Your System Sucks: A Rant About Fanboys

fanboy-3A few months ago, I wrote a feature about the things that are wrong with the gaming industry on the whole. Some of that had to do with the games themselves, some of it had to with the journalists that covered and reviewed them, and some of it had to do with the gamers that played them. In terms of gamers that are hurting gaming and its culture unknowingly, console and even PC fanboys rank right at the top.

What is a fanboy? A fanboy used to be someone that just played and loved their system or machine exclusively. I think we’ve all done this at some point in our lives. I remember loving the Sega Genesis and the Nintendo 64 and being just fine with not owning the rival systems.

However, somewhere along the line, things changed. It wasn’t just enough to love your system and be happy with it. You had to defend it with vitriol. You had to argue for it without reason or ration. You had to die on every hill for every mediocre game that came out for your system exclusively. Where did it all go wrong?

I really wish I could answer that question. While I’ve been guilty of fanboyism a few times in my life, that childish notion ultimately got put behind me as soon as I wanted games the other system had. Even though I loved my Genesis, I went over to my best friend’s house to play Super Nintendo every other day. And I eventually did get a Playstation to complement my Nintendo 64. Heck, I was a pretty rabid Sony supporter after that for the Playstation 2, but ended up getting both an XBox and a Gamecube to play some of those exclusive titles as well.

fanboy-1To me, fanboys are so destructive to the gaming community because they’re out for themselves instead of, I don’t know, the good of video games. You see, if just one console “wins” or completely destroys another, it hurts the future of video games, and the kinds of video games that can be made for us to enjoy. Likewise, fanboys don’t care about what games are actually good on other systems, they just want to see their console of choice justified. They want someone to hand them a trophy in the annual “You’re Right Awards”, which only exist in their minds.

It’s the same with anything really. Sports teams and politics come to mind. People just like to be right, and will support any moronic thing in order to be on what they view as the winning side at the end of the day. However, fanboyism in politics actually make sense to me because it’s about things that matter, and sports teams are about rooting on your home town or school. Video game fanboys are just a different beast, and an ugly stupid lumbering beast at that. Why? Because being a console fanboy is about supporting a company, and not a cause or home town.

Let’s get real. Video game companies don’t care about you sitting in your living room having fun. They care about their bottom line, and that’s how much money you are putting into their pockets. The fact that people choose allegiance to these guys above the medium itself is completely ridiculous to me. They would rather be right in their console pick than play all of the great games that are available to them. They would rather nobody played awesome games so long as they got to keep it for themselves.

fanboy-2PC fanboys are a different breed, really, but in the end it’s the same. For some reason, they’ve decided that playing games in one particular fashion trumps all others, even if there’s a great game to be had on a “lowly” console. Yes, PC games are better at controlling things like FPS games and anything in the RTS genre.

But come on, you can’t deny that there have been some great shooters on console, and when’s the last time a truly ground breaking RTS came out anyway? I get so tired of reading PC fanboy comments about how consoles suck and how PC is where it’s at. I’m sorry, but I don’t think building a $500-$1000 dollar rig every two to three years to play Valve games and MMO’s (because that’s all that’s really worth playing on PC these days) makes for the best gaming system ever.

The truth is, none of these methods of playing are the best. Fanboys need to grow up and realize that. I’ve gotten so annoyed lately with all the discussions, particularly with PS3 and XBox 360 fanboys. One of the recent ordeals is that the graphics on Ghostbusters are supposedly better on the 360, which has lead to no end of moronism coming from the XBots out there, spouting garbage about the superiority of their system and how crappy the GayStation is. Just as classy as all the teabaggers on Live.

Likewise, Sony fanboys have gotten so defensive and reactionary, they flock to Web sites (Edge’s review of Killzone 2, for instance) to spew their weak defenses for a game that isn’t worth dying over. I mean, seriously, Killzone 2 is not the thing you should hinge your system love on, it just looks ignorant. Wii fanboys really aren’t quite as bad, but I think they’re at least a little more humble because they don’t have quite as solid ground to stand on. The rest of us should probably take more cues from them.

360The funny thing is, if Halo came out on PS3, Sony fanboys would go crazy and shout about how they won a great victory, even though they trash Halo daily. It’s the same thing we saw when Final Fantasy XIII and the next MGS were announced for the 360, the XBots rejoiced at some supposed coup that Microsoft pulled off. It’s all such nonsense, really. When did we stop caring about games instead of what system we played them on?

For me, I’ve got the PS3 and the 360 and love them both. Do I play one of them more? Sure. But I imagine that’s going to change several times over the next few years. The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter to me which one is “better”. I’m not insecure enough that I need someone to validate the choices I’ve made with my money. I just play my games and enjoy myself. Fanboys should try doing the same.

So what do you guys think? Does fanboyism annoy you? Is there any fanboy out there that’s particularly irritating? Go!

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I write about samurai girls and space marines. Writer for Smooth Few Films. Rooster Teeth Freelancer. Author of Red vs. Blue, The Ultimate Fan Guide, out NOW!

22 thoughts on “Your System Sucks: A Rant About Fanboys”

  1. Eddy, that was awesome. You took the words right out oy mouth. Every company from Square to Valve is out to make a profit. If they can be nice to the community in the meantime, that is a bonus, but they need to make money and that does not make them evil.

    I would love for Halo 3 to come to the PS3. But I don’t get a 360 cause I don’t think its worth it for the games I want to play. Same for people who have a 360 and would die if God of War came out on that console. But they don’t think its worth buying a PS3 for the few games they want to play.

    Fanboyism in politics can be worse than anything, though. Hear people freaking about Obama having his feet up on his desk? There is a picture of Bush doing the same thing. I promise that people will support one and defend the other for doing the same thing.

    My take: I don’t care either way.

    Sony fanboys used to say graphics are not important, but now they are, since the PS3 is more powerful.

    Xbox fans hated on Final Fantasy, but now its all different.

    These people are losers, plain and simple. They have no life and will remain virgins forever.

  2. I totally agree, being a PC gamer I tend to look at console exclusives rather cynically. The truth is, I want to play MGS, and God of War, and gears of war 2, and heavy rain, all the other really good games that come out for the other consoles.

    Of someone gives me the “PC is dying” argument I just say maybe your right. but ill still play it until it is dead because that is what I prefer to play. I simply suck at using both the xbox and the PS3 game controllers.

    One of the reasons I like gamesushi is because the threads are not filled with Sony and/or Microsoft fanboys bashing each other.

  3. Wow. That is a great article. I’ll admit that I used to be a PC fanboy. Then I actually got a console (this was back when the PS2 was groundbreaking, and the Nintendo kids were still hoping for the gamecube to go online.) and realized that it was fun playing on consoles, too. Now I see the merits to the 360, PS3, and Wii. I suppose I’m a little biased against Nintendo, because I see them as sell-outs, but there are still good games for the Wii, like NMH, or brawl.

    Now here’s my question. We’ve seen a huge drop in the number of exclusives this generation of consoles, with the exception of Nintendo’s myriad of 3rd-party apps, of course, so why are people still being…fanboys? If anything, it seems like the fewer number of exclusives has exacerbated the problem, with everybody jumping on every possible exclusive or timed release. Remember the shitstorm when MGS Rising was first announced, and they ‘forgot’ to mention it was cross-plat? I guess old habits die hard…again, though, great article.

  4. Yeah, you guys pretty much nailed it, Eddy and Anthony. Whenever I get into a discussion of video game culture, its future, and how video games are becoming a more respected medium, there’s always some asshole who changes the subject and ultimately makes the whole issue about the console. It’s not the console! It’s the games! That’s why I don’t believe in console exclusives. In a way, the game developer companies are contributing to the fanboy plague. Release your game on all consoles, and everyone will be happy and fanboyism will become obsolete. I know that the capitalist system is based on competition, but capitalism doesn’t have to be ignorant flame war bullshit. It’s really a matter of human nature; if these fanboys step back and finally realize that you can fight your enemy and not hate him, then the competition is healthy – not this single-minded monkey-shit-fight.
    In the end, fanboyism may never leave video games, and it’s sad really because the stereotype of the fat, acne-plagued, fanboy, 4-chan-obsessed, ignorant, self-righteous, 14-year-old who lives in his parents’ basement and demands sammidges is what is really holding video games from gaining the respect they deserve as a medium of entertainment, but also one that, if it tries, can soar above and beyond movies and books.

  5. [quote comment=”7239″]Now here’s my question. We’ve seen a huge drop in the number of exclusives this generation of consoles, with the exception of Nintendo’s myriad of 3rd-party apps, of course, so why are people still being…fanboys? If anything, it seems like the fewer number of exclusives has exacerbated the problem, with everybody jumping on every possible exclusive or timed release. Remember the shitstorm when MGS Rising was first announced, and they ‘forgot’ to mention it was cross-plat? I guess old habits die hard…again, though, great article.[/quote]

    Exactly! There are really only a handful of titles that even contribute to this, anyway, so it’s weird that people freak out over these few games.

    And Cossack, you’re totally right, I hate it when people suddenly turn the conversation to consoles when it’s about the games. There are great games on all the consoles, and there are also limitations and crappy things about each console. Having owned all 3, I’ve loved and hated things about each one. And the thing is, I love my PC too and plan to upgrade it soon.

  6. I totally agree with you Eddie, its the games that matter, not the gaming systems, buuuut.

    “I’m sorry, but I don’t think building a $500-$1000 dollar rig every two to three years to play Valve games and MMO’s (because that’s all that’s really worth playing on PC these days) makes for the best gaming system ever.”

    Being a very active modder myself, i would have to disagree on that point. Although i can understand why you wont like to spend that much money, i think its worth it. For example, im patiently waiting for the Dead Before Dawn map for L4D, and i enjoy modifications for most of my strategy and FPS’ Games.

    OFP2: Dragon Rising will for example ship with as an easily moddable experience, and i can therefore create new campaigns, mission types, weapons and units from the core of the game. A moddable game is the closest i get to infinite replayability

  7. [quote comment=”7239″] I suppose I’m a little biased against Nintendo, because I see them as sell-outs, but there are still good games for the Wii, like NMH, or brawl.quote]

    How are they sell-outs? They are trying to make money so I don’t see how that term applies to them.

    Eddy, BTW, that picture of the dude with all the Nintendo accessories is hilarious.

    I think because there are so few exclusives that people get more and more frenzied when it comes to defending them.

  8. I’ve gotten over the whole console crap, but I can’t stand how childish PC fanboys are that anything and everything on a console is terrible and PC games that happen to also be on a console they denounce as “dumbed down” because it’s also on a console. They will never, ever accept consoles and will bash them unrelentlessly. They throw their mouse/keyboard arguments at us and auto-aim crap, despite the fact that it’s still REALLY GOD DAMN EASY to aim using a controller without autoaim.

  9. Wow.
    Just wow.
    That was a great article.
    See, I’m glad that someone has finally summed up all the crap about fanboys.
    Now, for the longest time, I guess you could say I was a Nintendo fanboy, with the only other console I had owned was a Sega Genesis(<3). And my computer, of coarse. But once I finally got a PS2, my view o nit all had changed.
    And, I only truly got my 360 for two reasons
    1.)Force Unleashed
    2.)Finally got tired of my friend whining about how the 360 was completely better, and that there is a difference between games for the PC that are on the 360.
    So far, the only difference I’ve seen, is that 360 games aren’t as laggy, but now I have more RAM, so it’s all great.
    I just think that people need to understand that whining and complaining about other consoles, doesn’t make their own any better.
    It actually almost makes it worse, that they should have to argue about them in the first place.

  10. i am a PC gamer but i dont consider myself a fanboy, i just have parents that are too cheap to buy any of the consoles. I have played games on the 360 and the PS3 and *gasp* even on the wii and loved them (very few on the wii) and i would love to have each console with some of the great exclusive titles for them, instead im stuck with a very,very low end pc that barely runs counterstrike: source and thats all i have. (although i did have a PS1 and a sega genesis, those were the shit, so was the N64) but i agree with you eddy, fanboys are wrong, sick, and disgusting. Why cant we all just get along?

  11. I think fanboy-ism comes from your background in gaming. If the X-Box or PS2 was your first console, then you were pretty much a fanboy on day one.

    It’s been said before, but as consoles become more and more expensive, people tend to uphold their console more fervently to justify their choice. It’s not smart, a certainly doesn’t help the image of current gamers as whiny brats.

  12. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think building a $500-$1000 dollar rig every two to three years to play Valve games and MMO’s (because that’s all that’s really worth playing on PC these days) makes for the best gaming system ever.”

    Yes a true gaming rig costs about $1000 and you tend to replace it every three or four years(I have managed to get mine to last five or six before any major upgrade) but… Almost everyone has a $400-500 computer for work, school, or just e-mail etc. and consoles cost about $400-500 when they first come out, so it ends up costing about the same as just having a gaming rig that doubles as your work/home computer. I am not saying it is better to game on a computer. I believe that for most people it is probably better to just have a console, so you don’t have to worry about whether or not your computer will handle upcoming games.

    I just felt I had to get the “gaming computers cost more” argument of my shoulders 🙂

  13. Well yeah, totally. There’s definitely value in gaming on the PC. My point is that it’s not THE way to game, as so many PC enthusiasts try to convince people. You definitely point out the stuff about it that makes sense.

  14. Another great article Eddy. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve had my own fanboy moments – i’m a nintendo fan through and through. However, i’ve never been one to buy multiple consoles, as it stands at the moment i’ve only owned a N64 and gamecube (although i am heading towards getting a wii sometime) but i have had plenty of experience with PS2’s, Xbox’s and wii’s at friends places. So i can certainly understand why people feel the need to defend their favourite console – they all have brilliant games. The problem arises when people fail to see that, great as their own console may be, there will always be people who prefer a different game on a different console.

    But i guess its the same in politics and sport as well – if people could understand other people’s opinions, we wouldn’t be having the argument in the first place.

  15. I used to judge whether to get games on PC or console based on what type of game they were. RTS, and FPS I’ll get on PC. Platformers and RPGs I’ll get on Console. I think the reason for this is that back before I had a PC (Snes – n64 psx days) the majority of the games I played were platformers and RPG’s. Once I got a PC the first game I played on it was starcraft at home, and eventually school friends got me into counter strike.

    Nowadays I have a laptop that can run most of todays newer games, so I play on PC more often than not just for the ease of taking them with me.

  16. I loved the article, and to be honest I was guilty of fanboyism but now I have no real preference as to what system I use but now I don’t care whether a game is on a certain system I just play it so i can have fun and play it with my friends. So it is a sad thing to see when gamers become fanboys who focus on trying to make everyone believe that their system is the best for the reasons of a few exclusive games or better graphics. In my mind all the fanboys in the world can go live in the woods with their one and only console without an internet connection so they cannot spread their terrible comments about the other systems.

  17. Guilty so many times in the past but I’ve attempted to reform. (As mentioned above) This is what’s great about this site. Little to no fanboy rants (unless there’s an MGS article in which case I volunteer myself lol). I’m fine with Xbots. But I still can’t cast aside my PC grudge in terms of cost. Surs, no arguement here or anywhere else has convinced me that forking out a (insert currency here)1000 to play games. If anyone can think of a I’d like to know plz. KTHNX BAI.

  18. “Do I play one of them more? Sure. But I imagine that’s going to change several times over the next few years.”

    Ah, same with me, I go in cycles of playing my PC, to just playing my console, to playing both, back and forth, etc. It’s enjoyable to me, it’s like reconnecting with an old friend 🙂

    “I’m sorry, but I don’t think building a $500-$1000 dollar rig every two to three years to play Valve games and MMO’s (because that’s all that’s really worth playing on PC these days) makes for the best gaming system ever.”

    Not so sure I agree there, I have a good PC and I haven’t updated it with any new hardware in 2 years, and I can run any game out there just great with no problems. I’m perfectly content with it and its capabilities. In my experiences, the only people who do that do it because they want their games to look “purdy” that or the graphics card got damaged or something (It happens to all of us atleast once y’know?)

    “These people are losers, plain and simple. They have no life and will remain virgins forever.”

    I think we can all agree on that one =D

  19. I don’t read gaming news or reviews by the every-day geek anyways. I like this community (gamersushi) because its small and for the large part we agree quite often and everyone appears to be atleast half-intelligent.

    If someone wants to fanboy it up, it doesn’t bug me at all, they just look stupid. Unless ofcourse they’re in the higher ranks and chose PC. . . XD (kidddding).

    I’m PC because I need a fast machine for work anyways, why buy another machine if I can play, work, and do everything I need to on THIS machine. It’s not blind faith to me, its just logic.

  20. Wow. Man if only more people thought like this. I only have a PS3 and of course I have a PC but I still think the other consoles have great games. I’m even thinking about getting an Xbox360 if i get enough money. I mean every console has good games and bad games. All of them have their pros and cons and people have to learn that. Not saying that I haven’t been guilty of being a fanboy in certain situations before. I have chosen sides before but thats only because I’ve never really played on an Xbox or the Wii. I think almost everyone who plays games have been guilty of being a fanboy at times before but some more than most.

  21. i play on my computer yea i spent £725 bout middle last year on it as the computer i had in my room was pretty bad and needed upgading cos its a few years old

    so i get prototype and i use vista and im shocked to see it requires 2 gig of ram so i can only do prototype or nothing meh i need a bit of ram so what just a stick i probably wont upgrade for another few years i prefer computers over consoles cos of access to say internet so i can hop of me game and go on msn or what not

    i saw great games (cant remember all names) but something about being war from 4 horseys and another about being a monster hunter i thought great games saw they for diffrent consoles then thought oh well shame i cant play

    i mean i kinda feel sorry for console gamers cos their game prices are so high and they might not have enough of the games for me to play ill stick to me pc till someone buys me the thing

    never realy understood what a fanboy is this article opened my view to another group of people to think “how stupid do they sound?”

  22. Once again great work Eddy 🙂

    For my tastes I lean towards console gaming, as in the long run upkeep of the technology is pretty cheap, ie.; buy the console, that’s it. It’ll last ~5-10 years (the X360’s replacement is supposedly going to be released 2015, but I have my doubts). I have no preference in the PS3 vs. X360 vs. Wii, but if I had to order on my favorite games it’d have to be PS3, 360, Wii, as I’m a bit of a Gran Turismo, God of War and MGS fan (just fan, *not* fanboy :P), but I still prefer the X360 for Halo and Call of Duty as there’s pretty much always someone to play against on Live, even though, at times, my connection can become pretty bad :S

    [quote comment=”7278″]i play on my computer yea i spent £725 bout middle last year on it as the computer i had in my room was pretty bad and needed upgading cos its a few years old

    so i get prototype and i use vista and im shocked to see it requires 2 gig of ram so i can only do prototype or nothing meh i need a bit of ram so what just a stick i probably wont upgrade for another few years i prefer computers over consoles cos of access to say internet so i can hop of me game and go on msn or what not

    i saw great games (cant remember all names) but something about being war from 4 horseys and another about being a monster hunter i thought great games saw they for diffrent consoles then thought oh well shame i cant play

    i mean i kinda feel sorry for console gamers cos their game prices are so high and they might not have enough of the games for me to play ill stick to me pc till someone buys me the thing

    never realy understood what a fanboy is this article opened my view to another group of people to think “how stupid do they sound?”[/quote]

    I feel that this seems a bit fan-boy-ish(?)

    Hell, for £725 (or NZD$1,860 (my country’s currency)) I could get a 60Gb X360, an 80Gb PS3, a relatively good mid-size (like 26-31”) LCD TV and still have change 🙂

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