Why does #1 mean so much?

I dare not post this on "System Wars" for fear of getting torn apart by every fanboy in existence, so I'll post it here, hoping the more level-headed members of the GameSpot community can provide the answer.

The system wars have been raging for ages, from SNES (S N E S, not "Snez" or any other such nonsense) and Genesis fanboys ragging one another on the schoolyard to the present day, when Wii, PS3 and 360 fans gurgle out nonsense at eachother on internet message forums everywhere. What I don't understand is why anyone cares.

Now I understand that a console is definitely a huge investment. However, it's not like one system's success comes to the detriment of another. I remember as a little girl walking to the local video store and seeing Lunar: The Silver Star on sale for $60 on the Sega CD. Of course, I didn't have a Sega CD at the time, as it was far too expensive and I was an SNES girl anyway. It was an awesome-looking game and I really, really wanted to play it, but understood that I wasn't going to get that chance, at least not at that time. I felt bad about it - RPGs were my lifeblood back in the day, and so rare to find. However, all I rmember was hoping for a Super Nintendo port at some point. I didn't really think the Genesis sucked, despite my fervent Nintendo fangirlism at the time. Adulthood came, and with it a PlayStation, where I literally had RPGs thrown at me left and right, and I never really went with my intention to get an N64 until after I got my PS2, Xbox and Cube. I never really got into the whole "[insert system here] sucks!" nonsense, and never really thought much of it. I just went where the games I liked were.

So now we're on the seventh generation, and the system wars are in full swing, with Xbox 360 fanboys trying to convince people that the PS3 has no games, PS3 fanboys trumpeting Blu-Ray like it was the most important thing ever and the especially annoying Wii fanboys shouting off from the mountaintops about how the Wii is saving the gaming industry with all this innovation, never mind that their big games tend to be games confined to established serieses and play ****. All three systems have good and bad points, so why is it so important that one system sell the most units? All I've ever cared about is that the system gives me tons of great games and makes money for the system maker so they'll make another one when the generation is done.

The fact is, quite frankly, the 'system wars' mean nothing. 3rd parties are going to go where their particular audience is, regardless of which system has the biggest number next to it on VGChartz. Great, the Wii has billions of units out there, but why would anyone make a violent FPS on it considering its demographic. Likewise, why would you buy a 360 if you're not into FPS games, regardless of its popularity?

All I'm saying is... No, not "Give peace a chance." Just play what you like. Don't be a dumbass fanboy.

I feel similarly; in fact, this nonsense prompted me to write my first blog. I own an Xbox 360 and a Wii. If I didn't have an Xbox 360, the choice between the Xbox 360 and PS3 would be close; each has exclusives I want to play, and a number of advantanges over the other. The only reason I don't have a PS3 yet is because it is not going to offer me enough incremental value over my Xbox 360. I'm betting on LittleBigPlanet to be the game that makes me buy a PS3, although I may buy one earlier for the blu-ray capability.

Despite me not seeing a need to own one yet, I think the PS3 will come out ahead this generation. That's just a non-emotional opinion though; it won't affect my enjoyment in playing games for any of the 3 systems.

So now we're on the seventh generation, and the system wars are in full swing, with Xbox 360 fanboys trying to convince people that the PS3 has no games, PS3 fanboys trumpeting Blu-Ray like it was the most important thing ever and the especially annoying Wii fanboys shouting off from the mountaintops about how the Wii is saving the gaming industry with all this innovation, never mind that their big games tend to be games confined to established serieses and play ****. All three systems have good and bad points, so why is it so important that one system sell the most units? All I've ever cared about is that the system gives me tons of great games and makes money for the system maker so they'll make another one when the generation is done.

The fact is, quite frankly, the 'system wars' mean nothing. 3rd parties are going to go where their particular audience is, regardless of which system has the biggest number next to it on VGChartz. Great, the Wii has billions of units out there, but why would anyone make a violent FPS on it considering its demographic. Likewise, why would you buy a 360 if you're not into FPS games, regardless of its popularity?

All I'm saying is... No, not "Give peace a chance." Just play what you like. Don't be a dumbass fanboy.YukoAsho

Having been gaming for 25 years, its difficult to pinpoint where and when exactly such a hardcore fanboy mentality came around. I would have to disagree that system wars mentality is still as prevalent as you assert.

My best guess as to when ot started would be around the time Microsoft came out into the market. It was no longer merely one side of the fence or the other, the traditional Nintendo vs. the Sony upstarts (Sega was never relevant so I exclude them entirely). Suddenly, there was the hated Microsoft, a big eeeeevvviiiil corporation (somehow Nintendo is always exempted from being thought of as a profit seeking corporation) invading the holy realm inhabited by "teh hardcore" gamer.

This would become a backlash against not only new competitors in the industry, but a vast new demographic of gamers discovering a fun new pastime, the "casual" gamer. They came in all ages, both genders, income clas-ses, and all ethnic groups. Oh yes, the evil casual gamer who is ruining the imagination of the gaming world (a popular sentiment among old time hardcore Nintendo faithful) with their purchases of those oh so filthy casual games like Madden, GTA, or dare I say, Halo.

Fortunately, the casual vs. hardcore gamer debate has become as irrelevant as liberal vs. conservative. In other words, no one cares anymore and thankfully those threads die off quickly in GGD.

This three way battle for our wallets accompanied by the continued proliferation of home computers and internet access, provided a forum for everyone to express their vision for how the videogame industry should happen, the way it should go. What these passionate gamers fail to understand is the fact that we even have three consoles to be wanking over is a sign of progress. There is litterally something for everyone. We seem to have moved on from mainstream fanboy gibberish, or at least the worst of it which I pinpoint in the range of years from 2002-2004.

It's one thing to debate the merits of a particular game, but slamming consoles is just a lame minstrel show of a non-argument. I could very well be wrong, but it seems as though for the most part, the days of the sort of brainless prattle that you reference seem to be on the way out like a dying fad.

People like us don't care about system wars because we aren't fanboys.Cowmanik

Most people here are fanboys...I don´t have a problem with that as long as they are not too extreme.I know people who never touched a DC-Pad or XBox-Pad because they are staying with Sony and never want to touch other consoles.

It´s no problem prefering a system for good reasons,but I hate those guys who are ónly telling the stuff they find on Fanboy-sites and tell lies just because someone else got fun with his system.The most extreme guys are those who are fan of an obviously dying and pretty unimortant system,which almost didn´t exist.Like the GC last gen.I really liked (the japanese Version of) the GC but the games had been too uninteresting.But the Fanboys talk like it was the best thing ever happend...obviously not.

Most player find it important to be #1 in a way or another.

Some want to play the BEST game. Other on the best platform. Other want themselves to be the best. When this dream is crushed for any reason, so is usually this facet of the gaming for this player. I know that for example, me I want to be the BEST grouper in a MMO...if I can't, I don't play...althought maybe I could settle for best soloer, the drive wouldn't be anywhere as strong. :P

Most player find it important to be #1 in a way or another.

Some want to play the BEST game. Other on the best platform. Other want themselves to be the best. When this dream is crushed for any reason, so is usually this facet of the gaming for this player. I know that for example, me I want to be the BEST grouper in a MMO...if I can't, I don't play...althought maybe I could settle for best soloer, the drive wouldn't be anywhere as strong. :P

Anofalye

Well,then MMORPGs are a bad choice :D

I Like all systems and video games in general.. Even PC ones, prolly more then others because i spent 6years playing Diablo 2 and Counter-Strike.. :)

BUT JOO KNOW DREAM CAST IS TEH #1!

People like us don't care about system wars because we aren't fanboys.Cowmanik