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Got a Tip?Facebook Files: Do You Consider Yourself A Fanboy / Fangirl?
By Ishaan . February 28, 2010 . 7:20am
Fanboys and fangirls, gather around! It’s time for Facebook Files. This week, we discuss…well, fanboys…and whether or not there’s any merit to that stance or whether people just like to make a big deal out of nothing and go out of their way to label enthusiasts they don’t agree with. You can read the full discussion here.
Steven wrote:
I’ve been called a Nintendo fanboy time and time again. Perhaps due to the fact that that I wanted an N64 for before a Playstation, a Gamecube before a PS2, and a Wii before a 360 or PS3. Or perhaps due to the fact that I have a laundry list of Wii titles, both hardcopies and digital, that I consider to be top tier games that are terribly overlooked. People see my Wii collection and my PS2 and 360 collection suddenly become invisible. This is followed by comments such as "The Wii sucks" or nicer comments such as "The Wii’s graphics aren’t worth my time", etc. To top that off, I’m the ONLY person I know who argues that titles, such as and especially Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, need to stay exclusive. I believe that the Wii needs all of the exclusive titles it can get unlike PS3 and 360. Looking back on it, I think the N64 was my least liked Big N console with SNES being the best console of all time. Ultimately, I appreciate the Wii and it’s destiny to be something different than others despite more miss than hit titles. I think that, to some degree I am a Nintendo fanboy, but I like the PS3 and 360 for certain reasons as well.
Sorry to ramble on as I tend to do that, but do you consider yourself a fanboy / fangirl? Or do others consider you to be a fanboy / fangirl?
Matty wrote:
Naw, not me! I don’t pledge by any console or the company that creates them (at least, don’t believe so). I appreciate that they enable me to play great games, but don’t expect much else. Not even games they create themselves, as the third party titles have always been infinity more interesting and enticing to me. If anyone says otherwise, I can’t really say anything ’cause it’s not true.
Patrick wrote:
I don’t think I was ever really a fanboy. My very first system I bought with my own money was a Sega Game Gear, but I still played NES and Game Boys when they were available to me. I never shunned a system. I’d prefer certain system over another (Game Gear over Game Boy, SNES over Genesis, N64 over PS, PS2 over GC/X-Box), but it was more my preference then loyalty.
My limited funds might have been part of it as well. This is the first generation that I’ve been able to afford more then one system and now I almost have them all (DS/Wii/360/PSP). I do plan on getting a PS3 soon. So I don’t really think of myself as a Fan Boy. I just play what I think is good.
Ishaan wrote:
It feels like people throw the term "fanboy" around too casually these days, and unfortunately, in a rather degrading manner. I mean, if you think about it, we’re all fanboys that way. I just wish people would stop confusing "fan" with "fanboy."
Anton wrote:
I agree with both of you. The term "Fanboy" seems far more negative. There’s nothing wrong with being a fan or an enthusiast. However, it’s the obsessive and/or ignorant fans that the term "Fanboy" usually adheres to. For instance, just from what you mentioned here Steven, I would say you’re a Nintendo fan and a Zelda enthusiast. =3
Want to weigh in with your preferences and likes / dislikes? Fire away in the comments! Just — since is is a touchy topic — remember to be nice!
View Comments to “Facebook Files: Do You Consider Yourself A Fanboy / Fangirl?”
February 28th, 2010 at 7:47 am
There are far more Nintendo fanboys than Sony or Microsoft fanboys. Discuss.
February 28th, 2010 at 8:08 am
Proudly calling yourself a fanboy is the same thing as proudly calling yourself an otaku – that word doesn't carry the semi-positive meaning you think it does.
People who actually give a crap about console wars are probably the worst kind of video game fans, the ones that we could all use less of. There's nothing wrong with being a fan of a certain series or company's games or whatever, but labeling yourself a “fanboy” draws a distinction that you're the retarded, slobbering kind of fan who will never have anything non-biased or worthwhile to say.
February 28th, 2010 at 8:12 am
Ishaan is a total Nintendo fanboy. Don't let him tell you otherwise!!
As fanboy to me means liking something with no apparent logic and being unable to find any fault in whatever thing, no, I do not consider myself a 'fanboy' of anything.
But, if I had to label myself a fanboy of something, I suppose it would be that I'm a fanboy of hating portable games! (But not really, because it's perfectly logical to despise hating games the size of a postage stamp when you could be playing games the size of a wall form your couch)
February 28th, 2010 at 8:20 am
Because you can carry your wall around with you in the bus, right?! 
February 28th, 2010 at 8:36 am
I'm a hardcore VIDEO GAMES fanboy.
I'm drawn to any console that has GOOD GAMES TO PLAY.
February 28th, 2010 at 8:40 am
Childhood nostalgia for Nintendo is based off of one logic. Great games. My wii gets that same kind of attention for having Virtual Console titles. I will defend the Wii though I don't necessarily agree with all of Nintendo's decisions (I could care less about HD btw). Of course Sony and Microsoft have both made questionable decision as well.
February 28th, 2010 at 9:02 am
I'm an inverse fan. I don't like Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony one bit. That's probably because of my negativity, which makes it difficult for me to see the good things in those companies, and easy to see the bad things.
“The 360 has paid online? Yes, but it has Halo 3!”
“The 360 has Halo 3? Yes, but it has paid online!”
It's just a matter of seeing the glass half-empty instead of half-full. But it changes a lot of things in perspective.
The only company I'm a fanboy for is Sting, and mostly because of Baroque anyway (not that Riviera/KitN weren't awesome, but that's the one particular reason for my fanboyness).
BTW, that reminds me, I need to rewatch Freakazoid.
February 28th, 2010 at 9:15 am
Being called fanboy/fangirl is cool, nothing wrong with it.
What I don't like are those fanboys that like to argue alot and gets sooooo heated up when you mention something that they don't agree and will defend their beliefs/opinions like its a matter of life and death (not really life or death but who knows lol).
They make the word fanboy a bad thing. And it's true and it's not good.
February 28th, 2010 at 9:19 am
I used to be a Nintendo “fanboy.” I loved Nintendo when I was younger but quickly grew out of that when the Wii came out. I had always kind of led a sheltered life in the confines of Nintendoland, reading my Nintendo Power and talking about Nintendo games with my Nintendo-loving friends. It took me until the Wii to realize that other consoles had games that were just as good, and I finally found out that the PS2 had incredible games. I spent plenty of my parents' money on Amazon buying older PS2 games… And here I am now, mostly neutral but leaning towards Sony because of my favorite system of all time, the PS2. But I can't say they've done such as great job with the PS3.
So yeah. Go neutrality! No more console wars! All three systems have good games! Honestly, there's just no reason to argue about or cling blindly to a console.
February 28th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Otaku means different things to different people. It's not like words' meanings are set in stone, and it gets annoying when I hear people say, “Well, durr, in Japan otaku isn't good so you shouldn't self-identify as otaku cuz it's bad in Japan!”
If the majority of people I interact with don't consider the label to be negative, then I don't see a problem with it. It's like calling oneself a nerd; it may have been more negative than positive at one point, but I see people self-identify as nerds all the time, and it's not in a bad way.
February 28th, 2010 at 9:40 am
I don't consider myself a fanboy but I do have preference. Like most things in life, it's not black and white. For example, if someone who doesn't agree with the democrat's ideal doesn't automatically make them republican but sadly that's how most people think. Same goes for someone who doesn't believe in a religion makes them atheists or agnostic.
February 28th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
I used to be a Sega fanboy back in the 8-bit days, but only because my parents would never get that Nintendo I asked for and always got something else. But because of that, I think it has formed into, in part, a bit of an anti-Nintendo fanboyism throughout the years. I say “a part” because I'm not totally anti-Nintendo, but rather in a state of mind that I feel like I'm more objective about their products instead of simply expecting goodness and being blinded by that expectation. I enjoy a good number of Nintendo games, actually.
For me, I now look at things with an expectation to be objective about the product, and it really opens my eyes when I see people being swayed by fanboyism. This is to the point where (for example) on the subject of Nintendo's Virtual Console titles, they'd make some offhand comment about an old game being outdated, then turn around and completely ignore what they just said and start praising a Nintendo title for almost the exact same points they made faults for other titles.
You can see some of my anti-Nintendo fanboyism in that comment, but it should be noted that what I said wasn't completely out of fanboyism, but out of trying to have an objective view.
March 1st, 2010 at 2:14 am
Well im not sure XD ….. i have a preference for sony consoles but …… I own game cube games ( i dont have game cube) I own 360 games ( i dont have a 360 right now) so yes in the end i am a videogame fangirl cause i buy the games if i think they are good dosent matter the console i can always get that later 
, and i havent started buying the wii games XD cause right now Ps3 is getting my money '«« what a couple of crazzy months !
March 1st, 2010 at 6:47 am
I agree with your points, Im not anti-Nintendo I just find my self at odds with most of the decisions they make and also find most Nintendo “fanboys” to have absolutely no logic in most of their statements (though I suppose that could be said of a blind fan of anything).
March 1st, 2010 at 6:59 am
I suppose that if I was a true “enthusiast” of anything I would have to say it was Sega. Now keep in mind I never blindly defended or supported them but rather I just found their games and systems resonated with what I wanted. I has an NES (Who didn't) but I skipped out on SNES in favor of a Genesis (though at 10 through 12 money is the biggest reason I did not have one) and completely ignored the N64 in favor of a Saturn and a PlayStation. Though its worth mentioning that I had every Nintendo handheld to date and skipped the GameGear.
I don't prefer the term fanboy as its just too negative and carries a very negative image so I try to only use it when describing those who are truly ignorant to whatever topic we are discussing. That being said though I do own all consoles but while I own a 360 and a Wii I do favor my PS3 just as I did the PS2 last gen, though I would likely tie the sway in my favor to the the PSone (or PSX for those who had the original) as no other system since my Sega ones had resonated with me so much.
March 1st, 2010 at 7:09 am
Thus why I usually end up owning everything, it goes without saying that each platform has always had exclusives (not paid/timed ones those are stupid) that are worth playing.
March 3rd, 2010 at 5:48 pm
My response is late, but I guess it's better than never: not really a fangirl, although I tend to like Nintendo's handheld systems. I usually go where the RPGs are at, although not always. I have jumped around quite a lot in consoles: NES – GEN – PS2 – Wii – PS3. I've only stayed with Nintendo throughout all my handheld systems: GBC – GBA – NDS. I think the only company I avoid is Microsoft because they tend to make the games that I do not like. I used to be a big Squaresoft/Enix fangirl but lately I feel like they aren't staying true to what I liked about them (more so square than enix). I'm quite the fan (not yet fangirl) of Atlus because they always localize the obscure games I am most interested in.
March 4th, 2010 at 1:48 am
My response is late, but I guess it's better than never: not really a fangirl, although I tend to like Nintendo's handheld systems. I usually go where the RPGs are at, although not always. I have jumped around quite a lot in consoles: NES – GEN – PS2 – Wii – PS3. I've only stayed with Nintendo throughout all my handheld systems: GBC – GBA – NDS. I think the only company I avoid is Microsoft because they tend to make the games that I do not like. I used to be a big Squaresoft/Enix fangirl but lately I feel like they aren't staying true to what I liked about them (more so square than enix). I'm quite the fan (not yet fangirl) of Atlus because they always localize the obscure games I am most interested in.
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February 28th, 2010 at 7:44 am
well, most of the time, being called a “fanboy” these days gives a very bad impression of being blinded by ones loyalty to something. Though I can say Im a “fanboy”, I dont act like one. In fact, Ive been labeled quite a few times by my friends as a “Nintendo fanboy”, which I really don't mind being called. As I always say to most of my friends, Im just a “fan”. Though I can definitely say that its because of the internet. I can casually talk with my friends about being a “fanboy” but we never had arguments about it, its just how people act in the internet, I guess.
I may also be the one of the very few people who disregard platforms for a game. I mean, most of the time, when a game is announced, people always complain “this shouldn't be on Console X, it sucks, it should be for Console Y since it much better!”. I never ever thought like that. My reaction will always be “wow, that game looks awesome, I want to buy Console X just for that game!”
Though if theres something Im really going to be a “hardcore fanboy”, its between console vs handhelds since Ive always been a big fan of handhelds compared to consoles. Its also because of recent outbursts of people complaining that sequels on handhelds does not deliver the same experience when its on a console.