Why We Rule
Since time began, humans have strived to establish themselves as the dominate species of the planet. And whether through ego or evolutionary imperative, we need to strive beyond what we are. So far, we've been striving beyond limitless potential. Look at what and where we've come from: 10,000 years ago we were savages, strangely well groomed and fluent in english, rescuing our ordained loved ones from Egyptians with trained mammoths building a pyramid (I know, I didn't believe it either but then Rolland Emmerich made a movie). 2000 years ago, the most successful civilization in the world was flogging and torturing who would eventually become the most popular dude in history. 200 years ago, the idea of clean water was something that didn't have poop in it; merely. And the greatest benchmark of all this progress is, of course, our technology.
The HD era was born by computers. From desktops to Blu-ray, those guts and those screens have provided us with hours of high res entertainment. The first true high def digital content I ever saw was Gran Turismo 3 on PS2. At 1080i it was legendary and gave us one of the first glimpses into what the world of HD gaming could be. Then the 360 hit and we're awash with HD. PS3 has only pushed the envelope further. Blu-ray is quickly being adopted and more often than not, high def is the norm for TV broadcasts. Certainly after this February it will be even more pervasive. And games were the first media stream to really take hold of this format. In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that video games and their respective technologies are at the forefront of the drive to push media and next gen tech forward (think of the cell processor - it may have started out rocky but all new techs do).
We as gamers constitute an amazing sub-culture. Most people don't think that the computing breakthroughs of tomorrow are being born in the super computers of our living rooms, but they are. Must don't think about how the virtues of display resolutions and refresh rates and OLED - which will be prevalent in all things from billboards to movie posters - predominately stem from our virtual worlds, but they do.
We as gamers rule.
Unfortunately, another aspect of our human greatness is when the ego turns inward, on ourselves. It's unavoidable, this need to compete, to hold our standard of living next to the neighbors and say "We're better off." We do this is in all aspects of life, so it's no surprise that it's found in gaming. And as the tech and the consoles and the games become better, we seem to become more and more bitter against those that aren't onboard with our way of thinking. Thus spawns the fanboy wars. And it seems to be getting worse.
It used to be blogs. Now it's seeping into the "respectable journalism" of the industry. Just like at N4G's front page - typically a majority of the top stories are op-ed opinion pieces on the outlook of this console, the downfall of that console, the mind-numbing awesomeness of one over the other. This has always struck me as an extension of the Mercedes Complex, the need for a hood ornament to make-up for the size of...well, a hood ornament. (That's a euphemism for penis.)
It's only natural to have favorites. We're creatures of comfort, and our preferences define us. But the sordid bickering and bitterness bring out the worst of us in a culture that, frankly, I'm insanely proud to be a part of. As a life-long gamer, it's been nothing less than amazing to watch this medium rise in astronomical proportion, from the simple and addictive Pong, to the absurd and kind of intimidating immersion of Fallout. When we started, we got in this for the games, didn't we? When did the brand on the box start mattering more than the disc inside?
We need to be mature as gamers and stop squabbling over the consoles. Has a big busty Sony rep showed up at your house and blown you? Has a super cute and bubbly Microsoft intern given you a manicure, or god knows what else? Because I don't understand the fierce brand loyalty. How did any of us migrate away from Nintendo to begin with? Because at some point we looked at the hardware and you said, "This just ain't giving it to me the way I like it. But this company over here is. I think I'll try this brand of koolaid."
We need all of these systems because competition breeds excellence. If it weren't for Microsoft, Sony could just sit on their laurels and not give a damn. And if it weren't for Sony, Microsoft would have no one to steal ideas from and then better implement them. To all the PS3 users who violently oppose the 360, I defy you to sit and play a campaign of Left 4 Dead with three of your friends and not have fun. Give Mass Effect four hours of your life and then try to turn it off. To all Xbots who wish nothing but a grim death to the PS3, get drunk and play PAIN! at a house party and tell me the system's worthless. Play MGS4 and see if you can control your pulse during the van chase through the European streets.
We are the tip of the sword into the future. We're riding the bow of the Titanic, kings of the world, watching this vast and ever-changing landscape sweep beneath us as we soar. And apparently all we want to do is call the guy next to us a fag because he's wearing a different coat.
Stop whatever you're doing and watch this. There's a ton of these out there - most of them devoted to a specific game (ahem, HALO), but this is my favorite version. All consoles, all games. No bias. In fact, the spirit of this video is so good it should be permanently adhered to N4G's front page, always playing in the background, a gentle reminder to us of who we are as a culture and what brings us all together. Never before have I been so proud and so happy to be a gamer. It reminded me of why we all do what we love to do. Because games are art (piss off, Roger Ebert). And I love them all. No matter what system they're on.
This is what we can never forget. And this is why we rule. 
best.blog. ever..... this blog.... it enlighten me
thank you
First, great read, well written and pristinely conveyed perspective of how most gamers do feel.
But I think fanboys around here are an outcome of viral marketing. N4G(as well as other sites like it), are a perfect tool for hostile viral marketing. I don't think anyone would argue that Sony paid marketers from PSU(Playstation Universe), SPG(Sony Protection Group), SDF(Sony Defense Force), have been working this site for quite some time. These aren't fanboys, these are people paid to create fanboys. The news and ultimately public perception can be controlled on social newsites, like N4G, with a handful of people with multiple accounts using an anonymity proxy server. Sure some of the people here are fanboys, but I wouldn't take any submissions to N4G from web blogs, shady or amateur looking sites, or overly Sony biased "multiplat" sites as being anything worth your time. Sticking to the sites that are part of the professional media is best way to go(PCWorld, Gametrailers, IGN, etc)