How to Lessen Fanboyism

Fanboys, or fanbois as they are popularly called, have been prevalent in the video game world since Sega Gensis vs Super Nintendo days and even before that there were Nintendo fans that likely claimed the NES was the only way to enjoy video games. Now, with the advent of the Internet and gaming the plethora of gaming blogs fanboys have run rampant and have created a modern warfare known as the flamewar, we need to stop this.

The most obvious way to eliminate this annoying ignorance is to stop baiting them with articles specifically built for that purpose. One recent example is IGNs article about having their user base decide which is better, Battlefield 3 or Modern Warfare 3. Sure, gamers love to proclaim their admiration for a specific game series and that is part of the reason they visit such articles, just to be ‘heard’. But these voices devolve into something ugly, calling one gamer and idiot for liking something contrary to their own opinion instead of having a rational discussion.

Of course, as many will say and have said before, this is the Internet what do you expect. I expect there to be at least one bastion of rational discussion about games that is not mostly about stating how one console or game sucks while giving no evidence to even support such a claim. Game journalists need to start this by being open minded in their opinions and presentation of information on a particular game. Posts like the one on IGN are seen as a way to get advertising clicks and removes most credibility of their integrity.

Even when journalists are doing their jobs in either being objective or at least refusing to flat out put down a game or console, the comments section will still run rampant with ignorance. If you, like me, are tired of seeing how wrong someone is  for liking a particular product then you could at least add a voice of reason. Though reason is generally lost on the majority of the Internet I still feel that the more is presented the more others will take heed.

One thing that really needs to stop immediately is the exclusivity war, it is the last ditch effort of fanboys trying to convince everyone that they made they right choice because their console has the most exclusives. Exclusives mean nothing if you don’t actually like the games that are limited to a specific console. Someone may love Halo and Froza but hate Infamous and Uncharted(though I would be surprised if anyone disliked either) and thus making the point that PS3 has more exclusives moot. There is no BEST console, there may be one that is better suited to a specific person depending on their tastes. So stop it, exclusives just do not matter.

Finally, “don’t like it, then don’t play it” should be everyone’s mantra when discussing opposing game titles. You love battlefield 3 yet you think Call of Duty is just the worse thing since burnt toast before you even tried it, that’s great but unless you can compare them in a way that relates to your personal experience with both then don’t bother sharing your opinion. Hating on a game before it’s even out or has been played is another issue that has been growing over the years and it’s nothing more than people just trying to start meaningless dialogue or as a way of just putting their voice on the internet in the hopes of being heard.

I know this was basically all about getting along on the Internet, which is an impossible task, but I just hope you will be rational and consider what you are actually saying before you hit the submit button for your comment.