XXOO ... Sony

XXOO ... Sony

Anyone who follows gaming forums on the internet knows what a “fanboy” is. These are guys (or girls) who will defend a certain console against any negative news, opinions, or even light-hearted jokes. They will also go out of their way to dig up and over-exaggerate any negative news on another console or game that is considered to be direct competition to their personal favorite(s). These Fanboys are often looked down on, and the word “fanboy” itself is used as an insult toward someone who seems to favor one console over another.

The console wars are born from the fact that each console has some features and games that the others do not. The obvious “war” is between the companies making the different consoles. Many “anti-fanboy” gamers believe that’s the only place console wars should be “fought”, and that gamers themselves should just enjoy the ride. These are typically people who have purchased most or all available consoles, and can’t seem to choose a favorite… Or maybe they are just extremely passive in nature… Or they just don’t care.

I like to think of the console war almost as if it is a spectator sport.  It’s actually more interactive than a spectator sport because each gamer has a personal stake in the outcome. A better selling system get’s more games, and better games, etc. Gamers also get to play the games, and purchase the games and consoles, changing the numbers that fuel the war itself. If we’re still using spectator sports as an analogy, it would be like the players themselves are replaced by thousands of fans. While that would just be a giant clusterfuck in every conceivable aspect, you get the idea. You play the game (so to speak) whether you mean to or not. When you purchase a console, you help that console in the console war. When you purchase a game for a console, you are still fighting for that console in the war.

Fanboys are not so different than sports fans who are passionate about their favorite teams. Many take the console war to the extreme, but that is seen in every avenue of fan-dom. Be a fan, be proud. I only ask that when you’re on internet forums, try to contain your inner-troll.