GAMING UNITY
GAMING UNITY
At the 2018 Game Awards a huge moment for the gaming industry happened. The heads of Nintendo, Sony, and Xbox all walked out on stage together to address the crowd. They preached a message of unity and togetherness. While we all have different tastes and preferences, we are all a part of the overall gaming community. Games are better when everyone takes part and enjoys the fun climate. Efforts such as the Adaptive controller and Cross-Play have further enabled more people to play the games they love with their friends and family.
"Games are better when everyone takes part."
The gaming community, unfortunately is divided into rivaling factions: Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo. Fans of one particular brand, Playstation and Xbox in particular, spend time trying to tear each-other down and belittle the quality and value of the other’s preferred console. There are many reasons why someone might choose a particular console: brand familiarity/loyalty, recommendation, affordability, hardware power, gaming lineup, etc. All consoles have similarities and differences, so weighing your options before choosing which one is best for you is absolutely recommended. In this piece, I’m trying to offer another option: Play on all three consoles if you can, financially permitting. All have value, and the competition in the marketplace keeps things evolving and exciting.
I started gaming when I was six years old. On the last day of Kindergarten, my parents took my brother and I to Toys R Us (RIP) to buy a Nintendo 64, along with Super Mario 64. That summer was my exciting introduction into the world of gaming. Like many of you, growing up, I’ve played the multitude of consoles that the Big Three have produced: N64, Gamecube, Wii, Wii U, and Switch by Nintendo; Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X by Microsoft. Playstation, Playstation; Playstation 3, Playstation 4, and Playstation 4 Pro by Sony. I was lucky enough to have a chance to try all these, affording me a perspective different from one who has only experienced one of the brands. Few things rivaled the fun anticipation of saving allowances, birthday money, and earned dollars toward the next big thing in gaming. This is not intended as a brag, just a self-example of why playing a multitude of different brands allows one to see things from a broader view and not think of things simply as “Console Warfare”.
TOXICITY IN GAMING
Toxic fanboys are a very persistent nuisance and poison to the gaming community. Absolutely no one benefits when someone tries to diminish or tear down another’s games of choice, brand affiliation, friend community, or anything of the like. To be absolutely crystal clear, being passionate and excited about one’s platform or games of choice should be celebrated. The community thrives when people do that. The problem lies with situations in which that enthusiasm becomes a mission to devalue and dehumanize others who have the same passion, but for a different choice of games and platform. Terms like “Xbot” and “Pony” are essentially slurs against fans of a given platform. Disagreements happen; we’re all human; everyone has a different opinion. The key is to handle it respectfully.
"Build bridges in the gaming community; don't burn them."
So, what is my point in all of this? Well, I challenge you to try and view games from another’s perspective. If you can, play games from another platform, or a different style of game than you normally would. You might just find a new style of games you enjoy, and a new game ecosystem in which to immerse yourself. Do this, and you’ll see that all systems, games, etc. have value and bring something new to your life. Build bridges in the gaming community; don’t burn them.