What does it mean to be a fanboy?

[Zantos]

This has been confusing me for some time now. As far as I see there are two uses of the word fanboy (fanperson, whatever the pc term is). The one I am not wishing to consider is the self-proclaimed "Badge of Honour" type fanboy. This is a light hearted jokey thing that people need to stop getting mixed up with the second use.

It's the use of the word fanboy that's an insult that's been causing the problem. This thread is actually inspired by seeing some of what I believe to be blatant fanboyism in a thread down there somewhere. or it might be up in the list, either way where it is is not important. It had some prime examples of what I thought to be fanboys for Final Fantasy XIII. Fans of the game who seemed to be of the notion that there is nothing wrong with the game. That's what I believe to be a fanboy, someone who believes the game they like to be absolutely perfect and has no flaws. You see them around every so often, posting about how CoD is the greatest game ever or how game development can officially stop now Valve have released the perfect game.

The part that gets me is in the game hate threads. The one that got me thinking was about Duke Nukem, but you see them all over. Phrases like "This game is awful and you're a fanboy if you disagree." (that's not nearly as paraphrased as I want it to be, the only reason it's not in quote tags is because I couldn't find the specific thread I was after). It just doesn't make sense in my head. It seems to be using it as an insult but then generalising it to everyone that just, you know, likes the game. Am I wrong to believe there is a middle ground where you can still like the game even if you know it's not perfect? Do you even see fanboy used as an insult? Is there a gorilla outside of your window? (I sincerely hope you at least thought about checking that last one).

TLR Do you think fanboy is an insult? Do you consider just liking something being a fanboy, or is it a title reserved for the people who refuse to accept that what they like still has room for improvement?

Also, for those interested, which section this got posted in was decided entirely by a £2 coin toss. Heads was the outcome.

 

[Ando85]

TLR Do you think fanboy is an insult? Do you consider just liking something being a fanboy, or is it a title reserved for the people who refuse to accept that what they like still has room for improvement?

I think what seperates a normal "fan" from a "fanboy" is that the fanboy is overly biased about what ever he is a fan of. I consider it an insult as it is always delivered in an insulting manner.

 

[ResonanceSD]

It usually means "defending something indefensible, in the face of all logic and reason".

 

[BRTurtle]

I think Fanboy defiantly has a negative connotations to it, but so does a lot of things in gaming. I think that people use fanboy a lot because they A can't back up there point with facts and want to turn it around on the other guy, or B (more rare of a case) there pointing out someone isn't using facts in their argument of why this game is good or bad. A lot of this comes down to people not accepting people having different taste's from one another.

To answer the second part of your question a lot of games out there they become your favorite a lot of times because its your first positive experience in that genera or even series. as an example I find more often then not the first final fantasy game you beat is your favorite. (or atleast in my group of friends) Because it is the first positive experience you have with that series in some cases that genera. You get a strong emotional attachment to that first time, so with out separating your self from that attachment and looking at the games critically, who ever doesn't have that same strong emotional attachment must be wrong.

and to answer your third question no there is not a gorilla outside of my window and i am grateful for that.

 

[Kuma_Nur]

I think it can be used in both positive and negative context, though most of the time i see it used in the negative i don't think it's always shameful to be a "Fanboy" of something

 

[Zantos]

It usually means "defending something indefensible, in the face of all logic and reason".

Pretty much this. Thread over.

Personally? I am not a fanboy of anything that I can think of, except for maybe Super Metroid or Metroid Prime.

But then, the faults in those games are so infinitesimally small that they can be dismissed. OK, some people were bothered by the world-spanning fetch quest at the end of Prime, but other than that can anyone name a single significant flaw in either of those games?

Now, I'd like to ask another question. Is it fanboyism if little to no flaws can be found in the thing in question?

I think to answer that question we'd first need to find something fitting that description.

It usually means "defending something indefensible, in the face of all logic and reason".

Short, to the point, like it.

 

[badgersprite]

Being a fanboy is basically the same as stanning. A basic test is whether you or some other person take a criticism of your favourite game, franchise or character as a personal attack and immediately start bashing whoever made that criticism and/or inappropriately leaping to the defence of said work or character claiming that your POV that it is good is the only correct one.

Being a hater (which is really a different kind of stan) is pretty much the same, but instead of leaping to the defence of something, you immediately have to jump on any praise or positive criticism of said work or character and, again, claim that your POV that the work is the worst thing ever is the only right one.

In short, it's taking your feelings about X game to idiotic extremes.

It usually means "defending something indefensible, in the face of all logic and reason".

Also, this.

 

[Savagezion]

Here is the fanboy rulebook:

1) The game in question could not have been made any better if they tried without delaying it further.
2) Anyone who criticizes it must also concede that it is awesome despite their criticisms. (These are the only critics worth listening to. Everyone else is just a troll.)
3) Anyone with a criticism probably didn't play it long enough to judge.
4) Anyone who claims they played it all the way through and still has a criticism is probably playing it wrong.
5) You must not let people slander the game in question without making sure they know these things.

Being a fan means you like something and there is nothing wrong with that. Being a fanboy means you are a little too invested in something to see clearly that not everyone is going to enjoy the game the way you do.

 

[chuckey]

A fanboy in my opinion is someone who is so loyal to a company or a series that they can't take criticism or accept when something is bad. Let's use Sonic '06 for example. A "fan" who likes the sonic series will play Sonic '06 and either will not like the game and accept the fact that it was not a very good game, or will like the game and realize that it could have used some work. A "fanboy" will be so loyal to sonic and Sega that he believes that the flaws are very minimal to nonexistent and will call out anyone else who thinks otherwise.

 

[Aeonknight]

Although the original definition of fanboy does qualify as an insult for that one jackass who will never admit faults, fanboy itself has become diluted to "anyone with an opinion that is contrast to my negative one."

Fanboy is the new "noob", and has lost at least some of it's meaning. Liked FF13? you're a fanboy! Play non-mainstream title even with it's flaws or faults? fanboy! Play mainstream title because you like it? fanboy!

Fanboy is the neighborhood bicycle of insults.