I think this is a very well-meaning thread, and personally I agree with you, but it will be very difficult to remove such conversations from the site. Nor should we.

For many people pixel count and textures and lighting effects are very important to the overall game experience, and we shouldn't stop people like that from expressing their opinions. If they're using hardware stats to bully or insult other members then they should be moderated, of course, but otherwise I think it's fair game.

But it's basic human behavior, it doesn't only happen with the plastic boxes it happens about everything, and i believe it is not so much about feeling superior but about justifying a desicion you made.

 And it's a way of having fun as well, nothing beats a good argument. But i agree that some people take it all way too seriously.

The only reason we argue about pixels is that you can count them.
When you talk about visuals as a whole, there are dozens of things to consider

- lighting
- textures
- animations
- artstyle
- framerate
- etc.

Most of those points come down to personal taste. Not so much for resolution. You can count the pixels. And Inet-boyz need something to measure the ePenis.

When you ask about the best looking games this gen, you will probably here The Last of Us, Halo 4, Killzone 3, Uncharted, Gears of War, etc.

The Last of Us runs at 720p / 30 FPS
Halo 4 runs at 720p / 30 FPS
Gears of War 2 runs at 720p / 30 FPS
etc.

Nobody said wipeout HD is the best looking game ever, because it was one of the VERY few games that ran at 1080p...

So, resolution became such a big topic, because Inet-Boyz needed something to argue about. That is it. In the real world: Not a single *beeep* was given.

 I dont feel it is fun but i do agree with everything else you said :)