The cruelty of video game fans

What is it about fans of video games that makes them so... well... fanatic? I’m a fan of a massively multiplayer online game, or MMO, that shall remain unnamed. I geek over every new addition, I speculate about the storyline behind the world, and I read the forums religiously.

But that’s where things turn nasty. Every time something happens, whether it’s a new addition to the game or a little information about the future, it takes about 17.4 seconds before someone’s screaming about it on the forums like it’s the end of the world.

Here’s an example post. “[Developers], I must protest this despicable [recent event]. I can’t tell you how deeply offensive this is. How utterly unacceptable this is. How abusive and inappropriate and irresponsible it is to [do what you did].” I’ve cut it off there to protect the innocent. Anyway, someone puts up a post like that, and someone else calls them names, and then there’s that really annoying guy who thinks he’s being useful by pointing out the logical fallacies in other people’s positions. Eventually, someone demands that someone else provide proof for their claims or retract their statements, and it’s all over but the crying.

And this goes on every time anything happens. I don’t think it’s just my MMO. It’s a ubiquitous phenomenon on the Internet. Maybe it’s human nature, or the result of near-anonymity, but video game discussions all seem to turn into a bunch of first-graders calling each other “doody-heads” and flailing at each other with their own shoes.

So I have a simple request. We know you love the game, and we know you have strong feelings about it. But when something happens, take a few steps back, set down the Mountain Dew, and remind yourself: it’s not just a game, but that’s no reason to have an aneurysm on the web whenever something threatens to change. Try to look on the bright side of things. It’s better for your blood pressure, even if it’s bad for your post count.