Why do people attach their egos to inanimate or intangible objects?  The age old question just becomes more and more perplexig as time goes by.  It becomes frustrating to those of us that have no desire to do as such, and is the primary reason that my New Year's resolution is to steer clear of forums and public posting sites to try to alleviate some of my negative feelings about the whole scene.  So before I say goodbye, I thought I'd post this question, because it seems as though the the majority of the forum threads that have a contradictory/argumentative nature are the ones that go on the longest on most sites (including vgchartz), and it is exasperating to have to weed through all of them just to get to an actual topic of news or information rather than rhetorical gibberish and conjecture-ridden angst.

At this point is seems that this console ego-mania is on par and has become comparable with sports team infatuation.  People become so engrossed in teams that not only do they sing the praises of their favorite team, but begin to "hate" other specific competing teams.  Sports fans feel the need to defend their team from every attack and criticism, as if it matters what anyone else's opinion is (considering it has no effect on anything to do with the actual team itself or that teams win-loss record).  These people refer to their preferred teams as "We".  So often you hear "We won" or "We this" or "We that".  Yet there is no actual affiliation with said team.  The fans don't play on the team.  They watch it from the comfort of their couch with a bag of Doritos and a 2-liter of Mountain Dew on hand.  Why do people begin to feel like they are part of a team of people that they have no real connection with?

This is identical to the console love/hate.  I'm pretty sure no one here actually had any part in the development of any of the current consoles, be it 360, Wii, Ps3, or any of the handhelds, thus having pride in any given system seems ridiculous.  Yet egos are attached.  Pride is born.  You didn't make it, so where does the feeling of association come from?  You didn't make it.  You have no stock in the company.  They don't know who you are and will never do anything based on your individual thoughts or feelings, but you sing their praises and attack on their behalf.  All that you did was buy it.  Does simply paying money for something give you the rights of admission into some special club that borders on religious conviction?  When I buy a loaf of bread, I don't take pride in that bread.  I don't try to slap the sandwich out of someone else's mouth because the brand of bread they used is inferior to the brand I like.  I don't think that if they like that type of bread, they are wrong and must be berated until they agree with my tastes.   So if we don't do this with stupid things like bread , or staplers, or cigarettes, or Exxon brand gasoline, why do people do it with consoles?  It's a hunk of plastic.  It can't help you move your furniture.  It can't go see a movie with you.  It's not your girlfriend.  And you didn't give birth to it.  Yet somehow, it has "PRIDE" written all over it. 

This is basically a question of psychology I guess.  So for those that do feel pride in their plastic machines (or sports team...or even bread), why is that?  What makes you attach your ego to an inanimate object enough to feel compelled to defend it from others and attack those that have a different viewpoint?  I'm truly curious about this and it's causes.  So please add any serious thoughts on the matter if you will. 

I'm just going by common sense, but if you are part of a group, you are a representative of the group (and vice versa).

Therefore, if there is fault with the group, it is as if you had a fault as well, and you try to defend yourself against that indirect attack.

That's how I see nationalism and scapegoating behavior.

As for teams and fanboy wars? To me, that's more like just fun and not the same as nationalism or those kinds of groups... But I guess it could be similar. If I bought the console, and if my console is bad, then I made a bad purchase. And if another console is bad, then at least mine has to be better (or good, if there's only 2-3 consoles in the market).

It's kind of a circle jerk I guess. Praising yourself, and defending yourself via group.

I find it ridiculous that people take pride from being in a group.

People will point to the famous leaders, artists, inventors of their group, say the group's name, and act like I they contributed to those individuals' achievements.

People will point out a feature of their console, and act as if they had some magnificent feature as well.

Why people scapegoat, and why outcasts occur in groups is that if they do not kick these people out of the group, those outcast's attributes and qualities are applied to them as well. It's been like that since ancient times and now.



So this is just simply a basic pattern. Be a part of the group, and you get to share in all of its glories and achievements, whether or not you did it or not. You defend the group, and you praise the group, and in doing so, you defend and praise yourself.

Yes, but why apply this group (and even "mob") mentality to such ridiculous parameters? Being in a group definitely functions as a means of stability and safety, but to apply it to the stupidest of things that really have no evident purpose is baffling. It makes sense in the context of cavemen developing communities or wolves hunting in packs, but to join forces against some invisible threat of chunks of plastic doesn't really seem to be born of legitimacy. So when could we have become so incapable of determining true threat versus the perceived "danger" of console exclusives??? In the group sense, the act of defending does make more sense, but the nature of "attack" seems of a different.

It's easier to answer for defensive behavior. Who the fuck are you to tell me that I made a poor purchase, mother fucker?

As for more, self sustaining or "bringing up" stuff, I think it's because the common person feels like he can't/hasen't accomplished much on his own, or that he doesn't have much outstanding qualities, so he wants to take on the group's (nationalism, religion, racism, etc).

I don't know why people let their ego get them better of them. But more than focusing on a team or a 'console' (same thing), I think those are just the excuse. A symptom of the main problem. I think the more ingrained problem is anytime they feel their views or opinions are being threatened, they have to throw up a wall. Whether its an immediate contradictory opinion or a negative statement (such as a veiled insult) or some way of covering up the fact that they aren't in control of either the conversation or their own emotions.

And I'm not going to say its entirely their fault or heck, that I'm not guilty. If you've been on a forum and posted anything beyond COMPLETELY positive posts, you have done it too. But there's degrees to it and you may not be recognizing your actions.

While I doubt people are going to change their ways, I do think the way to change it is simply for everyone to just, as stupid as it sounds, think about what they say and ask yourself if you would want someone to say that to you. If you're about to tell someone a veiled insult or a LONG speech about how 'X' platform/game sucks, just recognize how you would feel listening to it on the other end. Cuz you WILL be hearing the other end of it soon.

I've wondered if maybe it's a possibility that these people who live this way do it in every aspect of their lives. Is it the de-evolution of social behaviors in general? Does the ability to remain hidden bring out the worst in people? And if so, is that their true selves? This seems to be the same reason things like racism and homophobia feel far more prevalent online among the faceless than you will ever see in everyday life.

The amazing thing to me about the console side of it, is that some people spend a LOT of time scouring the internet (searching forums, reviews, articles, et al) with the sole goal of perpetuating confrontation. For example, if you go to a Wii-centric site or review, the comments quickly fill up with hate-speak from people that never have, nor will ever have, a Wii. So if a person never had or plans to buy a Wii, what brings them to a Wii website or review? It is ONLY to agitate. Why would someone voluntarily give up their free time for such a wasted, pointless endeavor when they could be doing something that is actually rewarding or interesting...or even FUN for that matter. Do they not realize how insane this is? Is it addiction? Or just plain ol' douchebaggery?

I'd like to know if it's an age thing as well. It's just an assumption that it's the younger people out there doing this, but I guess you never can tell.

2:10

The truth can always be found in cartoons.

I don't really think the majority of these people act this way in real life.  Heck, I know some people who are constant forum hoppers and even ACT this way on forums, but they're the complete opposite in real life.  The internet is an avenue for people to be something they aren't.  Its also a land where restrictions and inhibitions do not exist.  The only limitations placed on a person are what they put on themselves and if a moderator happens to read their post (and care).

In other words, people do things online they can't get away with in real life.  And many of the loudest and most aggressive people online are the most quiet and anti-social people offline.  This can also be a possible lead to why they are so vocal to any challenge to their authority, as they see the internet being their only real social outlet and only place where they are ‘the boss’.  In their mentality….

People get emotionally attached to a piece of dirt, a line on a map, a hairbrush, a car, a favourite sex toy and thats simply human nature.