Being a Gamer = Being a Sports fan

[Captain_Caveman]

I think being an average TEAM Sports fan is kind of like being a Fanboy, yes.

However, if you follow sports that emphasize the individual (or if you follow team sports but pay more attention to the players than the team logo) then it's more like being a regular game fan who's not a fanboy.

I enjoy Tennis, MMA, Golf, Sailing, Skiing, Auto Racing, Motorcycle Racing

& enjoy watching most of the Olympic sports (which also happen to be individual sports by a large margin). I'm also very realistic about gaming.

I own a PS3 but i admit it's got crappy ports of cross-platform games because it's a PITA to program for.

I have a 360 but i admit they were prone to dying in the beginning & paying for online is a rip-off.

I have a Wii and admit that the majority of games are plain crap & its no more powerful than a gamecube.

I have a PC and admit that cheaters are a problem in online games & though it can destroy consoles in graphics that does cost $$.

 

[Artina89]

I am both a gamer and a sports fan (Baseball, Ice hockey, American football and rugby, even though i'm british I tend to prefer American sports) and I don't agree with everything that the OP says, even though I do only have one console (the PS3) I hesitate to call myself a fangirl, I did have a 360 but it kept bricking out on me and I didn't want another one, even though I heard Microsoft has tried to solve the problem but, not only that, none of the exclusives really appealed to me, and I am sure that many people are fairly rational when it comes to the console wars (well, on this site anyway) but I know some people that are fanboys in both games and sports, where I come from, if you support anyone but Leeds utd, you are scum as far as they are concerned (even though Leeds haven't won anything of note in years), which I think is rather sad.

 

[Tandtroll]

While I see your point, I think it has less to do with being like sports fans and more about some aspects of human nature that manifests in many different ways. One could apply gaming to most aspects of life, as games are fairly versatile in the feelings they inspire in people.
There is much research done on the whole "consumer loyalty". Such trends can be seen on all markets, rather notably so cars where a family often stick to one brand throughout the entire lifetime, then passing it on to the children once they start their own.

Me, I hate sports. And to some extent people who love them, by association. And about all of the things you point out.

 

[Halceon]

Your analogy is off. Those aren't traits of either a gamer or a sports fan. I.e., those are not the defining characteristics. Also, among the gamers i personally know (anecdotal evidence, i know, shut up) there isn't a single one that exhibits a single one of those traits.

What you should compare is the defining traits. (Lists are not exhaustive) A sports fan a) likes sports in theory and/or application b) most probably is in the range of no sporting activites to amateur team c) projects achievements of others unto self and feels better for it. A gamer a) likes games in theory and/or application b) is most probably in the range of gaming once a week to gaming a week non-stop c) compares own achievements to others and feels better/worse depending on mindset and results. Not that much overlap, is there?

 

[omega 616]

I can see how those points can apply to some but none really apply to me.

I am not loyal, I am familiar with the playstation so I get them rather than the new boy xbox, that may be ignored for tech reasons.

I am not really bothered about the stats of the games, maybe by the machines. At first I thought 360 and PS3 had more or less exactly the same stuff in them besides bluray.

I don't hate 360 or pc gamers, although after a recent thread pc gamers seem to look down on us console players, which is a little retarded.

I don't really get this one, are you saying if a game such as MGS went from playstation to XBOX I would hate MGS now? I wouldn't hate the game for being on XBOX, I would hate the fact I can't play it.

 

[SultanP]

What you're forgetting is that we as gamers are playing the games ourselves, instead of watching someone else play a game and go nuts over that.