Personal Opinion: Fan Boys and Fan Girls - Detrimental to Gaming?

Fan Boys and Fan Girls - Detrimental to Gaming?

Originally Published and Copyrighted by Blast Away the Game Review on 11/30/2013

Written by Dustin Murphy

When it comes to gaming there is an unspoken disapproval for someone who does not play the console you prefer. It is a venom that in many ways leads to a hate that is unjustified, wrong, and unfortunately degrading to ones own self. In the social grouping as gamer's, it was once upon a time something that was an unspoken "law" a "code of ethics" that games new. This was during the era I grew up in where you had the Nintendo gamer's, the Sega Gamer's, the PC enthusiasts (before it got as big as it is now), and well your PlayStation fans once they entered the show.

The console war was something more than could be expected when the Sega DreamCast, the Nintendo GameCube, and the Sony PSOne were on the market, brawling, and bringing forth the best exclusives we could see. Some of them were still on the earlier consoles (Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64, and even the Sega Genesis 32Bit Master System). As time grew on we began to see Sega slowly slip away into the digital market after their lawsuit with Sony, which lead to them not making hardware, and unfortunately becoming a mere shadow of their former self. As time moved on - so did the fans. Bigger, better, and stronger consoles were coming out, enter the day of the XBox 360 and PlayStation 3 where we are now. This is where we truly saw the fan boy, fan girl, and the casual gamer's become recognized as a crowd the industry would focus on, ones that would inevitably become the battleground, the new area of dislike, and distrust for each other. In many ways, a fire that's being stoked with gasoline by the gaming industry and media.

What lead to this you might ask and I have an answer. Sitting on Google+ there is a lot of media focusing on just the gaming genre same with Twitter and of course retailers if you hang around long enough to get insight from other gamer's. After having checked a few of my normal media sources for social interaction, it was quite clear that the XBox "drones" have been going through purposely trying to pick a debate or even a spam war against PlayStation owners, but why? Well it's about who has the better console and why. Lets break it down - both consoles are having failure rates, both are running into having to be replaced, and or limiting online services to resolve problems regarding their online accessibility.

XBox and PlayStation Players - Read This For Food For Thought:

In the light of the XBox One having launched somewhat roughly across parts of Europe and America, the console failure rate has been staggering, which has lead to Microsoft mailing out new consoles and allowing owners to have one digital exclusive game to play while they await their console (assuming your disc drive is out). This is definitely something impressive that Microsoft has done in order to keep you in the game, enjoying your console, and in some hope - alleviating your frustration. When the XBox 360 first released, the failure rate was in the 30-40% range, which is mind blowing, and truly a topic that brought up doubts surrounding their console as the Red Ring of Death (RRoD) became a plague that bothered gamer's. This scenario dwindled its effects on gamer's such as myself, leaving us frustrated, without games, and of course thinking foul things about Microsoft and their supposed to have been flawless console. It took years for them to figure out what caused it, from white XBox's, to the elite, and then the now slim, which has worked without a hiccup for most owners.

Now PlayStation has also had its fair share of problems, this is not limited to their PlayStation Network outage, but also dying consoles, failing blu-ray drives, slow network speeds (trust me, I suffered through this as well) and of course push backs on exclusive title releases or the yellow light of death. In turn the PlayStation 4 has also begun to suffer its own issues - HDMI ports being damaged, flashing blue light of death, the controllers not syncing, and now after the Europe launch, PSN vouchers having been spotty on working if they do. These are all unfortunate events that should be expected by any one console, even the XBox One, Wii U or even the PS Vita or 3DS models - HARDWARE IS HARDWARE. Gamer's should not dislike one another based on console preference, the spirit of the games is just that, to game, to enjoy, and revel in the ideology common interests have been found.

My Console - It's Better - You have No Opinion:

I've heard this line a hundred times, if not more in recent years. Console gamer's such as my own friends have looked down upon me for owning a PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation, PlayStation One, and of course a PlayStation 2. Also lets not forget Sega CD, Sega DreamCast, and many more just to give an idea of how diverse my gaming habits are. When once asked the reply would have been simple and still is: I enjoy games for what they are, so should you. Their reply was never as simple to understand and this is common it seems: Because my console is more superior. This is something that seems to constantly plague the gaming society, but why? Taking a look into it, it seems that gamer's have begun to build their focus upon what they prefer, be it a party chat system, more diverse game collection, and or online services. It doesn't mean your console is something better than the other, it means you found your preference, something you support, and something you will stick with till the day it stops functioning and ceases to work like it should.

Why Fan Boys and Fan Girls Need to Lighten Up:
At the end of the day, the gaming community is like a recess black top from elementary school. On this "blacktop" you have your sport people, monkey bar enthusiasts, jungle gym extraordinaire's, wall ball fanatics, book readers, and of course those kids who just sit and do nothing with the time besides complain. Who would those fan boys and fan girls be - the complainers. The bullies who after complaining get up, ruin it for everyone, and make themselves look as big as the person they are picking on. When it comes to gaming, people need to remember and be grateful for an opportunity that the development teams, console creators, and writers put their time, blood, family, and even their needs behind have given us. Gaming is not a right, it's a privilege that has been given to us, the gaming society, and it's something that we have begun to darken the name of. Darken it you say? Yes, you read it right. Just remember, gamer's on different platforms don't necessarily dislike the one you play on, they play where they prefer to spend money, play with the group they do, and enjoy it. Just remember, there is no reason to be mean, aggressive, and or flaunt your preferred console to others.

Readers:

We know here at B.A.T.G.R. you read us because you are either a gamer, parent or friend who gifts games, and or someone who wants to support our page. As a shopper, gamer, and or parent, what do you think of the flame wars between the gamer's? Does it bother you knowing there are elitist out there that will disapprove of a person because of their preferred format? PC Gamer's, we know you have had a huge part to fill, and are constantly seeing PC's as the master race of gaming, what is your take on this? Are they being childish, supportive, or should they enjoy games for what they are? Let me know in the comments. It's interesting to see your opinion. IF a reader is a game development team member, how does this make you feel?