One trend I’ve noticed over the years that I’ve been playing MMOs is the need to feverishly jump to your current addiction’s defense whenever someone tends to bust on it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a blockbuster of an MMO like WoW or a niche game like EVE – there’s always going to be someone out there who will immediately get in front of a game to take a bullet aimed at it. The most extreme example of this stuff is what is commonly known as “fanboyism” – irrational defense of something regardless of the circumstances – but “defending yo’ house” comes in a variety of flavors. Whether it’s through a dedicated blog, a fansite, or simply over chat to a troll or a naysayer, people have their own way of defending their MMO castle from the slings and arrows of haters and disagreeable folk who don’t share their opinion.
On one hand, I get it. Whether you unconsciously believe it or not, you are naturally predisposed to defending something that you find enjoyable because in some ways you don’t want to be wrong for enjoying it in the first place. Subscription fees and measurable effort spent are also contributing factors. It’s not like I can blame someone who has reached max level, gotten all the gear, and beaten everything in his or her path for stepping up to the plate when someone tries to knock an MMO. The counterargument is motivated partially by sharing an opinion, but it’s mostly about validating what you have done and will do as not a waste of time or a failure.
But really, part of the reason why I don’t get too upset over people jamming on the games I play – especially the MMOs – is because I don’t feel that I need to validate what I already find enjoyment with. No matter what anyone says or what happens, no one can take away the sense that on a particular day for a particular set of hours, I had a great time in a game – or that I continue to find ways to enjoy myself playing. That’s not really fanboyism – on the contrary, it’s being secure enough in my opinion of a title to feel good about playing it and make my own decisions about when to stop playing.
And there’s always the spectre of arguing over the internet – something which rarely ends with one person being right and one person being wrong, and which is more like one person being louder than another person. There are guys and gals out there who will read a negative word on an MMO and they’ll immediately jump in with an opinion that runs counter to it, with the appropriate verbal jabs and swipes. Maybe it’s my years of being a forum administrator talking, but I’ve learned that some people just won’t be convinced no matter what you put in front of their faces. It’s much easier (and stronger, to be honest) to be able to state your opinion, say “it’s mine and you can have yours and that’s ok” and walk away. It’s a philosophy I’ve taken with this blog plenty of times, when I’m not being annoyingly positive to the naysayers I sometimes find in my comments.
So the next time you feel the need to roll in and put in your two cents about your favorite MMO, think about it for a second and see if you might be better off spending your time with something important, like napping, or eating some gooey s’mores. I guarantee that unless you like engaging in verbal fencing, you’ll find it’s not quite worth as much effort as you thought it was.