Is being a fan of a video game company all that different than being a fan of a sports team?

[vivftp]

Just some late night thinking. The console wars are growing stronger and you can see people taking pot shots at the other side pretty much daily in various threads. Accusations of being a fanboy get tossed around in heated discussions, and you routinely see comments like, "the billion dollar company doesn't need you to defend them" or "unless you're an employee or shareholder why should you care?"

Now I don't personally care about any sports. I don't watch or follow any of them, but I've got tons of friends who do. Many of them will prattle on endlessly about their favorite team or a new player being signed or other random crap. Well in many of those cases they're defending the billion dollar sports teams even though they have no financial or other relations to that team other than being a fan of them.

So what I'd like to know is, what's the difference? Is there one? Being an outspoken fan of something like a sports team seems perfectly acceptable but being an outspoken fan of a video game company will probably get you labeled as an astroturfer at some point.

Me, I'm firmly in team Sony. I'm a fan of their platforms and the gaming experiences they've provided to me. I'm not one to go talk shit about Xbox, Nintendo or Stadia though. It just feels that professing your love for a video game platform is looked down upon at times. Is this something anyone else notices?

It's 4am, so hopefully I coherently voiced my thoughts. Off to bed now

 

[commish]

Uh, it's very different. For sports, only one team can win. For games, there's no "winner". I think it's completely asinine to be a fanboy of a video game company. Of course, maybe 12 year old me would feel differently.

 

[Nightengale]

The difference is that I have no loyalty to the company, just their products.
They make good games, I buy em.
They don't, I don't.

Whereas with sports teams, I'm with them through good times and bad.
And since I'm a Newcastle fan, it's always bad times.

 

[BizzyBum]

I was born and raised in Nintendo, my loyalties lie in my hometown.

 

[Cladyclad]

Very different. Not even close.

 

[Wamb0wneD]

I don't think there's anything wrong with liking the products of a certain company, or multiple ones.
For me, Nintendo was a pretty big part of my childhood, but I don't dislike Sony's offerings either.

Sometimes it can feel like tribalism though, and in that sense it's no different from sports teams, no. It can get a bit unhealthy when you cheer for a company when it's doing well and try to find excuses when they aren't. Console wars are no different from sports team rivalries.

 

[SCUMMbag]

Sports are about competition. Producing video games is not.

Loyalty to a video game company is more like loyalty to a cereal brand than it is a sports team.

 

[sredgrin]

I don't even like sports and I'm baffled you don't see the difference.

 

[theosmeo]

noooooooo not at all lol

i mean personally im not really a fan of any of the BIG company/publishers, even if i enjoy a ton of capcom/sega games those companies make awful decisions and have poor practices that i disapprove of. In terms of consoles i only have what i have because they have the titles im most interested in. I would never like a corporation for arbitrary reasons such as growing up with their products or their aesthetics

in terms of being fans of actual developers i feel like its more like being a fan of certain bands, people like platinum because they have a good record with the action game genre for example

 

[Deleted member 8196]

There is a difference between liking games from a certain developer and being a fanboy that can't accept opinions if some people don't like games that you like.

 

[commish]

I don't even like sports and I'm baffled you don't see the difference.

Click to shrink...

Yeah. One of the more embarrassing threads here at ERA tbh. Why are ppl trying to justify fanboyism?

 

[SMD]

.

 

[Patitoloco]

Yes, because in sports someone wins, and matters that it wins.

In videogames, if everyone does good, everyone wins. Easy as that.

 

[Uncle Sensei]

Sports teams generally aren't aggressively trying to shake you down at every turn

 

[rochellepaws]

It's like supporting sports teams except where everyone denies favouritsm and pretends they want each team to succeed equally.

 

[Macca]

Corner taken quickly....... Shuhei Yoshida!!!

 

[Damn Silly]

Yes. A sports fan is usually connected to a team through people and geography, with their own communities and values. Plus there is an inherent competitive element in sports.

Console fanboyism is an attachment to a particular piece of plastic.

 

[TheRulingRing]

Not really, but it would generally be considered a lot more sad than being a fanboy for a sports team.

 

[Uzzy]

AND SPENCER HAS WON IT!

 

[Deleted member 2809]

It's pretty ridiculous.

 

[Deleted member 923]

Corner taken quickly....... Shuhei Yoshida!!!

Click to shrink...

😂😂😂😂

 

[Deadman]

Then on the other hand you have clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester City or American franchises that don't really exist for any other purpose than to make money/generate PR. They're just corporate entities that attempt to cash in on tribalism and that's reflected too in the way they handle defeat or competition. So this is a bit like Microsoft.

Click to shrink...

Real Madrid are actually owned by the supporters, so they are quite different to those other clubs.

 

[Gala]

What?

 

[Roshin]

There is a difference between liking games from a certain developer and being a fanboy that can't accept opinions if some people don't like games that you like.

Click to shrink...

Yes, there's nothing wrong with liking a company/developer/team/whatever and their products. The problems come when you go over the edge and start taking it too seriously.

 

[SMD]

.

 

[Dan Thunder]

I don't think it's an entirely accurate comparison - aside from the toxicity you sometimes get from rabid fans - but I don't think there's any issue with having a preference for a manufacturer. It just gets ridiculous when some people use their preference for one company as a reason to dislike a competitor.

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

Platform warriors and sports teams are both tribal, they're locked into their "teams" and support them based on that criteria alone rather than logically looking at the products. Everything is skewed with bias.

With third party games it's not really like that though, people typically don't buy every game their favorite publisher puts out.

 

[Selphie]

I really don't see how it has anything in common, besides some of the extreme people that can only think about "beating" the other game ompanies, with sales numbers and critic scores.
Edit: I mean that the toxic fanatics can be similar to toxic fans of sports, not that toxic game company fanatics are similar to sports fans in general.

 

[cw_sasuke]

People saying games aren't in competition when time and money are limited are kidding themselves.

Not every game can be GotY, best selling game of the month, the one with the most monthly players etc.

So yeah while there are différences the outcome it more or less the same. People wanna see their favorites "win" - no matter how that win looks in that specific field.

 

[GMM]

No, it's silly either way. It's okay to enjoy what a particular group of people is doing, but at the end of the day every entity can change and we should be open to reflect on such changes, not blindly follow because we liked what they stood for once.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Whereas with sports teams, I'm with them through good times and bad.
And since I'm a Newcastle fan, it's always bad times.

Click to shrink...

It's cold up there it Summer,
It's like sitting inside ay fridge,
But ah wish ah was on the Quayside,
Looking at the owld Tyne Bridge

Spoiler

As a somewhat lapsed and disillusioned Manchester United fan I can feel your pain.

 

[JustJavi]

Very veey different. I wouldn't touch a Barcelona kit with a 10 foot pole while I am a Nintendo fan, amd also have an Xbox and a PS4.

 

[YoungGunsII]

Corner taken quickly....... Shuhei Yoshida!!!

Click to shrink...

This made me laugh way more than it should have

 

[gofreak]

Seth Godin has interesting, relevant thoughts in his last book.

TLDR: his argument, more or less, is that we are inherently tribal, and some of the same mechanics you might see in sports teams do probably surface in consumer purchasing and the relationship between purchases and identity/culture/values/group-belonging.

 

[Eumi]

Sports is a competition where only one team can win. Supporting the team you want is a part of the product they're selling you, that's part of the fun. Your team failing, having them lose, that's all part of the drama.

On the other hand, game companies all succeeding and making great games is the ideal the industry should strive for. Supporting one company to beat out the others is usually just a toxic fanboy mindset.

 

[gofreak]

Sports is a competition where only one team can win. Supporting the team you want is a part of the product they're selling you, that's part of the fun. Your team failing, having them lose, that's all part of the drama.

On the other hand, game companies all succeeding and making great games is the ideal the industry should strive for. Supporting one company to beat out the others is usually just a toxic fanboy mindset.

Click to shrink...

A lot of posters here seem to be reading fanboy for fan. The OP is talking about being a fan of a company's games and, specifically, not talking shit about other companies.

 

[SCUMMbag]

People saying games aren't in competition when time and money are limited are kidding themselves.

Not every game can be GotY, best selling game of the month, the one with the most monthly players etc.

So yeah while there are différences the outcome it more or less the same. People wanna see their favorites "win" - no matter how that win looks in that specific field.

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That's a poor view on the industry where arbitrary winners and losers are defined.

The goal is to produce games sustainably, remaining profitable and maintain a good quality of life for developers.

"Winning" NPDs, number GOTYs and player count numbers does nothing to improve the industry only fuel tribalism.

An ideal video games industry has all stakeholders doing well. In sport, there can't be a situation where every team succeeds because it is built around competing.

 

[Vulcano's Assistant]

it not being a zero-sum-game aside, what is looked down upon mostly is the fascination with revenue as opposed to simply being about how well the games are reviewed, the amount of exclusives, etc

I'll be like the side of sports fans whose ammo against other teams is mostly about how much money the teams made for their owners that year as if it was more important than how the team performed that season.

 

[Aiii]

Yes, because you support the team and what they represent. You either like the players, or they represent the city you're from.

You don't stan the corporate entity that finances the team, because championing a corporate entity would be pretty lame.

 

[cw_sasuke]

That's a poor view on the industry where arbitrary winners and losers are defined.

The goal is to produce games sustainably, remaining profitable and maintain a good quality of life for developers.

"Winning" NPDs, number GOTYs and player count numbers does nothing to improve the industry only fuel tribalism.

An ideal video games industry has all stakeholders doing well. In sport, there can't be a situation where every team succeeds because it is built around competing.

Click to shrink...

Obviously talking about a "fans" viewpoint....there are obviously sport teams that also only care about being financially healthy and remain profitable...doesn't mean that it's gonna be priority for their hardcore fans and followers.

The whole industry had a concept of plattforms winning the console war since Day 1.....and now you guys are acting as if people imagined everything and this was never something fans engaged with.

Yes, because you support the team and what they represent. You either like the players, or they represent the city you're from.

You don't stan the corporate entity that finances the team, because championing a corporate entity would be pretty lame.

Click to shrink...

A publisher or developer can also represent the style of games you like or policies you would like the included in many games.

Many people right now live Gamepass and what it offers....so they expect similar or want similar services from other console manufacturers as well.

People were down on MS first party efforts for a mayority of this generation and wanted them to invest more in their own titles again - to compete with Sony ...that's what they did and every developer acquisitions is being celebrated on ERA.

The numbers of reasons why people are fans of publishers, devs, designers and musicians are endless.

It's the same concept - people being attached to the people that are responsible for their entertainment and Hobby.

 

[ContraWars]

Sports teams generally aren't aggressively trying to shake you down at every turn

Click to shrink...

I need to tell myself this the next time I'm paying 20 bucks for a cup of beer and a hot dog, at the arena built by city tax dollars because the billionaire owner of the local team cried poverty and threatened to leave the market.

 

[skeezx]

it can be. i see a lot of crossover in attitude when it comes to "fanboyism". or i did, it's not as bad as it was some years ago where forums where the virtual version of sega v nintendo playground shoutdowns

 

[Eumi]

A lot of posters here seem to be reading fanboy for fan. The OP is talking about being a fan of a company's games and, specifically, not talking shit about other companies.

Click to shrink...

I personally don't believe any outspoken fan really doesn't mind if other companies are succeeding. They might not be aware of it, but the attitude still manifests, even in small ways, such as how you might react when the platform you're a fan of gets an exclusive compared to the platform you aren't.

 

[johancruijff]

I can't buy affection to other sports teams

 

[Isayas]

Not really because people usually go for their hometown team but with pieces of plastic that people purchase it usually goes by the games they want to play or the ecosystem they feel the most comfy with it. I could be wrong. I am a big fan of Sony since the late 90s and I am comfortable with their ecosystem like how I am with Samsung for my phone.

 

[gofreak]

I personally don't believe any outspoken fan really doesn't mind if other companies are succeeding. They might not be aware of it, but the attitude still manifests, even in small ways, such as how you might react when the platform you're a fan of gets an exclusive compared to the platform you aren't.

Click to shrink...

That's true, though it can be easily argued that this applies to sports also - that 'positive' sports team affiliation can easily boil over into negative (and toxic) rhetoric and behaviour towards fans of other teams or whatnot. (Indeed, I think you see farrrrr worse in sports than when it comes to 'videogame fanboyism', although I suppose things like gamergate and associated online campaigns might give the worst excesses of sports 'fanboyism' a run for its money).

I say all that to say, though - the OP wasn't talking about toxic fanboyism in either sphere, but to what extent the psychology of being a 'fan' might have similarities. I think there are similar underlying psychological triggers - it might be less romantic to acknowledge that with regard to consumer purchases, than sports, but our human need for identity and belonging and familiarity does surface in almost everything we do, including our purchasing and media consumption behaviour.

 

[ShinUltramanJ]

It's fine to enjoy what a company offers. But trying to pass off fanboyism (just in general, not you OP) as rooting on a sports team is a flimsy excuse to act like an ass.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

THEY'VE CAUGHT MICROSOFT NAPPING! BRILLIANT THINKING BY YOSHIDA, CLINICAL FINISHING BY THE USED GAME YOUTUBE TUTORIAL. SONY AHEAD!

 

[Eumi]

That's true, though it can be easily argued that this applies to sports also - that 'positive' sports team affiliation can easily boil over into negative (and toxic) rhetoric and behaviour towards fans of other teams or whatnot. (Indeed, I think you see farrrrr worse in sports than when it comes to 'videogame fanboyism', although I suppose things like gamergate and associated online campaigns might give the worst excesses of sports 'fanboyism' a run for its money).

Click to shrink...

The difference is that in sports that attitude is literally the product. It's why most people buy in in the first place. People who watch sports with no affinity for any team are a minority.

The difference isn't that one is good and the other is bad, it's that one is necessary whilst the other isn't.

 

[SigSig]

THEY'VE CAUGHT MICROSOFT NAPPING! BRILLIANT THINKING BY YOSHIDA, CLINICAL FINISHING BY THE USED GAME YOUTUBE TUTORIAL. SONY AHEAD!

Click to shrink...

That's exactly how this place reads, tho.