What Defines a Fanboy?

[Barciad]

Simple enough question, I think.
However, someone who was clearly a Nintendo Fanboy came along and called me a Cricket Fanboy. I argued that his statement was a complete nonsense because cricket was a sport and not a game, book, TV series, or film. He countered that fanboyism could be applied to anything you have obsessive interest or knowledge in. I then suggested that would make there a lot of fanboys in the world. Fans of Football (either soccer or the American variety), Rugby, cricket, baseball, playing or spectating, all could then by his reasoning, be legitimately be deemed fanboys.
I then asked him if he would dare go in a pub or bar and say that.
He told me not to be so stupid.

 

[Eiseman]

Well, there's a difference between fans and "fanboys." The difference is the emphasis on the word "boy."

If you've got deep passion for a subject AND deep knowledge, you tend to be a fan. You can have serious discussions about said subject instead of just singing its praises like it's some kind of sacred ritual. You also don't flip out or throw an internet tantrum whenever there's a disagreement.

Fanboys, well... I think you know. They're not very pleasant people to talk to.

 

[BlueMage]

Technically, he was right. Though I would make the further distinction between fanboy and armchair fanboy.

Pragmatically, he was also right - sport fanboys tend to be beefier and more prone to violence than console fanboys.

 

[Larenxis]

Yeah, I think fanboy-ism is just taking being a fan too far. Its doesn't make much sense, 'cause fan already means 'fanatic' but I think people forget that. I would consider myself a 'fan' of something but I view that as a relaxed appreciation and a healthy amount of enthusiasm towards the subject. So I think as definitions are altered we bring in new words, and it all gets far too complicated.

 

[Cid Silverwing]

I differentiate between fans depending on the severity of their dedication to a series.

Normal fans are obviously the normal people you can talk to with no fear of utter retardation being regurgitated in your face.

A fanboy is slightly more annoying, and may many times use expressions like "Omg [this and that] is so hawt ^^".

A REAL fanboy is just a fucktard who brands any arguments against their beloved series as heresy and goes apeshit if you tell them anything that contradicts their opinions. They also tend to completely abandon what the series was about in the first place and BLINDLY (emphasis on BLINDLY) follow their series like mindless sheep.

 

[tiredinnuendo]

I tend to identify the fanboys as the true fanatics, since "fan" nowadays has been scaled back to mean that you like something. I seperate them based on the qualifier that fanboys can't allow other things to exist in the same space as their chosen idol.

Example:

Me: I have an XBox.
You: I have a PS3.
Me: Neat.

Neither of us are fanboys. But what if...

Me: I have a PS3.
You: Why? Don't you know it sucks? You should get a 360.

You're a fanboy. But it gets worse...

Me: I liked Bioshock.
You: Oh yeah? Did you know it's coming out on the PS3 now, *and* it'll have extra stuff? The PS3 is SO much better than the 360.

You're now a *raving* fanboy. I wasn't even talking about consoles.

And yes, I've had all of these conversations.

- J

 

[Pohlkat]

Fanboys tend to get banned from these forums

 

[tiredinnuendo]

Fanboys tend to get banned from these forums

Nah, we've got our pet fanboys here. They get banned if they start acting like a Tourette's victim.

- J

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

Well, you said it..............Unless wikipedia will let me on. The curse of nitpicking.

 

[John Galt]

Easy, a troll with the best of intentions.

 

[anNIALLator]

I think a fanboy is someone who is really narrow minded, and only likes one system. They are unwilling to accept that there is anything wrong with their chosen system and refuse to believe that an exclusive, eg Halo, MGS, is good just because it's on a different system.
A good example of a fanboy is the maker of a few youtube video 'reviews' that compare the graphics of bioshock to the gamecube, and say that in halo, you have to collect every skull in the game or you don't see the ending.

 

[zen5887]

Someone who loves someone soo much they refuse to accept any negitive opinions or comments towards that subject..

Pops up in gaming, metal, uhh... Thats all I can think of

Hmm

 

[Altorin]

who defines Fanboy?

Merriam-Webster does



Main Entry: fan·boy
Pronunciation: \ˈfan-ˌbȯi\
Function: noun
Date: 1919

: a boy who is an enthusiastic devotee (as of comics or movies)

 

[mitsoxfan]

A fanboy/girl, with respect to consoles, is someone that believes exclusivity is good, unless it's exclusive to another system.

They believe that any time a media outlet/anyone says something negative about their console they are biased. And when they say something negative about the other console 'it's about time!'.

They are completely incapable of realizing that multiple systems are good for the consumer, exclusivity is bad, and that people have free will to choose what/how they want to play.

 

[Thediscoducky]

The difference between a fan and a fanboy, so they call them, is simple.
A fan is someone with passion and who enjoys his console (speaking about gaming now) very much and has a deep knowledge about said subject.
A FANBOY, or troll, is someone who is blinded by said subject and wont accept anything else that isn't for/ agreeing with said console....never actually realising that said console doesn't actually need defending and that you can have more than one side in the console war.

 

[Lord Rick]

To me, a (console) fanboy is someone who will blindly and loudly defend their own console with ignorance alone. They often tend to do this by striking out at someone with a different opinion, unable to accept that people with differences in opinion can get along. They will never accept anything other than their console being the only choice worth investing in.

 

[joswie]

A fanboy/girl typically defends any criticism directed at their passion with a nonesensical counter.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

For me, the key difference between a fan and a fanboy is this;

- A fan likes [title].

- A fanboy hates everything but [title].

I like fans, even of titles I don't particularly enjoy; generally they're good folk to be around, because their passion is positive. They want to add to the experience.

Fanboys, however, are toxic and I don't enjoy being near them even if they are boosting a title I like. They don't want to add to anyone's experiences... they want to take away experiences they don't approve of.

-- Steve

 

[Reaperman Wompa]

A fanboy is a person who will worship every facet of a singular subject. These "fanboys" will not see reason, or admit any faults in regards to their chosen item of worship and will go into any debate with a firm belief in the almost supernatural greatness of their object of worship.
A "fan" can have their mind changed and/or admit that other competitors have their merits and in some cases may be equal or better than that of their "worship item", a "fanboy" will refuse to even admit that any competitor has any merit at all, in most cases dismissing it as something stupid or (because these are fanBOYS) "gay".
A fan has keen interest in a subject and will seek to learn about a subject through polite questions, while a fanboy will try to know as much as possible and lie about any ignorance on the matter being debated.

A fan has a hobby. A Fanboy has an addiction.

 

[wilsonscrazybed]

I remember when I first heard the word "fanboy" from some local comic book nerds (I use that term with affection). I am not sure how much it has to do with the recent resurgence of the term but I believe this [http://www.projectfanboy.com/vb/glossary.php?do=viewglossary&term=370] is highly suspect for keeping the it alive.