Sometimes, I really do hate the internet.
There was a time when I had my own opinions. I can only vaguely remember it, and sometimes I have to really convince myself such a time existed. I would size up something based on its own merits and my inherent preferences and that would be that.
Over time, I became more involved in online communities. Now, it wasn't just my opinion. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of people sharing their opinions on everything under the sun. It may be a bit unfair to say "sharing", really. More like "forcing". I don't think it's really possible to talk about something on the internet without everyone coming out of the woodwork to grace you with their uncensored thoughts on the topic -- whether you asked for them or not.
Let's say, to stay on topic, that I don't mind the graphical abilities of the Wii. I'd even venture to say that I'm quite pleased with them in certain circumstances. Overall, though, they just don't register with me as that huge of a factor. I won't elaborate too much on the opinion itself, as that's not really the point.
If I brought this opinion up with some friends, I can imagine us getting in a discussion about it. Maybe some of them would agree with me, maybe some of them would disagree with me. We'd go back and forth on it for a bit, maybe settle on a middle ground, or maybe just agree to disagree.
What would happen if I brought up said opinion at your typical internet haunt? I don't have to speculate -- I've seen it happen. As with any presented opinion, some people would agree, and some people would disagree. That, however, is where the similarities end.
Maybe it's the anonymity that makes it happen. Maybe it's the knowledge that you're probably hundreds of miles away from each other, and are nothing more than words on a screen. Either way, the internet serves to utterly do away with the very notion of social decorum. Opinions are presented, violently. If there's a disagreement, proponents of each side verbally attack each other with the ferocity of a street brawl. It may be the 21st century outside our doors, but beyond these screens it's like a clash of Mongol hordes.
It's not just video games. This happens all over the internet. Any place where opinion is prevalent, people will degrade into chattering beasts. Something can't just be sub par - it's unrelentingly awful. You aren't just disagreed with, your opinion is unabashedly incorrect. Small points will be fixated upon and driven into the ground at every available juncture, while the "big picture" is routinely ignored.
Let's bring my Wii graphics opinion back into this for a bit. I'm not going to try and sell you on it as, again, that's not the point. The problem is that my backing for it has started to change. Originally, it was indeed just my honest opinion based on my own appraisal of the facts. Since then, I've watched countless individuals bring up the Wii's lack of horsepower in every situation they could fit it. Snide comments on the fringes of conversations, violent outbursts in the middle of other ones. In the very spirit of the internet, they make their opinions known at every possible opportunity, regardless of relevance or interest. There's apparently an axe to grind, and it's routinely sharpened on innocent bystanders.
Due to my abhorrence of this kind of mannerism, I've started to distance myself from the "I like pretty graphics" crowd. It's not that I dislike pretty graphics. To the contrary, I think they are super-neat! That doesn't mean, however, that they are the sole driving force in what I appreciate about video games. They've always been cool, but they've always been secondary.
What I can't stand are the vast majority of the people who advocate them. I might see a really pretty looking game, but I mentally associate it with the kind of people who fixate on the game's graphics to the point that they dub the Wii an utter piece of garbage. Colloquial inebriates who coin words like "waggle" in a derogatory fashion, cut from the same cloth as the geniuses who first thought to insert a dollar sign in Microsoft's name. Validity of opinion notwithstanding, I can't take a word these people say seriously due to the manner in which they present themselves.
I don't even know what I think any more. Do I really not mind the Wii's horsepower limitations? Or can I simply not stand the mannerisms of its detractors so much that I've begun to advocate any and all opinions that will distance myself from them?
Things used to be so much simpler. Now, even if everyone's civil, I'm still overwhelmed with information. Every possible opinion is always represented in some capacity, so you invariably become aware of all possible outlooks. Maybe it's just me, but I'm pretty much capable of defending any side of an argument. I can see the good and bad in both sides, which makes it exceedingly difficult for me to actually decide which side to agree with. The more opinions I'm bombarded with, the less capable I am of actually sticking to one.
Sometimes I'll find myself in a situation where, be it by choice or necessity, I'm cut off from the thousands of faceless voices that populate my internet-receptacle. While I'll lament its absence here and there, I can't help but feel refreshed overall. I'll always end up coming back and losing myself in the sea of data, but those breaks help ensure that I remain a human being -- one built from his own thoughts and conviction.
Let me end this with some simple advice born of my own experience. Don't take anything we say seriously. We're just a bunch of random opinions floating around in a magical electronic soup. Read the news, but don't biblify the opinion pieces. Get your information and put your own thoughts together. Actually play a game before letting the internet decide that you hate it. This hobby will become a lot more enjoyable, believe me.
There was a time when I had my own opinions. I can only vaguely remember it, and sometimes I have to really convince myself such a time existed. I would size up something based on its own merits and my inherent preferences and that would be that.
Over time, I became more involved in online communities. Now, it wasn't just my opinion. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of people sharing their opinions on everything under the sun. It may be a bit unfair to say "sharing", really. More like "forcing". I don't think it's really possible to talk about something on the internet without everyone coming out of the woodwork to grace you with their uncensored thoughts on the topic -- whether you asked for them or not.
Let's say, to stay on topic, that I don't mind the graphical abilities of the Wii. I'd even venture to say that I'm quite pleased with them in certain circumstances. Overall, though, they just don't register with me as that huge of a factor. I won't elaborate too much on the opinion itself, as that's not really the point.
If I brought this opinion up with some friends, I can imagine us getting in a discussion about it. Maybe some of them would agree with me, maybe some of them would disagree with me. We'd go back and forth on it for a bit, maybe settle on a middle ground, or maybe just agree to disagree.
What would happen if I brought up said opinion at your typical internet haunt? I don't have to speculate -- I've seen it happen. As with any presented opinion, some people would agree, and some people would disagree. That, however, is where the similarities end.
Maybe it's the anonymity that makes it happen. Maybe it's the knowledge that you're probably hundreds of miles away from each other, and are nothing more than words on a screen. Either way, the internet serves to utterly do away with the very notion of social decorum. Opinions are presented, violently. If there's a disagreement, proponents of each side verbally attack each other with the ferocity of a street brawl. It may be the 21st century outside our doors, but beyond these screens it's like a clash of Mongol hordes.
It's not just video games. This happens all over the internet. Any place where opinion is prevalent, people will degrade into chattering beasts. Something can't just be sub par - it's unrelentingly awful. You aren't just disagreed with, your opinion is unabashedly incorrect. Small points will be fixated upon and driven into the ground at every available juncture, while the "big picture" is routinely ignored.
Let's bring my Wii graphics opinion back into this for a bit. I'm not going to try and sell you on it as, again, that's not the point. The problem is that my backing for it has started to change. Originally, it was indeed just my honest opinion based on my own appraisal of the facts. Since then, I've watched countless individuals bring up the Wii's lack of horsepower in every situation they could fit it. Snide comments on the fringes of conversations, violent outbursts in the middle of other ones. In the very spirit of the internet, they make their opinions known at every possible opportunity, regardless of relevance or interest. There's apparently an axe to grind, and it's routinely sharpened on innocent bystanders.
"Worst. Graphics. Ever."
Due to my abhorrence of this kind of mannerism, I've started to distance myself from the "I like pretty graphics" crowd. It's not that I dislike pretty graphics. To the contrary, I think they are super-neat! That doesn't mean, however, that they are the sole driving force in what I appreciate about video games. They've always been cool, but they've always been secondary.
What I can't stand are the vast majority of the people who advocate them. I might see a really pretty looking game, but I mentally associate it with the kind of people who fixate on the game's graphics to the point that they dub the Wii an utter piece of garbage. Colloquial inebriates who coin words like "waggle" in a derogatory fashion, cut from the same cloth as the geniuses who first thought to insert a dollar sign in Microsoft's name. Validity of opinion notwithstanding, I can't take a word these people say seriously due to the manner in which they present themselves.
I don't even know what I think any more. Do I really not mind the Wii's horsepower limitations? Or can I simply not stand the mannerisms of its detractors so much that I've begun to advocate any and all opinions that will distance myself from them?
Things used to be so much simpler. Now, even if everyone's civil, I'm still overwhelmed with information. Every possible opinion is always represented in some capacity, so you invariably become aware of all possible outlooks. Maybe it's just me, but I'm pretty much capable of defending any side of an argument. I can see the good and bad in both sides, which makes it exceedingly difficult for me to actually decide which side to agree with. The more opinions I'm bombarded with, the less capable I am of actually sticking to one.
Sometimes I'll find myself in a situation where, be it by choice or necessity, I'm cut off from the thousands of faceless voices that populate my internet-receptacle. While I'll lament its absence here and there, I can't help but feel refreshed overall. I'll always end up coming back and losing myself in the sea of data, but those breaks help ensure that I remain a human being -- one built from his own thoughts and conviction.
Let me end this with some simple advice born of my own experience. Don't take anything we say seriously. We're just a bunch of random opinions floating around in a magical electronic soup. Read the news, but don't biblify the opinion pieces. Get your information and put your own thoughts together. Actually play a game before letting the internet decide that you hate it. This hobby will become a lot more enjoyable, believe me.