I am the proud owner of a wii. I play Mario Kart, No More Heroes, Brawl, Resident Evil 4, Bully, Galaxy, and Geometry Wars. I play World of Warcraft and Civilization 4 and Orange Box on my laptop. Down the road I plan to own an X-box for Halo, Mass Effect, Assassins Creed and others. My allegiance is with Nintendo first and Sony last, but why is it that we have to fight over these companies that don't give a crap about us except for our dollars. Seriously, each company has their strengths and weaknesses, but why do we defend and attack them when they hire lawyers to do that. I love Nintendo but do feel a little jilted at how slow they've been to embrace the core gaming demographic by giving guys like me good online play. Microsoft does have the best internet, but it doesn't come cheap and X-boxes break far too often to be called "reliable." Sony just needs to learn how to cater to people that don't have gobs of money.

The round about point that I am trying to make that I've been thinking about seeing all the flame wars over the Brawl review (which I loved even though I also love Brawl) is that shouldn't we be embracing the competition. Variety makes them have to make better products. Sony was way down in the console "war" and they adapted, dropped the PS3 price and started making games that didn't suck.

The gaming industry is under fire from lawmakers, angry parents, and hasty publishers. Is it too much to ask to just enjoy what you enjoy and let others like their games too with the knowledge that we have a common enemy: Jack Thompson.

because the fanboys conspire to keep them apart, and fanboys cannot allow another console to be shared in there household

-because we fight for what we believe in damnit! [gaming system] is the best and your's is shit!

Fanboy's/fangirl's are an odd species that have evolved from the original petty arguments of Nintendo vs. Sega. At the time, the two systems were different enough that arguing over them was okay. If you had both, you were the man (or woman). As systems evolved, and third party games started to go mulitplatform, normal gamers whould just choose the console that had their favorite 1st party games... and would then be lambasted by others for that choice.

Eventually, the term fanboy came into existance (on a more public level) to describe someone with fanatical devotion to one system. Like smallharmlesskitten said, the fanboys would like to see the systems kept apart, or rather, they would like to see their competitors fail. Like Yahtzee said, those who can afford all three consoles can tell you that this is the most balanced generation ever.

Fyi - I'm relatively broke, and my Ps3 fits me just fine and dandy.

Oh and the opening line-up didn't suck, Resistance and Motostorm are brilliant.

The main reason is that each of us has our own cognitive dissonance after making our purchasing decision. As such we feel the need to silence any information that suggests that we have made the wrong choice. Each of us feels these things on some level, and pretending you don't is just trying to delude yourself. We're all fanboys, some people are just more honest.

Yahtzee's Mailbag Showdown touches on Fanboyism and I think he may be right.

We argue against other consoles due to the fear that we have the worse one. By arguing how ours is the best console EVAR!1!!11!!1(ONE) we shake away the feeling of doubt that our console is some way superior. The ironic thing however is that the doubt is created by other people glorifying their own console (or company) to remove their own doubt due to someone trying to remove their doubt etc etc etc.

It is a horrible cycle.

Willy: Its a monster! Kill it!
Smithers: Its not a monster, its Mr. Burns!
Willy: Aww, its Mister Burns. Kill it!

Same reason why I got into so many fights in elementary school over why Batman's a wimp (seriously, his only superpower is being obscenely rich...and martial arts) compared to Spiderman. The logic's somewhere in there, but to get to the truth of the matter, you'd have to start reading psychological studies on fanboys, as that's the root of the problem.

Most fanboys had thier beliefs deeply rooted in the first or second gen of console warring. People that bought the original Playstation or Playstation 2 are Sony fanboys because they grew up with it, the same goes for N64 and GC buyers or original Xbox buyers.

I own all 3 systems as well as a gaming computer and the handhelds. If there's a good game, I play it. If i have an option, I buy the version my friends buy so I can optimize online play. Each system has things to offer at some point, and this is an argument that nobody will ever win because you can't convince someone to ditch their beliefs.

Now you've got the song stuck in my head... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dYpnd_9TFs

Damn you...

The way I look at it, some people just act stupid. People who argue about stupid crap like who has the better console doesn't bother me, because it's more or less a dick waving competition, and I feel secure enough with my masculinity that I don't need to get myself involved.

I just read that, and it made no sense. Crap...

I don't let stuff that doesn't affect me bother me. Now, if the fanboys were to go to war, I might be a little bothered. People shouldn't be bruised for the sake of video games. It strikes me as stupid.

Apologies for confusing everyone.

Look, if we weren't all arguing the minutiae of whose console has the biggest cock, and whose console's dad would win in a fight we'd have to actually play games, and that would never do.

I am probably a fanboy of a particular console. I recommend it to my friends, and have probably influenced at least 4 purchases of said console. If someone buys a different console I don't ridicule them, because other people aren't necessarily looking for the same thing as me from their console. So I think I can be "friends" with other console owners as long as they give me the same consideration.
Honestly, people do this with films and games and books and cars and pretty much everything else in life that we can purchase - why the big deal over consoles?

Indigo_Dingo:
The main reason is that each of us has our own cognitive dissonance after making our purchasing decision. As such we feel the need to silence any information that suggests that we have made the wrong choice. Each of us feels these things on some level, and pretending you don't is just trying to delude yourself. We're all fanboys, some people are just more honest.

This right here, is why I like you I_D.

I absolutely agree. I actually had the pleasure of informing my mother that the AU$888 she spent on my Xbox 360 and games was a waste of her money and my time. Fortunately for me, I have younger siblings who have all but adopted it anyway, so it's theirs now. Although, just for the scare, mum is threatening to break my legs if I buy a PS3.

I think it's worth it.

Voodoo Child:
... Although, just for the scare, mum is threatening to break my legs if I buy a PS3.

I think it's worth it.

You'll be forced to sit on the sofa with your broken legs, and being incapable of doing anything with those, you'll be forced to play the PS3. Shame.

Indigo_Dingo:
Fyi - I'm relatively broke, and my Ps3 fits me just fine and dandy.

Oh and the opening line-up didn't suck, Resistance and Motostorm are brilliant.

The main reason is that each of us has our own cognitive dissonance after making our purchasing decision. As such we feel the need to silence any information that suggests that we have made the wrong choice. Each of us feels these things on some level, and pretending you don't is just trying to delude yourself. We're all fanboys, some people are just more honest.

Act first, rationalise later. We have the ability to convince ourselves that we are right no matter what stupid or awful decisions we make. Not that...owning any of the consoles is bad.

Because we're humans, and it's part of our nature to be stupid.

NAd it would be damned boring if we wern't.

I have bought no next-gen consoles, as I AM OF THE OPINION (bloody caps lock) that:

PS3 can go to the devil, for removing backwards-complatibility angers me immensely.
Xbox can go to the devil, for I have no Xbox games and the controler is not my favourite.
Wii can... well, I can forgive the wii, for it is so unashamedly gimmicky it warms the bleached remnants of my soul.

So I'm sticking with ol' Mr PS2, and my computer, for quite frankly many of the newer games ar becoming so samey that I could be playing rugby.

Each console has its own strengths and weaknesses, appealing to different types of gamers. For me the Wii is too kiddy, while the PS3 is too expensive and the 360 is too unstable, so I'll stick with my PC for now I suppose. I'm sure there are equal ratios of people who would back me up in my opinion to those who would call me out saying that they're adults and own a Wii, their 360 never bricked, PCs are shit, or the PS3 is reasonably priced and I just don't make enough money. Quite frankly I don't really care what fanatics and fanboys say since in the end they're just forms of entertainment.

I want to be able to play my many friends who own ps3s with myself and other friends who are on the 360 line. I own both a 360 and a wii, but I think the the ps3 is identical to the 360 other than ocasional VERY laggy games.

I Do enjoy what I enjoy. And that enjoyment is commonly devoid of the intertubes, therefore no fanboys or any other humans at all.
And I play PC and un-often, PS2, So 7th gen consoles I have yet to give a care about.

squirrelman42:
these companies that don't give a crap about us except for our dollars

I never really understood that. Wouldn't companies care about you and any customer since they need our dolors to thrive and grow? If we aren't satisfied, they don't get our money.

I could only afford one console. I declared Wii the best in my situation. I might have chosen 360 if it didn't RR so often(before the warranty was implemented yet). I'm not sure if this makes me a fanboy or not, but I'm not one of those assholes who go around telling people that there systems sucks because of so and so. Each one has their own strengths and weakness' and if I could, I would buy all three.