Fanboys Are Ruining Our Gaming Sites!

Submitted by Richard Windsor on March 4, 2008 – 3:44 pm11 Comments

When you spend a decent part of your day surfing around gaming websites you start to notice trends and small differences over time. The one that has become most alarming to me is the amount of sheer fanboy ignorance that has taken over what used to be decent community based gaming sites. I know fanboys have been around since the Atari 2600, but it just seems like this current console cycle we are in has brought forward the worst of the worst when it comes to them.

A case in point is the News 4 Gamers website. This site is made to work in a similar fashion to digg, in that community members make news submissions and then raise their popularity in order to get the article high on the main page. I used to really like this site, but recently it has been taken over by Sony fanboys, who are as mature as the cast of Jackass in a bra factory. They seem to have nothing better to do then post news article after news article about the supposed superiority of their console. I have no problem with someone wanting to speak well of their chosen platform, but all the bashing of other formats really tends to ruin what could be real discussions about gaming. The N4G site has its good days and bad days, sometimes things are sane, and then some days it goes to fanboy hell. I just want to get some real news and maybe participate in a discussion.

To be fair there are Nintendo & Xbox fanboys causing issues as well, but lately it seems the Sony ones have been the most vocal. It is obvious that Sony is poised to have a much better year then last, and personally I can’t wait till Little Big Planet and a few other PS3 titles hit later this year, but why do I have to constantly hear things like: The 360 Couldn’t Handle MGS4 or only the PS3 can deliver a true next gen experience and The Wii will never be more then a fad. What is it that people get out of all this console narcissism? What makes a person care if there console does better then another? It’s fairly obvious these people have emotional and intellectual issues, and in a time where gaming is under a microscope by corrupt lawyers and governmental agencies I hate to think how these people reflect on the gaming community as a whole. For a while all the fanboy stuff was kind of funny, but now I find no humor in it at all. It just makes gamers look stupid.

If these fanboys could only realize what each company has meant to expanding the game market maybe they would shut up sometimes. If Sony would have not come out with the original Playstation we might still be playing nothing but Mario games. If Microsoft didn’t create the Xbox Live Sony would still not take online gaming seriously. All we have today is thanks in part to competition, but why in some peoples mind does that competition have to turn into a pissing contest?

I know that I have no right to complain and that these idiots are out there and that there is truly nothing that I could do to stop them, but after having to remove several gaming websites from my bookmarks because of the out of control fanboys I felt like ranting on the subject a little bit. Whether you want to admit it or not we all have a little bit of fanboy in us, but those who can use logic to see through hype and keep an open mind make for the kind of fanboys I could get behind. I would love to hear your own opinions on fanboys. Please leave a comment and try to keep it kosher.

Tags: fanboy

http://www.farbot.com/ Paul Munn

Hilarious picture. What a NYYYEEEEH face!

Other than that: shoe, meet other foot. You didn’t think the Sony faithful would take the utter pummeling they got last year and not celebrate when they get little scraps of good news with a little kicking of their own, did you?

Seriously, though, welcome to the internet. If you think impulse control is already a problem in the real world try adding a dollop of anonymity, a pinch of astroturfing and marketing drones, and see what you get. Yeah it’s ugly.

It goes without saying that I’m a fan of Sony’s platforms but really how can the fans celebrate MGS4 and LBP when they’re pretty far off from hitting the street.
http://www.aeropause.com Shane Whitehouse

What I want to know is how all this territorial-gaming console war started? Why is there a need for it? You don’t see sites and forums out there for Washer & Dryer fanboys and girls in flame wars, do you.

“My LG Energy Star black Washing machine kicks your Maytag washer’s ass!!”
Richard Windsor

Oh I fully expected the onslaught once Sony started getting things together, but it really never has stopped. It has been going on since the launch of the 360. The Xbox fanboys are just as guilty, but for some reason there seems to be quite less of them. I don’t exactly know why but I guess it can remain a mystery.
.germ

I’m not trying to start any wars here, but here me out:

It’s only natural that Sony fans would react that way once they got their shit together. But before all of this, Nintendo fans had been getting it for over a decade. I’ll admit that after E3 ’06, I was glad that those cocky Sony fans (both online and offline) who wouldn’t stop berating me for PLAYING WHAT I LIKE (god forbid) were finally getting a taste of their own medicine. I admit that I like Nintendo more than the other two, but I only lash out when someone from the other camps try to give me a hard time for liking what I like.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, no group of fanboys (at least the type described in the article) should play the victim. All camps are as guilty as the others.
Eddie2010

My guess, He created this article just to get more hits to his site. I find it suspect that he points out Sony fanboys as the main offender of fanboy articles and post. In my oppinion the Xbox 360 fanboys are the worst. As far as there being more Sony post on N4G, there has been a lot of PS3 news lately, Most being good news, and in those post I have seen very little negativity against other consoles. You can go to the N4G site today and find out for yourself.

Mainstreem sites are just as guilty, when it comes to fanboyism, Many of the people that write for those sites are fanboys of one system or the other, who decides who has a legitimate post or not.
http://www.routermall.com used cisco

“The Xbox fanboys are just as guilty, but for some reason there seems to be quite less of them.”

Its a simple matter of math. Assuming some small percentage of all console owners have a propensity for zealotry (say 5%), then the Playstation has the largest potential base of fanboys.

Also, people tend to be the most tolerant of the fanboys of the console they prefer. So even if you are not technically a fanboy, if you honestly prefer the 360, you will naturally be less bothered by 360 nutjobs.
Richard Windsor

First and foremost a small couple paragraph rant is nothing that draws much attention to gain traffic if so I might have submitted it to digg, but I didn’t. Second I never rate fanboys by who are the worst, I only pointed out that Sony fanboys are way more active. Third, any person that has an opinion about which fanboys are worse is probably a fanboy himself as there is really no way to judge that unless you have a serious bias.
Richard Windsor

You are probably right about the math part but even though I play more on my 360 I find Xbox & Nintendo fanboys just as annoying as anyone else.

I really wish all the console were free. If every gamer could have all the consoles then I think fanboyism would die down quite a lot. Ohh who the hell am I kidding people would still bitch about each console like fifth graders.
Sifer2400

“Third, any person that has an opinion about which fanboys are worse is probably a fanboy himself as there is really no way to judge that unless you have a serious bias.” exactly my thoughts ps great rant and very funny picture
http://www.farbot.com/ Paul Munn

Heh yeah then it would be yammering about the games. Wait they already do. Doh!
http://www.unfetteredblather.com Jason O

I own a Wii and a 360, I simply have no use for a PS3 at this point.

The problem with that statement is some people will infer that I think the PS3 is crap and thus declare a jihad and call me a fanboy, etc. etc.

I think it’s all about hypersensitivity combined with buyer’s remorse. I think when someone buys Console A and then hears about how someone loves their Console B they start to doubt their decision. The reaction is to justify their choice while degrading the other person.

My belief was that the last generation, despite my many criticisms of Nintendo, yielded three very good consoles.

The PS3 does have some problems, but most of those problems are due to Sony’s poor management decisions made during its development. As a piece of hardware there is nothing wrong with it. The issues are price, the inserting of a game console into a media format war, and lack of titles.

All three of those issues are surmountable. While I currently have no use for a PS3, I’d still like to get one someday and I will once I can justify the purchase. I did not buy a PS2, X-Box, and Gamecube all at once, but I enjoyed owning all three.

I understand that not everyone can own every console of every generation. You have to make an informed choice and then live with it. If you bought a PS3 and are unhappy with its game library compared to the 360, all you can do is make the best of it and be patient.

As for the 360 and Wii fans denigrating PS3 owners, that’s just crap.

To me, the real war is in console sales. Our only place in it is our buying decisions. The fanboi screeching is just background noise to the corporations anyway. If you want to “prove” your console is superior, vote with your wallet. Don’t buy anything from your console’s competitors and buy lots of games for the console you own. That is how you “win”.

Though I don’t understand fanboyism myself. I don’t believe MS, Nintendo, or Sony deserve any of my loyalty. They make stuff I want and I’ll give them money for it. The relationship need go further than that.