The Big Picture: Fair Game

[omegawyrm]

A while ago I admitted to myself that I actually was a fanboy, but I always thought it hard to put my finger on what that meant. I am overwhelmingly positive about most videogames and that gets me called a fanboy a lot. If I can play a game, 9 times out of 10 I will view it as a net positive experience, whether it be Final Fantasy XIII, Halo 2, Metroid: Other M, Metal Gear Sold 4, and probably most other games you hate. Is that really what fanboy means though?

I think what fanboy actually means has more to do with those properties that people are just inexorably linked to because they represent some important event or change in their life. Moviebob even talked about it in an early Game Overthinker episode with Nintendo fanboys (episode 7).

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I wish fanboy would be recognized as not meaning liking a product a lot, but liking a product for some reason having more to do with personal affection than its actual quality. I don't think people see fanboy as having this meaning, because if they did, then you wouldn't see people trying to dissuade "fanboys" of their opinions so often, because they'd realize there is no point. It's about the persons history and not the product.

I don't think I conveyed that very well...

 

[Fappy]

I'm actually in a Mass Communications History class at the moment, so thanks for the little primer for whenever we start talking about the FCC.

Anyway I completely agree with your point and have always been perplexed by the "console war" more specifically.

Woot! Now I can say I love the Star Wars prequels without being told that the originals were better.

Hey I got a secret for you...

Spoiler

The originals were better!

 

[malmodir]

Well! All I have to say is the following:

Bob, you're absolutely right.

 

[messy]

I was looking forward to the green lantern film until I saw the trailer. I mean I still see it but I don;t think I'm going to like it.

Also who the fuck doesn't like Vanilla Ice?

 

[Stephanos132]

What is an objective opinion?

What that guy said.

Also, I'm presuming Bob has been on this website enough to know that the fanboyist 'counterarguements' are by no means universal. If it's 4chan he's thinking of, then he should know better than to go there seeking a reasoned debate. In either case, I've not seen many examples of all this above the usual level of ignorance that would berate your life choices anyway.

But, then again, this won't be the first time I've thought Bob pulled something out of his arse.

An objective opinion is something the true fanboys (the hipster comformists douches) came up with to explain how their opinions are right and yours are wrong (also backed by some trolls)

in other words

objective opinions are about as real as Reaganomics works

So it is bullshit? Oh good, I was getting worried there.

Wait, I just read the guy above me, (and some others). Are you guys serious? That's some of the dumbest crud I've ever read in light of the subject. You yourselves are providing the fodder for his thesis and you can't even recognize it.

Really? How?

 

[harknesssimm]

This from someone that could not tolerate people liking the Expendables because that meant they were responsible for the failure of Scott Pilgrim.

but thats not a black vs white sort of thing. his problem with that is that a crappy movie prevented a good movie from getting recognition

 

[oneshotfinchy]

I only call fanboy when somebody says something is objectively wrong in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. That or criticise their opposition rather than their arguments. That or criticise something they have very limited experience in.

*cough*
http://screwattack.com/videos/TGO-Episode-40-Heavens-to-Metroid
*cough*
http://screwattack.com/videos/GAME-ANTITHINKER-History-of-Video-Games
*cough*
http://screwattack.com/videos/TGO-Episode-42-Worst-Person

 

[Valdez Leel]

I always thought that the term "Fanboy" wasn't so much a criticism of the fact the person, "Has an opinion," so much as, "Has an opinion that comes from a purely emotional, irrational place and therefore cannot be in engaged with for the purposes of reasoned discourse."

For example: I have a dear friend who's a big Tim Burton nut. He grew up on Tim Burton films and all you have to do is play him a melody from a Danny Elfman score or flash some Burtonesque visuals and his eyes glaze over with nostalgia and his ability to critically evaluate a film dribbles out of his ears like sour milk. He thinks Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland was the best thing ever. Don't disagree with him. Don't attempt to calmly discuss the films flaws in an even handed fashion. He will bite your head off.

I think the term 'fanboy' is totally appropriate.

Now granted - there's an element of emotion to every opinion. And that's good. That adds spice. That adds passion. But when that passion reaches hysterical, feverish levels, then it's no longer fun for the person on the other side of the debate. Because it's tedious and frustrating articulating a complex, nuanced argument only to have the other half of the discussion refuse to acknowledge any of the points you've made - and worse still - regurgitate the same tired overemotional nonsense they've been hurling at you for the past thirty minutes, AGAIN.

Now sure, as with all terms that enter the conciousness of pop-culture, "Fanboy" is bound to be misapplied a billion times. But I still think it has a useful function. If someone wades into a debate, say on the importance or unimportance of the Nintendo Wii, and has a strong emotional attachment to the Nintendo brand, then the other people participating in that discussion have a right to expect that person to check their pre-existing baggage at the door - or at least qualify and explain it. If they don't - then that person shouldn't be surprised to see the fanboy card being played liberally and repeatedly.

Having an opinion is fine, but if that opinion has nothing resembling reason or logic behind it then it is useless to all but the person who vigorously asserts it.

 

[Corey Longest]

im a biased Big Picture Fanboy

 

[natural20]

Even worse than being called a fanboy? Being called a fanGIRL. Whether applied to men or women, the term evokes a squealing preteen Twihard-like catgirl (a la Something Positive) in addition to the fanboyness described by Bob.

 

[JPArbiter]

you know, I think I am in the mood for Cinnamon Ice Cream

 

[supermariner]

it's lucky really you don't really encounter this sort of behaviour on the Escapist

that's right, i'm an escapist fanboy now

 

[CitySquirrel]

In our culture we tend to think in binary pairing and this is a symptom of that.

That having been said, I think Mr. Bob missed the fact that "fanboy" is really an appeal to ridicule rather than an expression of some belief in the need for fairness. I mean, if we agree with a person then we are not going to call them out as a fanboy for being unfair.

No, the problem is not that we feel like we need equality. The problem is that people do not know how to argue a point beyond ad hominem attacks and other choice logical fallacies.

 

[Okysho]

*snip*

Yeah, I saw legends and liked it... also spartan 1337 (I see what they did there) was hilarious

I also liked Red vs Blue (the original Blood Gulch Chronicles)

Still don't like the games though... mainly because the health regen bugs me

Douche-bag argument: "DUDE! IT'S NOT HEALTH, IT'S A HIGH TECH SHIELD!"

...is it what determines how many more bullets you can take before you die?

yes?

THEN IT'S HEALTH! (or armor which also doesn't regenerate last I checked... imagine CS:S with regen armor O_O)

...but yeah; same situation

still don't like the games
liked the series' though

anyways I lost my train of thought...

yup

I don't mind the shield system, specifically in the first one, because they used that in combination with a health system (if you lost your shield, there were still 5 blocks? of health you had to go through) which justified the super-totally-awesome-chocolate-coated-super-armour and worked well into the game mechanics and story.

Metroid Other M did something similar. If you run out of energy(0 energy) you don't fully die, you're in critical, and you have a chance to regenerate some health, by hiding and holding down... B? (I don't fully remember) which works into the story, because Samus has a FREAKING POWERSUIT, she's not insta-killed when her health runs out.

It's games like CoD and the new halo games that have pure regenerating health which bugs me... So much for combat evolved... This is a bit off topic though...

The console wars are so stupidly heated I find, as well as are the OS wars. (Mac vs PC) it's ridiculous how people are always prejudgmental of the other owners, expecting them to be "fanboys" (Bob's right, I'm starting to hate that term). Now if you're actually arguing with a fanboy (someone who calls the Xbox the Shitbox, or bashing the Wii for no real reason) get the fuck off your high horse, each console has it's flaws.

People who aren't though, it drives me crazy when I get called out for bringing up a problem that I have with my console, OS choice (I'm a mac user for the most part) and get called out for being a fanboy. What the bloody hell!! am I right?

 

[Ian Lutz]

I think that people just need to judge ones opinion and see if they agree with it or not if they don't well than they don't have to listen to it and no one gets hurt.

 

[RemytheNinja]

I remember i told this guy that street fighter was my favorite fighting game. He got so bent outta shape that i didn't like 3D, I NEVER SAID I DIDN'T LIKE 3D. i just stated that Street Fighter was my favorite, Soul Caliber is my second favorite, but by that time he was telling me 2D fighting games are retard and trying to piss me off so i ignored him.

 

[Eponet]

We judge Gears of war by killzone because they are alternatives. You can't say "New Vegas has bugs, yet pong never glitched" without looking ridiculous, you compare to what you know.

I personally would have to disagree on that point. They're not exactly alternatives, as they're bound to different systems. For someone that doesn't have a Playstation, playing gears would cost far less than killzone, and vice versa. Additionally, if they already had both, they could very well buy both, disposable income permitting. They're no more alternatives than any other non-essential goods of similar price.

When giving an opinion on a game, it hardly seems fair to have to explain why someone should buy a matress, or an old mobile phone instead.

 

[JPArbiter]

I only call fanboy when somebody says something is objectively wrong in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, just because it stars their favourite character or franchise. That or criticise their opposition rather than their arguments. That or criticise something they have very limited experience in.

*cough*
http://screwattack.com/videos/GAME-ANTITHINKER-History-of-Video-Games

given that Bob's Anti Thinker is inherently satire, and goes against previously established personna it is kind of unfair to point to this as Bob being wrong. He was after all suppoused to be int hat case. as far as Metroid and "Worst Person" you seem to be missing the general point of this episode.

Bob un-apologetically holds an opinion that runs counter to the popular one, and states that the popular opinion does not hold sway. futher he backs his opinions with observations he makes on the subject matter at hand, thus presenting his reasoning for others to take or leave. If Anything people how blasted him on Heavens to Metroid, or Worst Person (and other associated Overthinker Projects) are the very Fan-boys that are being addressed here. and Bobs solution, give the fan boys a hi- five, especially the ones that disagree with him.

You should note that we rarely if ever have seen Bob react or verbally retaliate to people who bash him. the only times I can think of are when he released a short video to the screw attack audience politely asking for patience while his Anti-Thinker experiment panned out.

 

[Ashoten]

I'm actually in a Mass Communications History class at the moment, so thanks for the little primer for whenever we start talking about the FCC.

Anyway I completely agree with your point and have always been perplexed by the "console war" more specifically.

Woot! Now I can say I love the Star Wars prequels without being told that the originals were better.

Hey I got a secret for you...

Spoiler

The originals were better!

and so my quest continues(Que Bruce Banner walking away music).

 

[Canadamus Prime]

No Bob, you're not the only one who noticed that. I find it quite maddening.