as Day One DLC and vote with our wallets, rather than bash and deride people who enjoy a game for what it is, regardless of those practices. It’s sad that a very vocal group makes it harder for the rest of us, the real gamers that love games and not just the companies that sell them, to come across as an intelligent and respectful group that just truly love the medium that they’ve dedicated hundreds of hours of free time to. The people that will give any game on any system a shot and not just dismiss it because they might not own the console it resides on or decide for arbitrary reasons they have to hate the developer that puts the game out.
As a man who only owns an Xbox and a Wii, and can’t play the myriad of great exclusives on the PS3, I’d still like to quote a hilarious fake Sony Executive for my close.
[quote] “Because every gamer is a true gamer: motion gamers, sitting gamers, everyone. And though we may pledge fanboy allegiances to different flags, deep down inside we all serve one master, one king and His name is Gaming. FOREVER MAY HE REIGN!” ~ Kevin Butler[/quote]
[signoff1]
vincent
July 28, 2012 @ 12:27 pm
im a PS fanboy though I’m a gamer first and foremost if there is a game on another console i want i WILL buy that console JUST to play one game if its a game i want to play. like i bought a DS XL brand new the day it came out simply to play KH:358/2 days, then later i play KH: RE:coded and never touched another game for that system other than okamiden. i don’t really want an XBOX360 much anymore because all of the JRPG’s or most of them that were at one point exclusive to that system is now on the PS3 with some extra goodies. ill probably only buy one to play “Tales of Vesperia” and “Blue Dragon” though there are a few more JRPG’s on it but not quite like what is currently on the PS3 and what is going to be released for the PS3 in the coming years. i guess you could say I’m more of a JRPG fan boy and it happens that most of the games i want to play happen to be on the PS3. most american games i would consider playing are multi platform (which defeats the purpose of buying one console over the other in my opinion, SO CONSOLE FAN BOYS WHO PLAY ONLY FPS GAMES SHUT THE FUCK UP THE GAME YOU PLAY MOST OF IS ON EVERY CONSOL NOT JUST YOURS) in the end i think if there is a game YOU want to play don’t let the fact that it is on a different platform impede you from playing that game. if you can’t afford that platform, i suggest you start saving, like what i do and what I’m doing.
TLou
July 28, 2012 @ 1:29 pm
No. you need to GTFO. Why should your personal opinion dictate someone’s wallet?? You’ve mentioned P$3 is more preferable than X360…screaming to people to start saving and buying the P$3? that screams a mad fanboy, not a true gamer. You can talk shit all you want, it doesn’t change your pathetic life begging some money for $ony. So again, FU you very much.
champion
July 28, 2012 @ 6:26 pm
It’s always a big relief to see a person who is smarter than $ony.
Don’t let your life and money being dictated by any greedy company who like to eat your money in the name of ‘exclusive’ games or newer SKUs.
The future is cloud-gaming where every platform can enjoy same quality games, without being restricted to one platform only. Exclusivity can lead to monopoly, it only divides gamers and hurts the whole gaming industry.
STOP BEING A SHEEP TO A COMPANY. BE SMARTER THAN $ONY or M$ or Nint€ndo
GT
July 29, 2012 @ 6:59 am
Here’s a guide to notice signs of radical Playstation fanboism :
1. Listing current and upcoming games that only matter to him/her/it, only to give an illusion of megaton games.
2. NPD or Narcisstic Personality Disorder, self-glorious stranger who thinks he/she/it’s the most important person on the net. Saying personal opinion as an absolute fact.
3. Sales-induced testimonies to entice readers buying it too.
4. Using the ‘trolling’ word as final defense when the fanboy cannot openly accept real facts that destroy his fanboyish opinion.
5. Anger or mad related comments that leads to cursing at others. Some will pretend it with smiley happy symbols or Lol stuffs, but in reality they’re scratching butts like crazy.
6. Spewing hatred to any other brand that’s more succeed in terms of inovation, games, and sales.
7. Cannot stand constructive critics against them or their idol.
8. Exclusive Deprived Disorder. Almost the same like #2, but they need exclusive treatments in the form of exclusive games.
9. Saying others ‘jealous’ because they don’t have as many exclusives, yet those exclusive games cannot bring their beloved console up to the #1 sales globally.
10. Double-standard or Bi-Polar Disorder. They will blame to MS or Nintendo for propriety HD, but suddenly support Sony for Vita’s propriety flash memory.
Seán Whitear
July 29, 2012 @ 9:14 am
I fail to see how these are exclusive to PS3 fanboys. ALL fanboys do all of those things, with slight variation.
Daniel Flatt
July 30, 2012 @ 9:59 pm
I agree these are rampant across all fanboys.
Seán Whitear
July 29, 2012 @ 9:23 am
Also, your first point, again, applies to all fanboys. Of anything. Ever.
It’s always amusing that when anyone ever writes anything about fanboyism, the responses are always fanboys saying ‘well THOSE fanboys are worse! THOSE fanboys do these stupid things!’
Guys, you’re missing the point. Stop making yourselves look so childish.
Daniel Flatt
July 28, 2012 @ 9:55 pm
Wow guys. Why all the animosity?
Daniel Flatt
July 28, 2012 @ 9:51 pm
Don’t forget Lost Odyssey. It’s probably my favorite RPG in the last ten years.
KBUTTLER
July 28, 2012 @ 12:49 pm
In all cases, fanboys of the last winner in this generation seem to be overly sensitive. I mean they don’t feel special (exclusive?) anymore if their favorite console don’t get more sales or simply hate competitors to be successful. So they tend to hype and spin more to gain market share, because sales numbers are now becoming more important in the eyes of fanboys. That way, they can use the sales card as a weapon to ridicule competitors being low demanded.
The gaming industry has also been affected by the fanboys war. Sony, in this case, has to spend more money on exclusives to keep the fanboys smiling, because Sony sees mediocre performances and sales in multiplatform games. Monopoly by one platform isn’t what the industry wanted, third parties are the backbone of the gaming industry.
angelica
July 28, 2012 @ 12:58 pm
^^ Can’t agree more. The last winner fanboys tend to give personal comments and testimonies with marketing-hype inserted.
For example : “i feel in love with ps vita, it’s a perfect handheld and worth your money” ..
it sounds more like a marketing spam than a fair comment for many, except for the fanboys.
Well, the close-minded fanboys are similar to a walking marketing team for the console company.
Andy Whitefield
July 28, 2012 @ 1:35 pm
Hey Dan!
Great article! Very well thought out and something different for tpg to put across. My favourite part was this following quote tho…
“There are those that disagree, even our own writers, but do so in a respectful and intelligent manner”
😉 lol
Kyle Robison
July 28, 2012 @ 5:31 pm
Very well written. What I especially enjoyed about this was the immediate animosity that took place in the first comment almost as if to illustrate Daniel’s point further by going so far as to spell “PS3” with a clever little dollar sign. Fanboyism only hurts the gaming industry in the long run, and as an individual, only makes you look silly and opinionated.
Kudos on a well-done article, sir. Enjoyed reading it.
Daniel Flatt
July 28, 2012 @ 9:54 pm
Thanks for the read. I apprecaite it.
Jason
July 28, 2012 @ 10:55 pm
Sony PlayStation fanboys are the worst ever since they became the last place losers of this generation with the gigantic failure of the PS3 and now the Vita. They lie with their BS exclusive brainwashing propaganda and make every gamer’s life miserable on almost any forum or BBS. Most of it is fueled via that biased joke of a site N4G. Because of all this, the hate for Sony and PlayStation simply keeps growing and their so called fans don’t get that.
Sony lost for good reason and they will continue to lose with mediocre exclusives and now they are in a financial cesspit because of it with no way out and looking at their past history of awful commercials, there is nothing but these fanboys doing the talking, leading the company even further to their doom.
Steve
July 29, 2012 @ 2:21 am
So according to you, the people who bought the cheaper systems are the fanboys. Now we all know that the 360 has always been the cheaper of the two. So its safe to assume that your saying, most fanboys are on the 360. Which puts you in the spot where you have managed to put up an – I hate fanboys – article whilst passing off fanboy type comments yourself.
Its a load of old shit mate, fken poor show for the sake of hits
Robert
July 29, 2012 @ 2:55 am
Yeah especially since almost anybody considers the PoS boys to be the worst. VG Chartz is holding a poll on it now and PS3tards are getting voted on the most. Sony PlayStation sucks but its fans are in complete denial.
Daniel Flatt
July 30, 2012 @ 10:07 pm
It’s funny when people are text book fanboys that even use PS3tards in their response to an article about fanboys, whilst claiming that indeed the other fanboys are totally the worst fanboys.
Mike
July 29, 2012 @ 5:57 am
It’s people like you who are the problem. Read over what you just wrote… you are putting words into his mouth, assuming his actions to cater to your thoughts, and then in the end you say the only reason this article is nothing but a way to create revenue.
You are the type of person that finds flaws, crack jokes, and puts people with the stage down don’t you?
Grow up.
Robert Strick
July 29, 2012 @ 9:33 am
You really need to read the article. Maybe a bit of self reflection is in order.
Daniel Flatt
July 30, 2012 @ 10:06 pm
I’m very VERY confused. I, in no way shape or form, said the people that bought the cheaper systems are the fanboys. In fact, I myself, only have a 360 so if I’m calling the people who buy the cheaper systems a fanboy then I am essentially calling myself out in my same article. I even sympathized and identified with the people who can’t afford every system.
I state in the article, and I feel in a clear way, that some gamers can only afford the one console. There is nothing wrong with that. The people I point out as fanboys, Instead of being happy with their choice and content with their purchase, rag on and put other peoples consoles down because for some unknown reason they can’t enjoy their console that they love so much because somebody else might be enjoying another system.
To justify their purchase they feel they have to make all other purchases seem worthless. I hope that makes a little more sense to you.
Also I could care less about hits. Sure I want the site I write for to be successful, but I write about things I care about or that bother me. End of story.
Slapshot82
July 29, 2012 @ 4:56 am
Hi Daniel,
Great read and very well written.
I actually dropped a blog post recently that detailed this very same situation. Fanboy-ism, if you will, is a nonsensical waste of my professional time. I’ve learned to simply ignore these people. The vast majority are completely uneducated about whatever it is they rant about and I’ve got not the time, or reason to deal with them.
I do try and help some of them to realize that there’s nothing wrong with not being able to afford every new system that comes out. Gaming is an expensive hobby, but for myself, gaming gave me the drive to get a job the day I turned 15-yrs old, and to work really hard to be able to afford the things I wanted. Playing Metal Gear Solid (PSone), with the brand new — God-awful expensive — Dualshock controller in hand, knowing that I earned them through hard work, just made the experience better tenfold. From then on, if I wanted something, I earned it. Even younger teenagers can find neighborhood jobs (e.g. cutting grass, trimming hedges, etc.) to help you get the things you desire.
Thanks for the great morning read Daniel! If I had one little bit of advice I could give you from one journalist to the next, try and find ways to not use curse words in your articles. It will only make your points in your opinion pieces drive home even deeper to your readers, but also keeps it more professional as well.
Cheers!
Daniel Flatt
July 30, 2012 @ 10:09 pm
Thank you very much for the advice. I wrote the article very late at night and upon reading it after I read your comment, discovered that indeed there were numerous curse words.
I’ve edited them out as I agree with your assessment. I think I’ll leave the Penny Arcade part in though as I bleeped and warned about strong language. Oh and being hilarious doesn’t hurt.
Slapshot82
July 31, 2012 @ 4:18 pm
Haha.. completely agree! Love the Penny Arcade guys! 🙂
I definitely know the feeling. Aside from my writing, I work in a shipyard full time, building war ships for the US Navy. I have to edit my work over and again at times, and still miss a thing or two many times.
Again, great piece. It’s so hard to write on this subject and maintain a strong point of focus, but you did a fantastic job.
Jackson5
July 29, 2012 @ 8:10 am
It’s funny ’cause N4G.com brought me here and I can’t think of a place on the internet more swarmed with fanboys, especially PS3’s.
datdude
July 29, 2012 @ 9:07 am
The problem with fanboys is that they have no balls and even fewer brains. The end.
Robert
July 29, 2012 @ 11:47 am
Yep, that’s PlayStation fanboys for ya, to the end.
Lol
July 29, 2012 @ 12:11 pm
I love how this was about fanboy’s in general and then the comments just started bashing on the ps3 and Sony oh the fucking irony I take it you all are fanboy’s of the other 2 systems?
usrev2
July 29, 2012 @ 1:18 pm
you forget the worst fanboys, PCfags.
I am a gamer, If Jesus Christ made a console and it sucked I would say so. I follow the games, this gen it was mostly xbox 360 with PS3 at a second. no matter what the fanboys say nintendo dropped the ball again this gen with the lack of decent games and good online.
the PS3 could have beaten xbox but it took way to long to get up to par, and most the multiplatform games people love are better on xbox.
many fanboys will claim “uncharted, resistance, god of war” as the reasons PS3 is better then xbox, but this isn’t true when you actually play those titles you see they are pretty mediocre especially considering the fanbase and reviews they get.
I would say sony will win next gen because PSN+ is amazing and though their exclusives don’t match the few xbox has, they take risks and more and more get added to the long list of games only available on PSN.
If sony has party chat and continues the awesomeness of PSN+ and MS does nothing but continue to do nothing for gamers PS4 will win
If MS comes out and says oh hey look bunch of exclusives and out next console is awesome then they will win.
Daniel Flatt
July 30, 2012 @ 10:11 pm
You have some valid arguments and decently expressed opinions, but you completely undermine yourself by coming out with such a horribly derogative term straight out the gate.
democratic fascist
July 29, 2012 @ 1:41 pm
fanboys are like people who believe in religion. they can not be reasoned with. they are right and everyone else is wrong.
sad narrow minded idiots.
these are the same people who believe 9/11 wasn’t an inside job.
and the same people who let GWB get elected in 2000.
the same people who watch and believe fox news.
the same people who believe let their government take their liberty in return for their freedom. (for those of you uneducated morons out their, they are the same).
the same people that top ceo’s laugh at when they are counting their billions.
bleachorange
July 30, 2012 @ 12:42 pm
Wow, only 3 days and already a mountain of hate comments, ‘hate the hater’ comments, and the general ‘everyone who thinks differently than me sucks’ attitude here and there. I feel a comment or two was sarcastic rather than actually ignorant, and there was a comment or two (mostly the writers but some others) who actually went out of their way to be nice.
My thoughts?
This is simply a microcosm of society. what’s so different here compared to work or school? Nothing, really. Let’s move on, knowing that you can only lead the horse to water…
Now, as far as the article goes it was a good one. Nothing ground-breaking, but spotlighting a problem every so often is beneficial. System exclusives will never go away, but they really aren’t as important as simple price and specs for the average consumer who makes up the vast majority of the revenue for these console developers. Dedicated gamers will decide systems based on exclusives, controller layouts, online experiences, 3rd party developers, etc. I’m not really trying to make a point here, just saying how it is.
I feel for the most part that gamers (in general, but not always) overlook the big stuff and nitpick the little things to death. Why? It’s what we do. Sort of like how you and a buddy will go see a movie and agree it was good, but argue over very minor special effects or a specific line or two. Why? It’s what people do.
With that in mind, we’re all people here (except you, autospammer that makes me read captcha texts and go crazy) and people can’t tell people’s age on the internet. SO KEEP IN MIND YOU MAY BE ARGUING WITH A 7-YEAR OLD, AND IGNORE IGNORANT POSTINGS.
Jeez.
Daniel Flatt
July 30, 2012 @ 10:21 pm
Thanks for the read.
I agree that the article wasn’t earth shaking and I have no real hopes that it might actually change anyone. Certainly it isn’t something that hasn’t been pointed out before. However, it’s something I feel very strongly about and always will.
It’s not just gamer behavior, you are absolutely right, but I’ve always been disappointed in people’s behavior just because they have a small measure of anonymity. While of course there are people just as vocal in the real world, most gamers I run into are intelligent and thoughtful people. Many times, especially older gamers, we tend to be the people who were bullied and looked down on for gaming and in the real world tend to be nicer individuals.
However, it seems the minute someone logs online they leave a lot of that behind and gamers can be some of the worst of the bunch. As far as people picking a console based on it’s merits and drawbacks that is the smartest thing you can possibly do. I just think it’s a shame that some people feel like two things can’t exist side by side and have to tear down your purchase to make theirs look better to them.
The nitpicking thing, oh wow you hit the nail on the head.