Brace Yourself For the Return of the Console Wars

I hate the term fanboy, I really do. It is obnoxious and pigeonholes people into a box for being a fan of one thing or another while disliking the competition. What is sad is that with language comes change, and like it or not, some words become a part of the collective consciousness, and at this point, fanboy or fangirl is a part of the English language. So of course, a fanboy/fangirl is someone who is an obsessive fan to an extreme degree. For the past few years, while it is safe to say that there has been fanboyism in the gaming world, a lot of the vitriol and public displays have died down a bit because of the rhythm that we have sunk into. The Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 have all been out for a number of years, and the battles between fans have died down and everyone is pretty comfortable where they are.

Last week, though, the paradigm shifted significantly with Nintendo releasing the first console from the next generation, the Nintendo Wii U. That console’s release not only ushers in the next generation, but also brings back some age-old, tired arguments back to the surface and shows a lot of the uglier side to the gaming world. The arguments that we’ve all seen over the years are borderline ridiculous, get incredibly heated and are over pieces of silicone and plastic that display pixels on a screen and audio through your speakers. Sure, it is a whole lot more complex than that, but when you break it down, it is all just boxes that transmit 1’s and 0’s, isn’t it? It is just going to get worse, too, as the “console wars” start up all over again.

For me, it is my job to discuss what is going on in gaming; be it good or bad for any particular company, system or game. That is what it is. For readers and gamers, it is in their interest to follow gaming news to see what is going on, what games are coming out, what to expect of your system and to see how your opinions line up with the people that are [somewhat] considered professionals.

So make an informed decision for yourself and don’t feed the trolls.