Archive:Fanboy: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 09:32, 20 February 2006
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 shows, movies, anime, cars, video game consoles, video games, operating systems, MMORPGs, and software companies.
Typically, fanboys are attributed with a sycophantic 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 movies in the 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 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.
Types of Fanboys
Nintendo Fanboy (sometimes called a "Ninty" or "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, PC-graphics Fanboy, Benchmark Fanboy, Nvidia Fanboy, ATI Fanboy, Valve Fanboy, id Software Fanboy, MMORPG Fanboy (Tibia, Ragnarok, Final Fantasy XI, World of Warcraft).
On the GameSpot System Wars forum, as well as SystemWars.com, the characteristics of video game fanboys are associated with animal characteristics, and are therefore called that animal. Nintendo fanboys are called "sheep" because of their willingness to be herded by Nintendo, seen as their shepherd. Sony fanboys are called "cows" because they are needing to pay extra, or "milked" by Sony for features that should already be provided and not getting the best from it. Microsoft fanboys are called "lemmings" because they follow what Microsoft says, even if it leads to their demise. PC fanboys are called "hermits" because they are generally loner, no-friends gamers who play by themselves.
Linux Fanboy, Microsoft Windows Fanboy, Mac Fanboy, FreeBSD Fanboy, Open-source Fanboy, BeOS Fanboy, Bash Fanboy, OS/2 Fanboy.
Metal Fanboy, Nu Metal Fanboy, Death metal Fanboy, Classic Metal Fanboy, 1970s Fanboy, Pop Fanboy, Techno Fanboy.
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
Sergio Aragonés' Fanboy
Fanboy Radio - [1] Drooling FanBoy - [2]
Fanboy Almanac (webcomic) - http://fanboyalmanac.com
Fanboys - http://www.ngeb.net/fanboys
Firefox Fanboys.
Internet Explorer Fanboys.
Opera Fanboys.
Maxthon Fanboys.