In the the most recent episode of the 1up yours podcast that just so happens to be the last for Luke Smith before heading up for Bungie, a 1up boards thread was discussed in the 2nd segment about the effect of fanboys on the gaming industry as a whole and more localized into different sections of the industry. So, taking that thread and what was discussed on the show I figured I’d through my thoughts into the wind, but to come from the Xbox Community perspective instead. Feel free to share your thought’s on this topic.

Do you consider yourself hardcore or a fanboy? Running with the thought that a fanboy is unwavering in there commitment in a certain thing regardless of it’s flaws. On the other hand what’s considered hardcore is much the same but not attached to any one thing unwaveringly. You could certainly call every writer on this blog alone a fanboy for committing to covering all things Xbox, but does this make us fanboy’s? I think not, but even if that were the case that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Let’s say there are undeniable fanboys out there much like Xbox360fanboy. The title lets it be known from the get go, but what about everyone else. I love Xbox Live, chances are you love Xbox Live as well, but that doesn’t mean we’re Xbox Live fanboys does it? The decision to use one service almost exclusively over another doesn’t make me or anyone else a fanboy. I and/or many other people don’t bash other offering’s just because the choice we made isn’t the same as the rest.

Am I what’s consider hardcore. Sure as heck. Is there something wrong with that? When people like Bungie or Microsoft itself recognize the core fan for who they are and actually respond to them as real people other than a statistic like other companies tend to limit themselve’s to, it ensures that the built in user-base is heard. Not that hardcore fan’s should be directly dictating what should be done to a product because we said so, but taking into account what is wanted and trying to deliver that to the people who most want it is what ultimately makes everybody happy.

Is there a place for the most devoted out there, or are we being too niche already? The term mainstream gets thrown around allot these day’s but no one knows what the mainstream really is. Lots of money gets tossed around trying to generate buzz for a product on a scale that meets the needs of as many people as possible, but in turn captures the interest of neither the hardcore/fanboy or the so-called mainstream. You could say that this is what happened or is happening to a title like Viva Pinata. Supposedly targeted to a “young” audience, Viva Pinata from afar doesn’t seem that it should be of any interest to the fanboy of an older age, because it’s being marketed as a kids game. Of course, it turns out that the game is in many ways to complicated for the young crowd causing alienation for the intended audience and a far fetched purchase for the older gamer who was put off by what is supposed to be a kids game.

In case’s like this is where the hardcore and/or fanboy are what makes gaming in general what it is. The fanboy crowd seems over zealous most of the time to a detriment to themselves, but isn’t that better than a none guaranteed built in audience that isn’t on the fritz like the mainstream would be? Most fanboys will certainly steer the uninitiated in one direction or the other. People like that are what makes a capitalistic society go. Rolling the dice on people who may or may not be interested from the get go is dangerous for the bottom line and will ultimately create uncertainty that always will go bad for the unsuccessful. Fanboy’s will tell other people. A targeted “mainstream” audience will do no such thing, because as the marketing agencie’s chances are, you haven’t gotten the mainstream audiences attention.

Whether or not you consider yourself a fanboy or not, don’t get yourself in a bunch over nothing. Negative connotations about fanboy’s are abound, but chances are the critics are fanboy’s of something your not into as well. A time will come when they will become a fanboy and won’t even know it. In that case, kiss the so-called mainstream goodbye.

-William “thewilleffect” Bell-