Leading by Example

I really didn't know how I wanted to approach this topic. People get excited about their video games, and this is always a great thing. One thing that is a detriment to the gaming community, however- are those that take their games and tournaments way too seriously- i.e, fanboys and competitive jerks. As a club, we really have not dealt with this problem this year, but it has been a problem in the past; and it was a huge turnoff to casual gamers AND other hardcore gamers.

A "fanboy" doesn't necessarily have to be a male gamer, but a larger percentage of them are. According to Wikipedia, a fanboy is a person highly devoted and BIASED in opinion towards a single hobby. Fanboys would be tolerable if they were highly devoted to one particular area of gaming, but what irks the rest of the community is a biased opinion. "Wii sucks, PS3 sucks, XBOX 360 owns!!!" would be a statement a blood pumped Xbox 360 fanboy would say. What irks me "squared (^2)" is when fanboys begin creating dissent among other gamers in any particular group. And you know what happens? typically they will become ostricized if a group if the majority of the group is tired of hearing about "x".

One can wonder, "have you actually tried the other consoles?" what did you not like about them?. In a hobby full of many devoted and passionate gamers, it's always a good thing to keep your mind open to new experiences and new games. After all, that is how I got attracted to games such as Metal Gear Solid and Puyo Puyo. Depending on what setting you are in, and how people's opinions are oriented, it may not be a good idea to boast recklessly about skill or absolute loyalty to any one thing. No respect can be formed that way as gamers, or as people.

Competitive jerks can derive from fanboys, but not necessarily. When a group of "elite" gamers gets together and ostricizes other gamers, whether on purpose or unintentionally, it creates a toxic atmosphere that ruins the fun for other people. The place where elitism belongs is in tournaments, and not necessarily at gatherings where fun is the main objective. Toxic environments breed discontent and animosity; while it is a good attitude to not be affected by another's opinion, the survival of the "group" depends on harmony, which can be defined as understanding and, to a degree, empathy. In plain english, let others have fun, and have fun with others- that is what the game is all about, right? There is always room for secret meetings among elite friends for practice. Ignoring other gamers entirely for the sole purpose of competition in a video game? sounds like a boring lifestyle to me.

As I have done with my club, I choose to lead by example. Games are all about fun and the time spent with other players. Video games are a good way to build relationships with new people and form fan groups. We have done this inside the club- thanks to social networking, ANYONE who is interested in joining a sub-group of our club can find people to play that are interested in the same game as they are. You can be good at video games, I just prefer to be humble about it; and that is leading by example.