The more I read on the forums, the more I see the word “fanboy.” Recently, it has started to bother me. I can’t see why gamers are so set on dividing into segments. Has anyone else noticed that you never see this type of segmentation with other goods?

I have a PS2 and a PSP, and I bought a Gamecube for my wife. I do not nor, nor have I ever owned an XBOX. It seems that because of my choice to buy Sony products, I have been labeled a “Sony fanboy.”

I like Diet Dr. Pepper, and think Diet Pepsi tastes horrible. However, no one in the grocery store has ever referred to me as a “Diet Dr. Pepper fanboy.” Who knows, maybe I’m just a diet soda fanboy who doesn’t know it yet.

I find that the fanboy label goes too far. I may not own a Microsoft game system or a Diet Pepsi, but that doesn’t mean that I feel they are inferior products. They just don’t appeal to me. I do not think either product should be eliminated from the market, and in fact I support the concept of variety.

The only areas I see a similar segmentation are music and comics. When I was a kid, there was a distinct line between Marvel comics fans and DC comics fans. For all I know, there still is. I stopped collecting comics when I got older because they seemed like an immature hobby. I think the only reason they seemed immature is because of the childish attitudes of serious collectors.

The constant argument and childish bickering over any industry can keep it from becoming mainstream. If a product is not accepted by a substantial portion of the population, it will have a hard time moving forward. Innovation and growth become very difficult when a fan base works against itself.

There is a definite segmentation in music. Many hip-hop fans won’t listen to country or opera, and vice versa. However, there are enough people willing to accept pop music that the industry has flourished.  While people may base their fashion and lifestyle on a certain type of music, you rarely see them trying to seriously convince other people that all other music sucks and should be banned. That’s why you never see a united Punk coalition marching down music row in Nashville to try and stamp out country music.

Right now, video games are the only entertainment industry that is this divided. We have many consoles to choose from, and they all have exclusives. No other business does this.

Can you imagine if DVD’s and CD’s produced by Sony could only be played on Sony hardware? How well do you think the movie industry would do if in order to watch all of your favorite movies you had to own five different DVD players? Music and movie fans wouldn’t put up with it, and neither should we.

Entertainment is supposed to be fun. People do not want their entertainment to involve an entire political agenda with all sorts of debates and strife. People get enough of that at work. As long as fanboys put so much pressure on what system to buy and what games to play, they cannot expect many more average people to take up the hobby.

Hardcore gamers seem to think that the hobby doesn’t need casual gamers. That is the most ignorant thing I have ever heard. When any technology is embraced by the masses, it becomes less expensive and you see many more innovations. If you think all games should be RPG’s on the XBOX, then you’d better pray that you and your RPG friends have enough disposable income to keep a multi-billion dollar corporation afloat.

The right to exercise your personal choice is a great thing. Brand loyalty has its advantages, and friendly competition between companies can have great benefits. However, as long as gamers insist on going out of their way to slam any and all competition, they will see limited advancement in the acceptance of the hobby as a whole.