Yesterday, I wrote an article about the Xbox360 and its supposed failure due to the power brick being plugged into other surge protectors. Apparently I opened a virtual Pandora’s box of comments(the above link and here) where the focus went not from the article, but to readers flaming each other on which system is better and finally digressing into an all-out argument. Like myself, I am very passionate about the video games I spend so much time playing and reporting on, but there are very few facets about the gaming community I am utterly confused about: The Fan Boy is one.
Wikipedia defines the fanboy as follows: Fanboy is a term used to describe an individual (usually male, though the feminine version fangirl may be used for females) who is utterly devoted to a single fannish subject, or to a single point of view within that subject, often to the point where it is considered an obsession. Fanboys remain loyal to their particular obsession, disregarding any factors that differ from their point of view. Fanboys are also typically aggressive and hateful towards the opposing brand or competition of their obsession regardless of its merits or achievements.
There is absolutely nothing wrong about having favorites or being passionate about one’s beliefs, be it sports, video games, what have you. As you all know, fan is a derivative of the word fanatic. Yet the recent bashing of the Xbox360 and/or the PS3 in that column or any past or future really does the gaming industry more harm than good. The famed Economist Adam Smith(he was the focal point of John Nash’s thesis in A Beautiful Mind), stated that in a capitalistic society, competition is what drives the economy and in this case the next gen console wars. Although competition can have adverse effects when trying to achieve the same goal; the video game industry absolutely runs on it. The only way to improve something is to meet or surpass its competition or die trying.
I do not own a PS3. I have no intentions of buying one. Nevertheless, I want the PS3 to do so well that the Xbox360 must do as well if not better in order to improve my gaming experience. Socratic argumental theory, also called The Art of Rhetoric, states that in order to fully win an argument, you must take into account the other sides strongest points and then turn them against. The PS3 is a fine piece of machinery and probably technologically superior to the 360 for the sole reason it came out afterwards. History repeats itself as we all know when the Xbox 1 was released after the PS2. Let’s imagine a world with no Xbox for a minute. Do you think the quality of the PS2 would be even close to what it climaxed at? Obviously not. The better Sony does, ipso facto, so does Microsoft. It’s just that simple.
This is not a mission statement or a call to arms for everyone in the gaming world to hold hands and play grab ass. Far from it. Its just a wake up call to all the uniformed and close minded that have to fill every single blog or forum with the inevitable, “PS3 sucks. Sony must Die. Microsoft is gay and so is the Xbox” Not helping. Did I jump to a conclusion about the 360 failures and point a finger? I didn’t think so, but some people did. I thought the article was clear that it was a forum topic and I just linked to a support FAQ. There were many comments that were critical, but helpful. Were my feelings hurt? No. Would you care if they were? I’d hope not. If you get anything out of what I am saying, please retain this: Every champion had its equal. It simply persevered because of its existance. We all will benefit from superior systems. Without it, the gaming world will crumble.
Fanboys are teh suck
Good read, the fanboy mindstate is a complex and unhealthy one. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, it just means you’ve been caught up in the hype, and if you can step back for a second, and accept that it’s a completely useless path to making a constructive comparison.. then you’re the kind of gamer i’d like to play online with.
Everything in life has pro’s and con’s… and nobody likes the guy who’s fixates on the con’s
All u said is true…I know cuz I used to be 1 of em fan boys….I didn’t had an xbox just ps2 & was so addicted to its games that I h8ed to see any xbox exclusiv….it was like enemy to me…but now that iv seen its games its just gr8 in graphix & game play…anyway till now still got none of nextgen games….& PS3 looks great but XBOX360 is a great deal too….so ill just shut it & wait like no one is doin.
(Dude u said all I wanted to but lets hope fan boys read this & understands it)& thnx doc.
“Did I jump to a conclusion about the 360 failures and point a finger? I didn’t think so”
Maybe you need to think again. No where on their support page were they blaming 360 issues on people plugging their power supply into a surge protector. Taking it off a surge protector or extension cord is simply a step to take when troubleshooting a possible problem with the power supply or console not turning on (ie. no power, *not* 3RLoD). Eliminating all outside factors is troubleshooting common sense.
You’re twisting facts and coming to baseless conclusions. I guess you got this whole “journalism” thing down don’t you? You’re lost in your own little world here. The underlying issue here isn’t “fanboys” but rather your shitty “reporting”.
From the support page:
MORE INFORMATION
Sorry, try again. It’s simply a guideline for troubleshooting a problem someone is already having.
Yeah, maybe you should go back and read a little more carefully instead of, as you put it, “twisting the facts”.
In the support page, the section called “Things to Try” outlines how to troubleshoot and possibly fix the issue. In the section called “More Information” it states:
- Follow these safeguards to help the power supply work:
So basically, it is saying, don’t do these things to ensure your power supply works properly. It is not saying, “we recommend you stick the power supply in an enclosed space so that it can overheat… but if you are having problems, why don’t you troubleshoot it by taking it out of that enclosed space and give it a try”
@Deathknight:
Thank you for your input. I will comment on your “journalism” as soon as you have your own website. Thanks for reading.
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