Why I Wish It Was November 2015
If someone gave me the choice of fast-forwarding through time stopping somewhere around late 2015 I would probably leap at the chance. Not because I expect my life to be so much better, it’s actually pretty good right now, or that things are so bad right now that I want to skip over the last bits of the Obama administration. I certainly don’t want to miss all the wonderful experiences I’ll have with friends and family, all the games I’ll miss playing, and all the booze that will go unconsumed. But there is one thing that makes me long for two years in the future with such longing that all those other concerns pale in comparison.
It’s already started happening in our comparatively friendly community, and it’s only worse on the internet in general. Xbox One supporters calling PS4 fans relics of the past, PS4 fans saying that Xbox One supporters are Nazis (because Godwin’s law), Nintendo fans saying that the other consoles are just tired old military shooter and sports games machines, and the PC gamers invoking ‘master race’ status and generally being intolerable assholes.
And the new consoles, save the WiiU, haven’t even come out yet.
Who gives a shit?
Think about what it’ll be like if Sony has a misstep at their console launch. “See! Sony hasn’t learned anything, fucking idiots, can’t believe you assholes fell for that shit!” Or what if Microsoft turns out to have more DRM in the system than they let on and backed away from? “Omfg you Microsoft fanboys are too blinded by sucking Microsoft’s cock to see how they’re fucking you in the ass!” And from on high the PC gamers will yell “I can make a better PC for the same price!” while completely missing the reason why people console game. (Hint: it isn’t for super high-end graphics.)
And this is just what you’ll see in articles and blog posts. Every YouTube video about a console exclusive, every post about why it’s okay to like all the consoles, every time anyone opens their mouth about anything related to any console of any kind you’ll get some asshat so blinded by their loyalty to their console of choice telling you that you’re the worst person ever, the worst gamer ever, for daring to disagree with them.
No one cares, PC gamers.
Don’t misunderstand, you can prefer one console over the others even to the exclusion of the other consoles if you so choose! All things being equal, I generally prefer Sony over the other consoles, including PC. I still maintain that the Vita is a better system than the 3Ds but by the same token I easily concede the point that the 3DS has a far superior game library which, for now, makes the 3DS the obvious winner of the handheld ‘race’.
Look at that. I didn’t call anyone an idiot, or imply they were a Nazi, or resort to gendered insults. Funny, that.
In time the console wars fade away, especially as a cycle goes longer and longer people can’t be bothered to care anymore. The 360 did very well, the PS3 did very well, the Wii did very well. What a surprise, who cares, lets move on. But with the new consoles there’s a chance to be right once again, to prove that one’s loyalty to a brand is superior to the other brands.
And yet.
I thought we played video games because we liked them. Right? Why do we need to spend the next three years bickering over which console is better, and why can’t we concede that the more games there are, reflecting the needs and wants of more people, is better than a world that is completely dominated by one console?
So. Please. Don’t spend the next three years arguing pointlessly about which console is better. Pick your console(s) and play them, love them, and love your fellow gamer for their choices as well.
