IdeaWazaWiki - User contributions [en]

Archive:Fanboy

2006-02-06T16:10:51Z

71.11.195.37: /* Radio/Podcasts */

'''Fanboy''' or '''fanboi''' is a term used to describe a male who is utterly devoted to a single subject or [[hobby]], often to the point where it is considered an [[obsession]]. The term originated in [[comic book]] circles, to describe someone who was socially insecure and used comics as a shield from interaction, hence the disparaging connotations. Fanboys are often experts on minor details regarding their hobbies, and they take these details extremely seriously. The term itself is often used in a derogatory manner by less serious fans of the same material. Nevertheless, self-labeling usages of the term have been noted; in the songs of the fannish [[parody]] [[musician]] [[Luke Ski]], many characters proudly consider themselves ''fanboys''. The term is usually applied to people in their teens or 20s. Within this group, common subjects of reverence by fanboys are [[TV show]]s, [[film|movie]]s, [[anime]], [[car]]s, [[video game console]]s, [[video games]], [[operating system]]s, [[MMORPG]]s, and [[software]] companies.

Typically, fanboys are attributed with a [[sycophant]]ic devotion to the creators and principles behind a work with which they are currently enthralled, but will quickly move their attention elsewhere once something better or just newer comes along. A good example of this is [[Harry Knowles]] and his associates at [[Ain't It Cool News]], whose particular focus is on [[film|movies]] in the [[action movie|action]], [[fantasy]], adventure and [[superhero]] genres. Fanboys are noted for a very emotional attachment to their chosen subject, often taking negative remarks about it as a personal attack. They may readily engage in debates, but will fall back on emotional responses. For example, a "fanboy" may go out of their way to point out negative and often untrue statements about their obsession's rivals; this is commonly known as [[fear, uncertainty and doubt|FUD]].

The stereotypical image of the fanboy is as an unkempt, often overweight, and generally unattractive figure of a young man who appears as a loud mouthed [[pseudo-intellectual]]. A popular depiction of this stereotype is the [[Comic Book Guy]] on ''[[The Simpsons]]''. In the mid [[1990s]], the emergence of [[slacker]] culture changed this image somewhat. Movies such as [[Kevin Smith]]'s Jersey Trilogy (''[[Clerks.]]'', ''[[Mallrats]]'', and ''[[Chasing Amy]]''), altered the image of the fanboy. As electronic entertainment gained popularity, the term became increasingly applied to video gamers and television addicts. As a result, a subculture emerged which readily labeled itself as fanboys. Within this group, more effort is taken to fit in with a perceived standard, resulting in a more outgoing attitude, even among those with insecurities. This outgoing stance is often felt to be abrasive by those not involved in the culture as deeply.

More recently, especially in the [[video game industry]], fans of a particular [[video game console]] manufacturer have begun exhibiting slavish devotion to their brand of choice. Conversely they hold an unreasonable amount of animosity towards the other brands which they consider to be competition. They are extremely rude to fans of the other companies or even people who don’t hail complete and utter devotion to the object of their fanaticism. These people seek out every opportunity to annoy others whose opinions differ from theirs. This trend has led to the term “fanboy” deriving a more and more negative connotation.

==[[Hate]]rs==
Fanboys can also be identified by who/what they hate, e.g., [[Linux]] Fanboys are [[Microsoft]] haters; [[Xbox]] Fanboys are [[Sony]] haters. However, being a hater is not necessarily indicative of being a fanboy. Many people hate Microsoft but know little about Linux.

==Types of Fanboys==
===[[Video game]]s===
[[Nintendo]] Fanboy (sometimes called "Drone", short for "Nintendrone"), [[Sony]] Fanboy (sometimes called "Tool", short for "PSTool" which is derived from Sony's current entertainment console, [[PS2]]), [[Xbox]] Fanboy (sometimes called "Xbots"), [[Sega]] Fanboy, [[Personal computer|PC]]-[[graphics]] Fanboy, [[Benchmark]] Fanboy, [[Nvidia]] Fanboy, [[ATI Technologies|ATI]] Fanboy, [[Valve]] Fanboy, [[id Software]] Fanboy, [[MMORPG]] Fanboy ([[Tibia]], [[Ragnarok]], [[Final Fantasy XI]], [[World of Warcraft]]).

===[[Operating systems]]===
[[Linux]] Fanboy, [[Microsoft Windows]] Fanboy, [[Mac]] Fanboy, [[FreeBSD]] Fanboy, [[Open-source]] Fanboy, [[BeOS]] Fanboy, [[Bash]] Fanboy, [[OS/2]] Fanboy.

===[[Music]]===
[[Heavy metal music|Metal]] Fanboy, [[Nu Metal]] Fanboy, [[Death metal]] Fanboy, [[Classic Metal]] Fanboy, [[1970s]] Fanboy, [[Pop music|Pop]] Fanboy, [[Techno]] Fanboy.

===[[Anime]]s===
[[Dragon Ball]] Fanboy (gets hung up on names, especially [[romanji]]), [[Sailor Moon]] Fanboy (very strict about [[manga]] continuity), [[Inuyasha]] Fangirl (generally, they're all [[female]], but display all the traits of fanboys), and the infamous [[Narutard]].

==In Media==
===[[Comic Book]]===
[[Sergio Aragonés]]' ''Fanboy''

===[[Television]]===
[[The Simpsons]]'s [[Comic Book Guy]]

===[[Radio]]/[[Podcast]]s===
[[Fanboy Radio]] - [http://fanboyradio.com]
Drooling FanBoy - [http://droolingfanboy.com]

===[[Webcomic]]s===
[[Fanboy Almanac (webcomic)]] - http://fanboyalmanac.com

[[Fanboys]] - http://www.ngeb.net/fanboys

===[[Internet]]===
Jacob "I have a love/hate relationship with fun" Lyon Goddard's discussion @ The Bendis Board - http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?t=52997

==See also==
* [[addiction]]
* [[otaku]]
* [[anorak (slang)|anorak]]

[[Category:Fandom]]

[[de:Fanboy]]

Archive:Fanboy

2006-02-06T16:10:04Z

71.11.195.37: /* Radio/Podcasts */

'''Fanboy''' or '''fanboi''' is a term used to describe a male who is utterly devoted to a single subject or [[hobby]], often to the point where it is considered an [[obsession]]. The term originated in [[comic book]] circles, to describe someone who was socially insecure and used comics as a shield from interaction, hence the disparaging connotations. Fanboys are often experts on minor details regarding their hobbies, and they take these details extremely seriously. The term itself is often used in a derogatory manner by less serious fans of the same material. Nevertheless, self-labeling usages of the term have been noted; in the songs of the fannish [[parody]] [[musician]] [[Luke Ski]], many characters proudly consider themselves ''fanboys''. The term is usually applied to people in their teens or 20s. Within this group, common subjects of reverence by fanboys are [[TV show]]s, [[film|movie]]s, [[anime]], [[car]]s, [[video game console]]s, [[video games]], [[operating system]]s, [[MMORPG]]s, and [[software]] companies.

Typically, fanboys are attributed with a [[sycophant]]ic devotion to the creators and principles behind a work with which they are currently enthralled, but will quickly move their attention elsewhere once something better or just newer comes along. A good example of this is [[Harry Knowles]] and his associates at [[Ain't It Cool News]], whose particular focus is on [[film|movies]] in the [[action movie|action]], [[fantasy]], adventure and [[superhero]] genres. Fanboys are noted for a very emotional attachment to their chosen subject, often taking negative remarks about it as a personal attack. They may readily engage in debates, but will fall back on emotional responses. For example, a "fanboy" may go out of their way to point out negative and often untrue statements about their obsession's rivals; this is commonly known as [[fear, uncertainty and doubt|FUD]].

The stereotypical image of the fanboy is as an unkempt, often overweight, and generally unattractive figure of a young man who appears as a loud mouthed [[pseudo-intellectual]]. A popular depiction of this stereotype is the [[Comic Book Guy]] on ''[[The Simpsons]]''. In the mid [[1990s]], the emergence of [[slacker]] culture changed this image somewhat. Movies such as [[Kevin Smith]]'s Jersey Trilogy (''[[Clerks.]]'', ''[[Mallrats]]'', and ''[[Chasing Amy]]''), altered the image of the fanboy. As electronic entertainment gained popularity, the term became increasingly applied to video gamers and television addicts. As a result, a subculture emerged which readily labeled itself as fanboys. Within this group, more effort is taken to fit in with a perceived standard, resulting in a more outgoing attitude, even among those with insecurities. This outgoing stance is often felt to be abrasive by those not involved in the culture as deeply.

More recently, especially in the [[video game industry]], fans of a particular [[video game console]] manufacturer have begun exhibiting slavish devotion to their brand of choice. Conversely they hold an unreasonable amount of animosity towards the other brands which they consider to be competition. They are extremely rude to fans of the other companies or even people who don’t hail complete and utter devotion to the object of their fanaticism. These people seek out every opportunity to annoy others whose opinions differ from theirs. This trend has led to the term “fanboy” deriving a more and more negative connotation.

==[[Hate]]rs==
Fanboys can also be identified by who/what they hate, e.g., [[Linux]] Fanboys are [[Microsoft]] haters; [[Xbox]] Fanboys are [[Sony]] haters. However, being a hater is not necessarily indicative of being a fanboy. Many people hate Microsoft but know little about Linux.

==Types of Fanboys==
===[[Video game]]s===
[[Nintendo]] Fanboy (sometimes called "Drone", short for "Nintendrone"), [[Sony]] Fanboy (sometimes called "Tool", short for "PSTool" which is derived from Sony's current entertainment console, [[PS2]]), [[Xbox]] Fanboy (sometimes called "Xbots"), [[Sega]] Fanboy, [[Personal computer|PC]]-[[graphics]] Fanboy, [[Benchmark]] Fanboy, [[Nvidia]] Fanboy, [[ATI Technologies|ATI]] Fanboy, [[Valve]] Fanboy, [[id Software]] Fanboy, [[MMORPG]] Fanboy ([[Tibia]], [[Ragnarok]], [[Final Fantasy XI]], [[World of Warcraft]]).

===[[Operating systems]]===
[[Linux]] Fanboy, [[Microsoft Windows]] Fanboy, [[Mac]] Fanboy, [[FreeBSD]] Fanboy, [[Open-source]] Fanboy, [[BeOS]] Fanboy, [[Bash]] Fanboy, [[OS/2]] Fanboy.

===[[Music]]===
[[Heavy metal music|Metal]] Fanboy, [[Nu Metal]] Fanboy, [[Death metal]] Fanboy, [[Classic Metal]] Fanboy, [[1970s]] Fanboy, [[Pop music|Pop]] Fanboy, [[Techno]] Fanboy.

===[[Anime]]s===
[[Dragon Ball]] Fanboy (gets hung up on names, especially [[romanji]]), [[Sailor Moon]] Fanboy (very strict about [[manga]] continuity), [[Inuyasha]] Fangirl (generally, they're all [[female]], but display all the traits of fanboys), and the infamous [[Narutard]].

==In Media==
===[[Comic Book]]===
[[Sergio Aragonés]]' ''Fanboy''

===[[Television]]===
[[The Simpsons]]'s [[Comic Book Guy]]

===[[Radio]]/[[Podcast]]s===
Fanboy Radio - [http://fanboyradio.com]
Drooling FanBoy - [http://droolingfanboy.com]

===[[Webcomic]]s===
[[Fanboy Almanac (webcomic)]] - http://fanboyalmanac.com

[[Fanboys]] - http://www.ngeb.net/fanboys

===[[Internet]]===
Jacob "I have a love/hate relationship with fun" Lyon Goddard's discussion @ The Bendis Board - http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?t=52997

==See also==
* [[addiction]]
* [[otaku]]
* [[anorak (slang)|anorak]]

[[Category:Fandom]]

[[de:Fanboy]]