Gamer Fanboyism, and why there's no place for it now

Fanboy - it's a stereotype that has grossly evolved over the years, dividing gamers into compacted factions of "this is better than that" all across the board.  Whether it's console vs console, console vs PC, company vs company, genre vs genre, or game vs game, it's an ugly war that rages between all gamers.  Any marketing executive would argue that fanboyism, positive or negative, is still publicity in their eyes.  But, is our verbal hatred toward the lesser party denying us of quality games?  When does gamer pride turn to gamer ignorance? 

"Nintendo is for kids."  "Xbox is for hardcore gamers."  "What's good on the PS3?"  All these remarks are used on a daily basis, like a stick poking a hornet's nest, yet few are ever supported well.  Why is that?  Simple - they are short and abstract, two things that forums and comments thrive on for heated fanboyism discussions on the internet.  But even the opinions one uses to support these claims are fallacious because they're just that - opinions.  Someone out there just hates seeing lots of games geared for children on Nintendo, or sees that there are only Halo and Gears of War players on Xbox, or that they can't find something of interest at all on a PS3.  Someone just finds one thing that they do not like about something, and then throws out their opinions out there as if speaking for the greater good.

But why all the hate?  If you don't want to have nothing to do with something, then just leave it alone.  Just because it does not bring you enjoyment and satisfaction doesn't mean you need to project that feeling to others to "help them not make a bad choice."  There are plenty of good games around, and some of them are exclusive to certain devices.  Is it that hard to be an unbiased gamer and play games simply because they're good?

"Nintendo is for kids." - Try playing Eternal Darkness.  Sure, it came out for GameCube, but you can play it on the Wii.  A story well-told through the heroine's generations, Eternal Darkness is most certainly dark and bloody, and its insanity effects will have you practically question your own.  Another good game is Epic Mickey, with its dark undertones of an alternate Disneyland.

"Xbox is for hardcore gamers." - Don't like FPSs?  Try out something like Shadow Complex for "Metroid-vania" style gameplay.  Or play Dance Central on the Kinect and get your groove thang going.  And then there's Fruit Ninja coming for the Kinect this Wednesday.

"What's good on the PS3?" - If you're an SRPG fanatic, you can try your hand on Disgaea 3.  Or maybe some good ol' platformers like the Ratchet and Clank or Sly Cooper series.  Or if you like action, there's Uncharted 2 (with the sequel coming out in November).

There are good games all around, and if you're a true gamer, you can find a good game anywhere, on any platform.  It shouldn't matter what system it's on, or where it's from.  If you enjoy a game, then what's stopping you from playing it?  Someone else's opinion?  Please...