Support NeoGAF

[TheDraconian]

I have been particularly bewildered by the age-old gaming concept of "wars" for some time.

Things like "Console-warring", "PC masterrace", etc.....

I've always seen them as some kind of weird gaming fad I was never in on.

I just decided to remain an amused observer to all instances of the so called "wars", ever since the point I became aware of them.

But seeing some threads today, especially OOGABOOGA 's thread and Gamer79 's topic earlier were what set me off to write this topic.

I split my gaming between my PS5 and 1070 PC (a lower-middle range setup nowadays). I have partial access to a Wii, Switch and XOne, so I play games on them whenever I get the chance.

I've experienced a broad range of games: dabbling into Playstation's as opposed to Playground's racing (GT and Forza), across different genres, series and publishers, all the way to Nintendo's fantasy (e.g. Zelda, Mario....).

Even with my range of gaming, I am not even remotely a hyper-fan of Microsoft (Xbox, Windows), PlayStation, Nintendo or their hardware.

Why?

It's cuz Im a fan of GAMES.
If Im interested in playing a game, I play it!
On whatever I can...
Whenever I can.

I don't mentally burden myself with pointless, irrelevant stuff (like whether my plastic box performs better, or has "greater" games on it, than a different box).
If at all I use any brainpower on a game, it is to critique a game, assess it and adjudge its quality. And I NEVER use a game's platform as a basis to judge it's quality.

"Platform-blindness" is a good term to describe my point of view.
I don't see platforms, I only see games.
The plastic box (console or PC), is just a "container" to me. I only use that "container" as a means to play the games (i.e. content) I want.
What I play games on is irrelevant to me.
Simple as that.

Look guys.

We are grown, mature, knowledgable, rational people (well, most of us are).

Why would y'all be arguing about which gaming "container" is the "best", and be trying to put down ppl using different "containers" from yours?

Ridiculous is an understatement for this.

GaF's purpose is to discuss GAMES, FIRST AND FOREMOST, and then all other things gaming.
It's kind of saddening that people are derailing threads, and the Forum in general, using gaming discussion as a cover to champion and push all kinds of "warring".

I advise that you guys (GaF in general) should:

1. Focus less on the hardware you play on, and more on the games you play (as you should). I feel it allows you to be open-minded, and it eliminates a lot of unnecessary mental gymnastics.

2. Not be reductive. Even if you want to uphold your fave "container", you can always do so in a way that is not condescending to other "containers" and their folks.

I just know a lot of you will ignore this piece of advice.

This is just a fair, objective, unbiased mindset from a multi-platform gamer.

I never have and never will understand platform warring.

 

[Punished Miku]

Well said @Vyne

 

[Bullet Club]

People like choosing sides and then fighting for their team. It could be game consoles, soft drinks, religion, whatever. It's the way of the world.

Not everybody likes to do it though. Some of us are multi-system warriors!

 

[Bernd Lauert]

I like bantz but some people take the warring way too seriously.

Reminds me of football. Usually fans of opposing teams can talk shit to each other but in the end it's all in good spirit. But then a certain part of the fanbase wants to literally play war on the streets and knock your teeth out. It's cringe.

 

[The Fartist]

 

[Pejo]

Tribalism is a human trait, so unfortunately in anything where you have a potential "us vs. them" situation, you will have these types of discussions/topics.

I just stay out of the majority of the console wars threads, but apparently people are really into them and get (too) fired up about them.

Also, to be fair, that Oogabooga thread was just a plainly laid bait and so many people bit.

 

[Mr Moose]

Fan of games?

 

[Matt_Fox]

I suspect the people who cheerlead like it's a football team own one system.

It's human hardwiring to be tribal and validate your own choices (it must be the best, because I chose it).

Start playing on more than one system and those blinkers come off, all that nonsense goes away.

 

[assurdum]

i'd like to be brutally honest about why it happens so frequently BUT it wouldn't end well for me.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

PC is better though

 

[Kamina]

I blame the green rats

Spoiler

/s

 

[rabbity-thing]

Well. There's a whole pinned post about this already soooo....

 

[lh032]

console warring makes you stronger as a hardcore gamer.

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

Sony always wins baby

 

[MadchesterManc]

They are quite the spectacle to read through at times though, plus the warring tends to stick to certain threads so it doesn't bother me. I play games not systems.

 

[ToadMan]

Well with the recent exodus, GAF should take a census of platform favouritism…

But anyway I game on everything - PS, Xbox, Switch, PC.

I have to say I’m more critical of MS because they’re a rich company that do very little that is innovative in any market. My capitalist brain says they should have gone out of business but they “lucked” into DOS, Word and now Azure. In fact they even bought Flight Sim!

As a result I view xbox as a red headed step child of gaming - its not good enough to just be there, it’s got to be better so I feel they earned it. So yeah I’m more critical of Xbox.

But PS, Ninty and PC I’m more than happy with - I wouldn’t want to be without any of them.

Oh and not to forget my phone and tablet of course!

One other point though is that some people aren’t console warring, they’re just trolling to stir shit and they just join the fray. The passionate fans then rise to the bait. Which is why careful moderation is key.

 

[TintoConCasera]

I think discussion is fine and even fun when taken in good faith. People sometimes take it too seriously tho.

People sometimes get triggered too fast too. It happens to everyone, even to me whenever I read someone calling Horizon an RPG or Castlevania SotN a rogue like.

Well. There's a whole pinned post about this already soooo....

That thread also triggers me.

"A note on the current SPATE"? What is a spate?

 

[Lady Jane]

I'm fine with different opinions as long as they align with mine.

 

[LectureMaster]

Only kids have got to make choice, adults simply get all options available, /s

 

[SlimySnake]

Mods have banned dozens if not hundreds of fanboys in the last few but some still remain. Give it a few more months.

PC gaming, Playstation, Xbox, and even Nintendo all have their issues. You are right, it should be about the games, but in an age where fewer AAA games are coming out than ever before, you are going to see a lot of bored posters shit on each other instead of actually playing them.

 

[Jennings]

 

[adamsapple]

Can't we all just get along ?

 

[Belthazar]

The banter and back-and-forth is fun and all, but some people take it too dar.

 

[D-ray]

People like choosing sides and then fighting for their team. It could be game consoles, soft drinks, religion, whatever. It's the way of the world.

Not everybody likes to do it though. Some of us are multi-system warriors!

Pretty much what I was about to say.

Personally, I share your feeling @Vyne, but as life told me, you can't change people, and you shouldn't even do so.
Try being the best individual you want to be, don't try to change the mass.

 

[Bragr]

This site has about 1% of the warring you will find in most other places.

Yes, we still have some fools who think that having a PC only or only having a console makes you a real hardcore big dick gamer. But most understand that a true gaymer needs to game on consoles and PC to be real.

 

[mutt765]

But seriously, like Bullet Club said, people will always compare similar things and argue about which one is the best. Its human nature.

 

[kiphalfton]

I think arguing amongst ourselves is something that most people have become accustomed to, because that's really all we can do or the amount of say we have. Everything else we have pretty much no say in, and this is made evidently clear if you've ever tried to fight anything bigger than a parking ticket, so we get into arguments about meaningless shit that we think will be easier to win.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

I have been particularly bewildered by the age-old gaming concept of "wars" for some time.

Things like "Console-warring", "PC masterrace", etc.....

I've always seen them as some kind of weird gaming fad I was never in on.

I just decided to remain an amused observer to all instances of the so called "wars", ever since the point I became aware of them.

But seeing some threads today, especially OOGABOOGA 's thread and Gamer79 's topic earlier were what set me off to write this topic.

I split my gaming between my PS5 and 1070 PC (a lower-middle range setup nowadays). I have partial access to a Wii, Switch and XOne, so I play games on them whenever I get the chance.

I've experienced a broad range of games: dabbling into Playstation's as opposed to Playground's racing (GT and Forza), across different genres, series and publishers, all the way to Nintendo's fantasy (e.g. Zelda, Mario....).

Even with my range of gaming, I am not even remotely a hyper-fan of Microsoft (Xbox, Windows), PlayStation, Nintendo or their hardware.

Why?

It's cuz Im a fan of GAMES.
If Im interested in playing a game, I play it!
On whatever I can...
Whenever I can.

I don't mentally burden myself with pointless, irrelevant stuff (like whether my plastic box performs better, or has "greater" games on it, than a different box).
If at all I use any brainpower on a game, it is to critique a game, assess it and adjudge its quality. And I NEVER use a game's platform as a basis to judge it's quality.

"Platform-blindness" is a good term to describe my point of view.
I don't see platforms, I only see games.
The plastic box (console or PC), is just a "container" to me. I only use that "container" as a means to play the games (i.e. content) I want.
What I play games on is irrelevant to me.
Simple as that.

Look guys.

We are grown, mature, knowledgable, rational people (well, most of us are).

Why would y'all be arguing about which gaming "container" is the "best", and be trying to put down ppl using different "containers" from yours?

Ridiculous is an understatement for this.

GaF's purpose is to discuss GAMES, FIRST AND FOREMOST, and then all other things gaming.
It's kind of saddening that people are derailing threads, and the Forum in general, using gaming discussion as a cover to champion and push all kinds of "warring".

I advise that you guys (GaF in general) should:

1. focus less on the hardware you play on, and more on the games you play (as you should). I feel it allows you to be open-minded, and it eliminates a lot of unnecessary mental gymnastics.

2. Don't be reductive. Even if you want to uphold your fave platform, you can always do so in a way that is not condescending to other "platforms" and their folks.

I just know a lot of you will ignore this piece of advice.

This is just a fair, objective, unbiased mindset from a multi-platform gamer

I never have and never will understand platform warring.

 

[Topher]

This site has about 1% of the warring you will find in most other places.

Yes, we still have some fools who think that having a PC only or only having a console makes you a real hardcore big dick gamer. But most understand that a true gaymer needs to game on consoles and PC to be real.

Well, I don't know many who thinks they are a "real hardcore big dick gamer" because they game only on PC or console, but I certainly don't think someone is less of a gamer because they just prefer one or the other. Unless you are being sarcastic, of course.

Ideally the platform one chooses to game on is determined by the games they want to play.

 

[Putonahappyface]

I've noticed a trend in individuals being gaslighted to the point where they would either crack, or kill their account or get banned or permanently banned. I find it peculiar behaviour deriving pleasure bullying someone anonymously online. I like laugh I probably even fly to close to the sun with my humour, but I never intend to cause someone distress!

Also I've played on every platform and I genuinely do not care or give allegiance to any plastic box! I just lean towards whoever caters for my gaming needs and currently that's Playstation, but that could change.

 

[Jim Ryan other Clone]

Before couple months you could not enter a thread because even hello kitty threads were bombarded from both sides with HIMARS of bullshit. Now it's more calm with the 10ths of bans and self immolations.

 

[Kev Kev]

Start utilizing the ignore feature

Every corner of the internet is filled with trolls, including GAF.

And before someone says it, no you’re not a tough guy for not using the ignore feature. People can curate their forum experience how ever the fuck they want, and that’s what I would suggest if you’re tired of seeing the console warring comments.

 

[LazyParrot]

Most of these are made by serial offenders. Gamer79 in particular loves making low effort bait threads that he then promptly abandons. Putting just a handful of people on ignore will make almost all of these threads disappear.

 

[wvnative]

I don't like people who take it waaaaaaaaaaaay too far. But, what is the line between legit criticism of a platform versus "console warring?"

 

[ReBurn]

That's been taken care of. See the sticky at the top of the forum.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Well. There's a whole pinned post about this already soooo....

The funny thing about it is that it doesn't matter, unfortunately. It still happens, and continues to.

Of course people have their opinions, their preferences, and there's nothing wrong with that. But I really do think over the last few years people have leaned harder and harder into contrarianism and toxicity. You tend to see less, "Nah, I don't like that" or something similar, and something more like, "That thing is shit, and your taste is shit!" It's pretty damning to me, haha.

If it bothers you that much OP, I'd recommend muting the folks you see it constantly coming from. Because it's clear that nothing is going to change how they function. So many people have been banned for warring, etc. So, just spare yourself, y'know?

 

[ShirAhava]

Console warring backed by rational arguments and a healthy competitive spirit can be fun basically don't take it too seriously and its fine

Kids who worship soulless corporations debating back and forth about how "my box is the best box"

when they both use almost the exact same off the shelf PC parts is full reeeee.....never go full reeeee

 

[A.Romero]

I'm OK with discussion because sometimes it's so stupid it becomes funny. What I really don't get is people getting angry and insulting and people asking for their account to be nuked.

People should just stop visiting GAF and that's it.

Also I compare this kind of stuff to sports teams warring. It doesn't really matter but people still take it as if it was life or death. Pretty interesting to watch.

 

[Ozriel]

Console warring backed by rational arguments and a healthy competitive spirit can be fun basically don't take it too seriously and its fine

I’ve seen this viewpoint stated multiple times, usually from people who were just about to be permabanned. And I disagree wholeheartedly. There’s absolutely nothing ‘fun’ about console warring. It’s childish stuff.

 

[jroc74]

Start utilizing the ignore feature

Every corner of the internet is filled with trolls, including GAF.

And before someone says it, no you’re not a tough guy for not using the ignore feature. People can curate their forum experience how ever the fuck they want, and that’s what I would suggest if you’re tired of seeing the console warring comments.

Agree.

I have ignored so many threads....not because its about a platform I hate....its because the info is not relevant to me. It just gets in the way of seeing threads I wanna see.

Users, I will ignore all day. I have gotten used to saying something and not caring who responds, I dont even check notifications anymore. If I respond to you, that usually means I dont have you on ignore, lol. And its a thread I'm interested in being in and engaging in.

 

[V1LÆM]

you've come to the wrong place then.

lots of sony boys and green rats here. the forum is heavily biased towards Sony.

if it really bothers you then best find somewhere else because some people will never grow up and shit ain't going to change on here. i agree, warring is pathetic, sad, and stupid but you can't get through to some people so what can you do?

 

[SSfox]

What console warring means tho? If you have preference, you like or don't like some consoles or brands i think that's fine. Sorry but i'm not gonna say good things or buy a shitty box unless i'm excited about and the brand itself are doing it right.

Of course then you have those who make useless thread all days just to shit on hardwares or brands or whatever, i mean you can express your shit in a comment on a thread, but no need to create 50 threads to tell people that you prefer your shitty PC over consoles, or you're an Gamepass stan ect, cause first nobody cares, but also no need for a thread for your useless opinion either.

 

[ÆMNE22A!C]

I've been hardly entering topics on the gaming side because of this. Also a lot of negativity.

 

[Dr. Claus]

You are absolutely correct. The games shoulda ALWAYS be the only thing that matters. People who have loyalty to particular brands, who defend and champion particular consoles? Fucking mentally ill.

 

[ShirAhava]

I’ve seen this viewpoint stated multiple times, usually from people who were just about to be permabanned. And I disagree wholeheartedly. There’s absolutely nothing ‘fun’ about console warring. It’s childish stuff.

It comes with being passionate about any hobby really sports, cars, tvs, books tv or movies and this is among adults why would gaming be any different? I've always said the day where console warring is no longer a thing gaming prob isn't that interesting anymore.....the way things are going that day might not be too far off.

 

[Crayon]

I happen to like the platforms around here. You're going to find it pretty much everywhere that has a reasonable moderation policy. It's only a matter of the quality of it. The flavor.

For my refined taste, this style of platform warring at era is a drag. Nu-wars or something. It's more based on boosting signal then good old-fashioned dumbassery. Fanboys feel almost like bots over there.

Here, you get people call out directly. Loud and proud lol. There's actually friendly ribbings mixed in there. And you can tell that some people who like to argue understand that they need somebody to argue with and there's no reason to push them off the board.

I know the difference is there, I can't tell if it's more subtle or pronounced because I just came back here sort of recently. So it seems like night day, to me.

 

[kurisu_1974]

It was fun in the 80s and 90s when games across platforms were very different as was the hardware they're runnng on. Now I don't see the point.

 

[Chronicle]

I love it. In fact I wish it was promoted more. It's entertaining to watch. Crybabies fighting crybabies.

 

[nowhat]

Have you considered what would happen if the two major factions would get along?

You'd get bluish-green pony-rat abominations, that's what. I'm not a religious person by any means, but I'm also quite certain that's not what $DEITY intended.

 

[Captain Toad]

But seriously, like Bullet Club said, people will always compare similar things and argue about which one is the best. Its human nature.

Yeah, the closer things are the same, the more people hate one compared to the other.

It's why hardcore Philadelphia Eagles fans hate the Dallas Cowboys so much, but have no strong feelings about the Dallas Stars. And why Xbox fanboys are much more concerned about PlayStation than they are Switch or PC.