Why are people so passionate about the platform they use for gaming?

[F-I-D-O]

It's that when people put a couple hundred dollars down on a system or PC, they REALLY don't want to be told that another platform is better.
It's all rationalization.
Ex: "I paid $600 dollars for a PS3, don't say that your XBOX has more games", or Xbox gamer saying Killzone is worse than Halo because it's on the PS3.
IF you put down lots of money, you want to think that you have the best format. When someone comes by saying that x game is more fun/better, most people will defend their system.
Of course, people will become less rabid if they get other consoles. They might prefer one over another, but it will no longer be "Ps3 4 fags, Xbox rules!" And this mostly applies to Xbox/PC/PS3 gamers, because Wiis are only 150 now I believe, so it's not as bad (still a pain, but 250 can hurt more, and I like my wii, but I haven't come across as many rabid Wii fans as other fans).
It's just trying to counteract buyers remorse.

 

[Gazisultima]

Yahtzee summarised it once extraordinarily well. He said something about only being able to afford one console on average, so therefore you tend to violently defend your choice while weakly rationalising its flaws. It was something like that, but it definitely has truth to it.

 

[King Toasty]

Everyone wants to be right. Personally, there isn't a big enough difference between the consoles and PCs to invite such huge flame wars.

(Except the Wii. But that has it's own merits.)

Yeah, the only reason I chose to get a PS3 over Xbox or PC, is that I grew up with a PS2 controller in my hand. That is literally the only reason. And I have never looked back.

 

[TheFederation]

I think its because they can only really afford one console, so they build loyalty towards it and defend it because they can't use any of the other consoles

 

[UnknownGunslinger]

I reckon it's because of the way consoles are trying to establish themselves as franchises, their title exclusiveness and the steep price tags attached to consoles and good PCs, that might make some people to go overboard defending theirs by being extra, extra vocal about how it is the best console that ever is or ever will be
I dont think that to be a bad thing, it's a source of a lot of laughs if you happend to be a very special kind of bored

 

[grumbel]

I will choose the platform that fits best my gaming needs. But why would I look down on an another console or pc?

To justify and confirm ones decision. If you only have the money to buy a single platform, it better be the perfect one and to give that self confirmation it helps to bad mouth the other platforms around. People simply have a hard time admitting making the wrong decision, so they will almost always go the route of trying to argue why their decision was the right one, instead of looking for reason why it might not have been. This in turn makes them of cause also partially blind, as they will only see all the benefits of their own platforms, while they will only see all the faults of the competition. Benefits of the competitions or faults on the own platform will be ignored.

And also, most people arguing very loudly for "their" platform are probably like twelve or so and kids at that age make a lot of stupid arguments.

For the psychological background, have a look at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_bias

 

[JediMB]

You obviously are too young to remember the Sega riots of 1992. So many dead... broken controllers and cartridges strewn through the streets... it was horrible.

Well, while I have been "gaming" since circa 1986 (at the age of 2), I will admit that I probably wouldn't have heard of such riots if they had actually happened. I was blissfully unaware of console fanboyism at the time, and happily played PC, NES and Mega Drive games.

But in all seriousness, its all really a matter of my opinion being superior to yours. I personally prefer my PC to my PS3 so therefore the PC is obviously better. Not because i have grown accustomed to the controls of a mouse an keyboard but because they are better. Granted I DO still have my old Sega Saturn, and in all honesty i think its gotten more attention than my PS3 so i may just have some sort of mental deficiency.
Also house of the dead is great.

Well, anything a console can do, a properly equipped PC can do. For the genres where a mouse and keyboard isn't appropriate (certain platformers, fighters...) there are perfectly good PC gamepads.

That said, the best platform is always the one you have the most fun with.

 

[Mikeyfell]

They payed $250 bucks for it?

I'd hate to see these people after they bought a car.

I mean, I prefer one to the other but that's only my preference. There's no real argument for the "Best" gaming platform. The PC offers more power and freedom, but you have to worry about DRM crashing your game, and it's easily the most expensive of the bunch. The 360 works reasonably well but you have to pay for online play and you occasionally get a red ring. The PS3 works well, has good exclusive titles and free online play, but it has really frustrating firmware updates and once in a while your credit card will end up on the black market.

Can't we all join hands agree the Wii sucks and sing Kumbaya?

 

[pspman45]

Because you usually only get to pick one
I have a 360, PS3, and a kind of crap computer, so I don't really get these arguments

 

[RatRace123]

Because they look for any excuse to believe they're better than someone else. What type of console they own is just an easy cop out to make such an argument, and also people are dicks. (I think this is now the 7th time I've used that answer for this type of question.)

 

[esperandote]

Because people fail to realize that all that makes their platform of choice unique is a few GB, or even MB, of OS.

There's nothing special whatsoever about any of the platforms. They're all exactly the same on a technical level. The only real difference is the user interface and amount of interaction with underlying systems.

It's like arguing about whether Orange Juice tastes better when drinking it from a wine-glass, ceramic cup or baby bottle.

Well, no, that's the whole point.

1. PCs allow you to customize your games.
2. PCs allow you to mod your games.
3. PCs allow you to mod your game on the machine you use to play it.
4. PCs encourage creativity and learning (when was the last time you learned a new programming language on your console?)
5. PCs aren't limited by the maker of the console (why isn't there steam on 360?)
6. PCs can be upgraded
7. PCs are multifunctional
8. PCs demand either more money or more technical knowledge

Points 1, 2 and 3. How are they that different? And in point 3 are you implaying that you can mod console games on other machine? if so then you can mod console games (it just not that common).
4. That's no reason to say PC are better for gaming. Nothing stops you from learning a programming language on a PC even if you play on a console. There's also the guys in the scene making homebrew and stuff, they program on PC but they do it for consoles.
5. Agreed, PC is the only plataform that isn't controlled by a manufacturer.
6. More like, PC's NEED to be upgraded. On the other hand consoles need to be replaced but pc can also be upgraded so far, at one point you need to replace them too.
7. Again, that's a reason why a PC is a better machine than a console, not a reason why it's a better gaming plataform.
8. Agreed.

I like to play on console but I understand that people rather use their PC to game.

 

[Killertje]

More gamers on your preferred platform == more money for developers == more good games for your platform.
People who use the other platforms ruin the amount of good games you get, so they are retarded and should convert or die.

So everyone with a console: Buy a decent PC or die plz... thanks!

 

[esperandote]

snip

I would like to have comments on this phenomena, people who feel the need to say that one platform is better, please go to one of the other posts dealing with that. I would however be interested in your opinion why you feel the need to defend your console/pc (so has nothing to do with hardware).

no one read the little prince?

okay lets trow in a segment then:

Spoiler

The little prince went away, to look again at the roses.

"You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed no one. You are like my fox when I first knew him. He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made him my friend, and now he is unique in all the world."

And the roses were very much embarassed.

"You are beautiful, but you are empty," he went on. "One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you--the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or ever sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose.


And he went back to meet the fox.

"Goodbye," he said.

"Goodbye," said the fox. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

"What is essential is invisible to the eye," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."

"It is the time I have wasted for my rose--" said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.

"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose . . ."

"I am responsible for my rose," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

tl:dr

"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."

okay now, implement it to this thread:
"It is the time you have wasted for your rose gaming system that makes your rose gaming system so important."

Nicely put.

 

[funguy2121]

As we can see in many posts on the Escapists, people are very passionately talking about their pc, xbox, ps3, or whatever they use for gaming. Moreover, many people argue with fervor against any other platform. This always boggles me, as I just do not understand this. I started playing on MSX, then Amiga, then for a long time pc, and finally I switched to Xbox360. I am a gamer and I like to play games. I will choose the platform that fits best my gaming needs. But why would I look down on an another console or pc? In relation, many people seem to think that it is a good thing when the competition is not doing well. Yet as a gamer I want all consoles and pcs to do well, as increased competition between consoles works in favor for all gamers. Competition makes prices drop, forces developers to make better games, less bugs, moves the field forward etc. I guess my question is: Why can we not get along as gamers?

I would like to have comments on this phenomena, people who feel the need to say that one platform is better, please go to one of the other posts dealing with that. I would however be interested in your opinion why you feel the need to defend your console/pc (so has nothing to do with hardware).

As much as I hate to parrot nerd celebs, I will: Yahtzee covered this quite well. Many gamers feel the need to justify their expensive purchase(s). This is almost universally true except for those who have all 3 systems or those, like me, who freely admit that we only own a wii because we can't afford it and have this whole life thing to get through.

I would know. I recently created 2 threads requesting advice on whether I should get a PS3 or an XBox, and I looked up threads others had created for the same purpose. Apparently I was luckier/wiser in how I worded my OPs then they were, because every thread I found was scorched from all of the flaming.

I'm a Nintendo whore, for nostalgia reasons and also because I love love love the current flagship titles (as well as No More Heroes, and Monster Hunter was pretty badass as well). But it just doesn't feel like a current-gen console, and I'm adult enough to admit that. I'll probably get a Playstation, but I don't plan to insult 360 users online and brag that there are fewer kids acting like morons whenever I play multiplayer.

 

[Something Amyss]

Yet as a gamer I want all consoles and pcs to do well, as increased competition between consoles works in favor for all gamers. Competition makes prices drop, forces developers to make better games, less bugs, moves the field forward etc. I guess my question is: Why can we not get along as gamers?

Clearly, none of that is happening, though.

People historically pick sides over the smallest of things, though.

It's just getting silly these days, when most platforms are getting fairly homogenous. Consoles will always outstrip platforms in terms of graphics and power, but more and more, the big titles are similar on each platform. Except the Wii, but honestly, they went after the non-gaming community with that and scored big. PS3 and 360 are pretty similar in most elements, and with fewer and fewer truly exclusive titles, it's harder to justify the hate.

But we are naturally comeptitive. We want our side to "win." Our team, our company, our country, our console. Or PC.

 

[IkeGreil29]

It's natural for people to go for whatever has given them the most enjoyment and for it to do well. Until I had fun with my Xbox, I still played my Gamecube a hundred times more than my Xbox because I was and still am a Nintendo fanboy. Because I am a fanboy, I will defend the 3DS and most other blunders that Nintendo has. That's how fanboyism works. My friend recently got me to play inFamous and Flower and a few other PS3 titles and now I love all 4 gaming platforms.
Think about music videos on YouTube. You go to a Slipknot video and you see people insulting them in the comments and disliking it. They could've just as easily ignored it and accepted the fact there is more than one style. I watch videos I don't like of music, I just don't give them crap on comments or dislike them.

 

[Blackpapa]

Because people fail to realize that all that makes their platform of choice unique is a few GB, or even MB, of OS.

There's nothing special whatsoever about any of the platforms. They're all exactly the same on a technical level. The only real difference is the user interface and amount of interaction with underlying systems.

It's like arguing about whether Orange Juice tastes better when drinking it from a wine-glass, ceramic cup or baby bottle.

Well, no, that's the whole point.

1. PCs allow you to customize your games.
2. PCs allow you to mod your games.
3. PCs allow you to mod your game on the machine you use to play it.
4. PCs encourage creativity and learning (when was the last time you learned a new programming language on your console?)
5. PCs aren't limited by the maker of the console (why isn't there steam on 360?)
6. PCs can be upgraded
7. PCs are multifunctional
8. PCs demand either more money or more technical knowledge

Points 1, 2 and 3. How are they that different? And in point 3 are you implaying that you can mod console games on other machine? if so then you can mod console games (it just not that common).
4. That's no reason to say PC are better for gaming. Nothing stops you from learning a programming language on a PC even if you play on a console. There's also the guys in the scene making homebrew and stuff, they program on PC but they do it for consoles.
5. Agreed, PC is the only plataform that isn't controlled by a manufacturer.
6. More like, PC's NEED to be upgraded. On the other hand consoles need to be replaced but pc can also be upgraded so far, at one point you need to replace them too.
7. Again, that's a reason why a PC is a better machine than a console, not a reason why it's a better gaming plataform.
8. Agreed.

I like to play on console but I understand that people rather use their PC to game.

1 - resolution, view distance, testure resolution, anti-aliasing, DX version....
2 - game content, like different UI
3 - you can make changes that aren't in the game menu but are accessible via INI/CFG files

6 - no, PCs don't need to be upgraded. A 1999 machine will still run a lot of current-gen indie or non-resource-intensive games. Two-way compatibility also, it's not like you can run a PS3 game on a PS2. Or a PS2 game on a PS3.

7 - should be versatile.

Show me a game that runs only on a console and it would be considerably less playable, more frustrating or otherwise worse on a PC.

Because I can point you to Dwarf Fortress. Imagine playing that game without a browser with the game wiki/help files. Or without external utilities.

Or MMORPGs.

Yeah

 

[Robert Ewing]

It's just people forming allies with their stuff. Like...

I own a PS3, MUST BE BETTER THAN XBOX.

I believe in Christianity, MUST BE BETTER THAN ISLAM

I live in Ethiopia, MUST BE BETTER THAN SUDAN

I'm gay, MUST BE BETTER THAN BEING STRAIGHT.

I play fortresscraft, MUST BE BETTER THAN MINECRAFT

People just align themselves with something. A perfect sum up would be this phrase. 'MY WORLD IS CHANGING AND I DON'T LIKE IT'

In truth game consoles all have their good and bad points. Blah blah blah, it's just what people subconsciously align themselves to.