The next generation of console gaming is here. We’re nearly a month into the opening salvos in the ongoing console war with the launch of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. In the weeks preceding their release the hype train reached record breaking speeds and the fanboys came out en masse to profess their love for their chosen machine all while hissing and clawing at the opposing team like roosters in a cock fight.
If you’re at all invested in gaming culture you’ll likely already know what a fanboy is. Of the many amusing definitions of fanboy on Urban Dictionary this one has to be my favourite; someone who will defend his video game console/company obsession beyond all hope and logic. I’d say that hits the nail on the head pretty evenly.
Am I the only one who realizes how silly this is? I’m sure that there were fanboys back in the SNES vs Genesis days but it seems that despite—or maybe because of—the internet savvy digital age we live in, we’re like a bunch of cavemen beating each other over the head with clubs until the other gives in. On top of that why a person would choose to fight tooth and nail over a corporation that could care less about them in the long run is confusing to say the least.
Here’s a “perfect” example. In a recent promotional video, Toys R’ Us advertised their annual ‘Fabulous 15’ holiday list and posted it on YouTube. It’s meant to serve as a guide for clueless parents on what the hottest toys are leading into the holiday season. Xbox One made the list while Sony’s PS4 was left out. This resulted in internet outrage from the ‘We love Sony’ fan club filling up the comments section of the video. In typical internet fashion, it was mostly profanity laced racist and sexist comments. In response, the video had to be pulled from YouTube. In other words, a shopping guide designed to get parents and kids excited about Christmas got swallowed up in a vortex of fanboy hate.
On the flip side we also have the resolution issues between the two machines. The PS4 can run the all-important Call of Duty: Ghosts in native 1080p for your glorious gaming pleasure while the Xbox One upscales to 1080 from a native 720p resolution. This is certainly not the publicity Microsoft needed after a shaky reveal at E3. While they’ve tried to claw back out of the mud with numerous policy reversals, “resolutiongate,” as some now call it, puts them squarely back at the starting gate according to fanboys. Seeing as it’s about as popular to bash Microsoft as it is to hate Nickelback you can only imagine the internet uproar at the moment. Standard fanboy fodder such as ‘SONY sucks, lolz’ from one side and ‘OMG PS4 own3d the XB1’ from the other is abundant everywhere you care to look.
On the surface all of this outward emotion could possibly be perceived as completely harmless but it’s important to ask if it might be quite the opposite. There’s already proof positive that if the fanboys speak up enough changes will be made to suit their needs. Case in point is the complete reworking of the Xbox One after the gaming populace, largely lead by fanboy ranting, threw a collective hissy fit after it was announced at E3. In order to appease nay-sayers Microsoft went about making some drastic changes to their original ideas. Some might say that true innovation in gaming fell by the wayside while the status quo trudged on to ensure the almighty sales targets. The amount of money on the line for these companies is staggering so losses, while likely inevitable, are avoided if at all possible even if that means giving up on some new ideas you’re passionate about.
Whether or not these, or any other recent fanaticist outbursts (as there have been many), will have any impact on the final numbers post launch still remains to be seen but it is entirely possible. For every fanboy out there you’ve likely got ten times the ‘uneducated parents’ using the internet for research. They could be swayed from one side to the other or away from a console purchase altogether if they dare venture into the comments section. Will ‘resolutiongate’ matter in the long run? If I had to venture a guess I’d say probably not but in the short term absolutely.
No one is safe from a hearty fanboy rant either, especially if you’re in the media in any way, shape or form. Being a journalist, I’ve done my fair share of articles discussing one machine or another or reviewing a new title or piece of gadgetry. I learned very quickly that I should never, and I truly mean NEVER EVER, read the comments section of something I’ve written. If it appears that I’m leaning too much to one side or another the fanboy onslaught begins usually with every type of name calling in the book. You either develop a thick skin or you just don’t look. Sadly I’ve never been known to have an abundance of willpower and find myself reading the comments regardless of whether I can handle it or not. My favourite insult to date is being told to ‘shut my ignorant piehole’ which I took to heart by not responding in kind.
It’s unlikely that we’ll see an end to fanboys anytime soon as they seem to be a permanent fixture in gaming culture nowadays. In my mind they are, as a whole, largely just white noise but that doesn’t mean there aren’t occasions where their squeals of displeasure and hate will be heard and quite possibly acted upon. If I could offer up anything to the fanboy collective it would be this; We are at the dawn of the next era of gaming greatness and no matter where you choose to place your hard earned cash I’m entirely sure you’re going to enjoy your experience. Buy one of them, buy all of them, but in the words of Rodney King “Can’t we all just get along?”