Loading... What Killed the Fanboy?

[Ethec]

Is the fanboy dead? If so, are we better off without him? We'll take a break from the news ticker delivery of post-E3 goodness to step back and consider what might have killed the blind enthusiasm which typified the MMO community for so much of its existence and look at where we're at now. DDO's Eberron Unlimited devs tackle some hard questions, an enlightening spate of Torchlight info and video from E3 2009, and Paul Barnett sums up this year's E3: it's all in Loading... What Killed the Fanboy?

[kitsunegirl]

Vikki reminds me a little of Lucy Liu, but alot prettier.

[Annatar]

I think that game developers have kicked players in the balls often enough over the past 2-3 years that a lot of people have gotten a little gun shy with regards to blind optimism regarding upcoming releases.

Don't get me wrong, the blind fanboy-ism is still there (just check out some random SW:ToR and DarkFall ( ) forums), but I think, amongst a lot of 'older' gamers, the hype has been replaced by cautious optimism instead of the rampant frothing at the mouth over every little new tidbit of information which has been commonplace in the past. Heck, for many, it has even been reduced to apathy for every game that get announced.

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes was the last kick in the balls that I got, and it helped lessen the mild disappointment that my gaming buddies and I got from WAR. And while I have my eye on a couple of upcoming titles, I don't really feel an urge to anything but quietly watch the development news rather than 'spread the word'.

[kitsunegirl]

Yep, Vanguard was one that burnt my biscuits as well. I wasnt too hyped on AoC.. and Warhammer I was hoping was going to be good. But it disappointed me.

Now Im more in the "jaded but trying not to be too hopeful" camp

[Rocqu]

Restaurant critics don't train their palate by reading menus, and likewise we have to play particular MMOs constantly to know MMOs in general.

I feel your pain. I'm in the coffee business and sometimes at the end of the day I'm twitching like Timmy from Southpark.

[Miralyn]

I think also the connotation of a fanboy has become akin to cursing - it's like being considered "hardcore" or "casual". I agree with the sentiment that games like Vanguard, Conan and to some extent Warhammer have been hyped and then disappointed.

However to that end I think the accessibility of information and such (this goes for movies and music as well) is much larger then it was even 5 years ago. I do think that TTH is good about not jumping into the fray and as Ethec noted if they only play 20 levels of a game the writers on comment on those 20 levels, not on what is hearsay about level 40. I think this helps their credibility in reviews because the natural reflex is to consider TTH a "fanboy" site no different then any other gaming site on the net.