In light of another article, I thought I should finally publish this…

This is an article about the cost of gaming, but from a different perspective:

Console wars have been with us since the beginning of home gaming.  I’m sure everyone of a certain age can remember the Atari vs Intellivision rivalry from the early 80s, and EVERYONE can remember that one kid who had a Colecovision with the GOOD version of Donkey Kong.  Nintendo and Sega had their war in the early 90s, and now we have the big three going at each other every year at E3 and other shows.  Certainly the manufacturers themselves have a reason for the vitriol and the negative ads-  they’re competing for your gaming dollar, yen, etc.  I’ve always wondered where the fanboyism comes from.  There is no logical reason for me to believe that PCs are inherently superior to Macs (even though that is a FACT… :) ), or that Microsoft rules and Nintendo and Sony suck, dudez.  Message boards are filled with hate-ridden diatribes, and every game announcement is met with the cries of the loyalists claiming this console exclusive (or even this PORT) is vastly superior, and how the other sides are “dead.”  Why do these companies inspire such fierce loyalty among their respective fanbases?

Cost.

Most gamers can only afford to support one major platform.  Therefore, we need to justify the money they’ve spent on that platform.  In order to do that, we logically conclude that what we’ve bought is the only “good” alternative, because we need to vilify that which we cannot access.  We feel forced to make a choice, and we resent it.  Even though most consoles offer a fairly homogenized experience, we still want to attack every little detail (Ezio’s sword is slightly shinier on the PS3 version of AC2, so X360 is CLEARLY the inferior system).

I don’t hope to end the console (or PC vs Mac) flame warz, but is there really a “side” in gaming?  We all enjoy the hobby.  We all know we have to make choices, and only a lucky few can own everything.  That doesn’t make one experience or the other superior-  In fact, as a fan, one should be able to see both the benefits AND the flaws of our system of choice.  Like my dad says, “that’s why they make chocolate and vanilla.”  Make the best decision you can based on your finances and preferences, and then go enjoy your game.  They’re GAMES for heaven’s sake- they’re supposed to be fun!