Well, I realize that I'm not so active here yet and I may just be ignored, but I will at least give this a try. I worked very hard on the following information and I at least want to get some input on it. It is a very long post, so I hope at least one person reads the whole thing. It's common sense that a lot of people just don't think about, or don't care about.
I. The Purpose of Video Games
i. The purpose of video games is to have fun. Therefore, anyone can and should play whatever games they have the most fun playing regardless of what everyone around them thinks about it. If you have fun playing Halo, then go play Halo. If you have fun playing Final Fantasy, then go play Final Fantasy. And if you have fun playing Pokémon, then go play Pokémon.
ii. Because every person is different each person must determine for his/herself what games are the most fun. No one can tell them what the most fun games are and they cannot tell other people what the most fun games are.
iii. The rest of this document is based on the simple idea that video games are made simply for others to have fun. If you disagree with this statement, then you will likely disagree with every other statement in the document.
II. Concerning Opinions
i. An opinion is the beliefs and views of any person on any subject. No person can have the wrong opinion unless that person’s opinion contradicts fact.
ii. No opinion is fact and an opinion should not be presented as if it is a fact. If you opinion is a fact then it is not an opinion at all. It cannot be fact and opinion. It must be one or the other.
iii. An opinion does not need to be backed up by proof of any kind. A person has the right to decide to love or hate anything he or she wishes without any reason. However, having reasons helps your credibility and makes debating some topics at lot more peaceful. If you continually argue your opinion without any kind of argument except “because I say so” you will not accomplish anything except making a fool of yourself. On the other hand, if you continually try to destroy another person’s opinion without peacefully disproving it with facts you will also accomplish nothing except making a fool of yourself.
III. Concerning the Judging of Video Games
i. The most accurate video game review is the one you write yourself. Do not base your opinion of any particular game off of a review written by anyone but yourself. Every person is different and even a person that likes the exact same games as you could dislike or love a game that you may end up liking or hating.
ii. When reading a review written by another person keep an open mind about the game and always read several reviews in order to get many different perspectives on a game. If a person hates a game their review will often only point out the bad points of a game, and if a person loves a game their review will often only point out the good points of a game. Even a person who claims to or appears to review very objectively has a slight bias one way or the other. Therefore, the best way to determine if you will enjoy a game is to actually play it.
iii. After you have played a game you may write your own review however the statement that “the most accurate video game review is the one you write yourself” only applies to you. You should not expect that everyone would agree with your review because it is the “most accurate”.
iv. If you listen closely to a review of another person and then play the game and disagree go about doing so peacefully. You should not attempt to rip apart another person’s opinion because in the end all it will do is destroy your own credibility.
v. You cannot judge any video game, video game console, or video game accessory without first having experienced what that product has to offer.
IV. The Most Important Parts Of A Video Game
i. The most important part of a video game is the gameplay because without it you would have nothing (and nothing isn’t much fun).
ii. Gameplay is made up of many different parts, but the two most important parts are graphics and input. In either one of these is absent, then you do not have gameplay.
iii. Everything else adds to the game, but does not necessarily make it more fun to play. However, opinions can come into play that could change that. For example: If you love music, then a fully orchestrated soundtrack may make you enjoy playing the game more.
V. Concerning Fanboyism & Bias
i. The views of a so-called “fanboy” are nothing more than an opinion that is different from the opinion of the masses. Any person can decide to like only one video game company or to like many and there is nothing that anyone can do about it.
ii. Every person that has played any video game has a console or company’s games that they enjoy the most even if they own every console and games from many different companies. Everyone has a bias, and in that way we are no different than the fanboys.
iii. A fanboy (or fangirl) is not a person who spams and flames on forums. A fanboy is nothing more than a person who likes only one console or one company’s games for no particular reason other than that it is his or her favorite.
iv. A fanboy may or may not try to “convert” you. Yes, some fanboys spam and flame and get angry, but not all of them are like that. Therefore, you should not judge anyone just based on the idea that they are a fanboy. A lot of really nice and intelligent people call themselves fanboys.
VI. Concerning the Quality of a Video Game
i. No game is truly good or bad. It is nothing more than the opinion of a single person. In addition, everyone has their own opinion on what makes a game good or bad. Rather than trying to argue that a game is good, just accept that everyone has their own opinion and move on with your life.
ii. To anyone who still wishes to prove a game good or bad: Here’s what you do to prove this part of the document false. You take a poll of every person in the world on one video game. Every person must play the game and then tell you if they like it or not. If every person answers the poll the same way, then you have proven that there really is such a thing as a good or bad video game. Then of course, everytime a baby is born your poll is no longer accurate.