FANBOY MENTALITY – Good or Bad?

Why do we choose to be fanboys or fangirls of some characters, universes, movies, or video games and not another? I myself am a huge Marvel Comics fan, but not so much into DC or the others. That is not to say that I do not like them but that I grew up with the Marvel cast of characters more than the others. Therefore, in turn I know them better. I have been buying more and more titles from the other companies. I am not just a fan of Marvel though. I am a fan of all comics. I love them all but when you have a restricted budget you tend to stick with what you know.

I have started to collect more DC Comics graphic novels as of late. I find it hard to buy a lot of comics every month. If I am lucky, I may be able to get two or three and those are generally the ones that continue the stories that I am currently reading. I also miss out on many of the side stories to the big crossovers. So, while I may be a Marvel fanboy I will not bash on DC, Image, or any of the other comic companies out there. I just have not had enough exposure to their universes, and thus do not them as well.

With movies, I am not so much a fanboy. I love all kinds of movies (even the chick flicks which the old lady makes me watch). I enjoy the visual medium that movies offer. There are some movies that I will not watch in theaters that I do not feel warrant a theater experience. The dramas and such are just not theater experience material to me. They have a better impact on me at home where it is one on one. I hope the movie theater never goes away. It is an experience that should be had by everyone. I would hate for my son to have to grow up without a movie theater to go to, sit with all of the other moviegoers, and be blown away by the coolest movie in the world. Imagine ‘The Dark Knight’ without the theater experience. It just would not be the same.

Now on to a very touchy subject for some people. This is the one area where fanboys are extremely loyal and very opinionated. ‘Star Wars’ or ‘Star Trek’. That’s right the definitive fanboy splitter. I myself am of the ‘Star Wars’ legion. Most of my friends are as well, but I do have a few friends who are on the other side of the fence. Now I will not bash ‘Star Trek’ at all. It is the same thing as with me being more into Marvel Comics. I grew up with ‘Star Wars’, and sure I knew of ‘Star Trek’ growing up but it just did not get my attention the way ‘Star Wars’ did. I had no reservations about going to see the ‘Star Trek’ film either. I love that film, and will gladly tell anyone too, but I will always be into ‘Star Wars’ more than ‘Star Trek’. I know the characters and their quirks in George Lucas’ universe more so than in Gene Roddenberry’s. I think that it is silly for the two to be so opposed to the other between the fans. I have one friend that is a die-hard ‘Star Wars’ fan and one that is all about ‘Star Trek’. When they start talking about which is better – let us just say that is it is better than any sitcom on TV. It is just hilarious to watch the two explain to each other why one is better than the other is. I sight to truly behold.

Another big fanboy splitter is the Xbox clan and the Playstation clan. I visit a few Web sites to read the comment sections and to watch the two go at each other is stupid in my opinion. People from both sides should just be happy that video games are even at the point that they are now.

There is always going to be a system with some specifications that are a little better than the other is. That is the nature of business, but both are capable machines. Although I do have to say, that Microsoft was wrong to ship their systems with the “Red Ring of Death” malfunction. Sure, the Playstation is not without its faults but a system with a 33% failure rating is not a good thing. Yes, I do own a Playstation 3 and not an Xbox 360, but I am not bashing the 360 at all – just the company behind it for rushing it out to beat Sony to the launch. I have played both and like both equally, but when it came time to decide which one to get, I went with the one that was the most financially sound to me. Sure, the PS3 was about $600 at launch but it has more than paid for itself. I cannot justify paying $50 a year to play a game online, which is why the PS3 also looked like a better option for me. I have had my PS3 for three years now and have not had a single problem with it. I know of people who have had their Xbox 360’s less than that and have had the RROD at least twice. Yet, they still would rather send in the Xbox and pay the fee to get it fixed than to purchase a Playstation. I just do not get that. Not to mention that all of the extra features on the PS3 that are automatically included in the system have to be purchased separately for an Xbox 360 and that’s when the price shoots up past what a PS3 initially cost to begin with.

OK, so ignore the last paragraph. I am a Playstation fanboy after all. If you guys would like to comment on the battle between Playstation 3 and the XBox 360 send me you rants and raves to geeknation@ardmoreite.com. Just so you all know, I did have an Xbox 360 that was given to me after it had red ringed. It was repaired and red ringed again so I gave it away to a friend. It just collected dust on my entertainment center. The second red ring situation was when I decided that was enough. I did not care to worry about it breaking on me anymore.

geeknation@ardmoreite.com