By all means be a fanboy, but don’t be a troll

Although it goes against received wisdom and supposed common sense, I don’t go in for the platform agnosticism which seems to be the opinion popularly expressed in polite company nowadays. People who play games on all platforms extensively either have a lot more spare money than me, a lot more spare time than me, are game journalists, or all three.

Undoubtedly each platform has its merits and games that I may well enjoy, but I find it more than reasonable to partake in a little fanboyism to a certain extent.

I, like many others have invested a not insignificant sum on my platform of choice (in my case the PS4). I did this in the knowledge that I could buy into the key tenets of the brand, and the major deciding factor was what first party games, and other console exclusives, I could expect to be playing on that platform. Although third party games are more than worthy of attention, I truly believe that it takes a Naughty Dog or the ilk to get the very best out of a system, designing the game without having to make compromises that are necessary to bring the game to multiple platforms, and having an intimate understanding of how to squeeze every last drop of power out of the platform to reach the greatest heights.

I’m no Sony evangelist, yet at the same time it is understandable that one may wish to bask in the knowledge that their investment of choice was a smart move for them. It is understandable that they would wish to champion their system, share their experiences and recommend certain games.

It is, however, not at all understandable how someone would deny that anyone could ever derive any enjoyment from a system other than their own, and engage in flame wars on games forums to defend the honour of their selected corporation, and to project the feaces that they spew onto the internet. For those that fit this description dwell under bridges in fairytales, in teenage bedrooms, and their mothers’ basements well into their 40s.

So while it is clear that gamers tend to identify with and invest in the brand to a much greater degree than say their brand of toilet paper, and it is ok to express certain fanboy tendencies, it is never ok to be a troll.

Leaving Nintendo behind

Things that play a major part in our youth have a major effect on shaping us as people. Like for many people video games played a major role in my childhood, and although my gaming journey started with Sega, my most formative years were spent on Nintendo consoles.

There is certainly an emotional attachment that many Nintendo console owners share, and when there is an imbalance between emotion and logic this often leads to denial. Nintendo fans can be fiercely protective of the honour of their favoured corporation even in the face of quite damning testament. It’s a tough gig being a Nintendo evangelist on the school playground, the PlayStation will always be cooler, and Nintendo fans have to deal with some persuasive arguments. Using the examples of Mortal Kombat et al. to back up my argument, I myself recited the Nintendo mantra: “games should be fun, having fun is not childish, blood and guts does not equal adult” and I stand by these statements, but now I would also add “good graphics improve immersion, games are a form of entertainment for adults, it’s nice to play third party games too”.

I had been wooed over years by my friends saying how great the PS3 was, so at the big PS4 reveal at E3 2013 I took notice and was impressed by the hardware improvements and the level that the graphics had reached. After so many years of Nintendo I just felt like it was a chance to experience something new, and Sony seemed to have a clear understanding of the industry and where it wanted to go and just swept me along with it. It was a hard decision to make, but one I stand by and would take again many times over.

The seduction was a drawn out process, and the PS4 just happened to come along offering something more at the very time cracks in my relationship with Nintendo were growing ever deeper. It is perfectly understandable that Nintendo, as with all companies, had their own vision. Namely that they saw themselves as a family company who pride themselves on quality, both admirable qualities, yet their suffocating need for control, unattractiveness to third parties, and total inability to get with modern times with online gaming became too much in the face of the PlayStation brand that to me seemed to have come of age. I almost felt sorry for Nintendo seeing as they had been consistent with their behaviour ever since the start and looking back it is pretty clear they are a toy company. As I grew older and found who I was I guess we just grew apart, plus I never quite forgave them for disposing of Rare who alongside Nintendo gave me the greatest gaming joy of my youth.

Now for me Nintendo has become a bit like the toys in Toy Story; much loved during my formative years, fondly remembered, but hidden from view in a cupboard or attic somewhere.

For many people there is a third way; buying the Wii U as a second console, but I neither have the spare time or the money to spend and actually feel like I need a break, and to give myself the opportunity to really dive in and fully experience all the things the PS4 has to offer. Right now in my gaming life another Mario Kart or Smash Brothers doesn’t excite me nearly as much as Uncharted, the Last of Us, Fallout, Far Cry, Mirror’s Edge etc., so until either my children start playing Nintendo, or Nintendo decide to give up manufacturing hardware someone else will have to save Princesses Peach and Zelda the next time they get in trouble.