When did we throw ourselves away?

I joined this site a year ago, a youngling fresh on the gaming scene, intrigued by the growing world of social online gaming. What I failed to realize is that I had walked onto a battlefield in which a war is being fought, a war without sense or purpose. but a war that will continue for the foreseeable future. So I have a simple question to pose to you, the denizens of N4G.

When did you throw yourselves away?

When I was 14, my best friend got a new PS2 and gave me his old one, which was in great condition. I was ecstatic because I'd grown up playing great games like Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, SOCOM, Sly Cooper, and others with my friend on the PS1 and 2 and now he was giving me my very own. Also, because my parents never saw the worth in buying me a console, so I was left to drool after the neighbors.

Prior to my emergence on the online gaming scene, I was unaware that people fought over things like games. Was it too much to assume that people had different tastes and that they'd play that which pleased them?

But boy, have I come to several revelations while on N4G. Never before have I seen people go after each other so aggressively for preferring a specific thing on the internet. On this site particularly, there's been a vicious brawl for the past few years between rival "factions" over which console is the "best" which game is the "best". Things like Graphics are now in some people's eyes what decides if they'll buy a title or not.

What bothers me the most is the fact that these disturbing mindsets aren't just influencing the rank and file gamers that frequent this site and others, but also the journalists that we go to for news. Things have now gotten to the point where Reviewers and so called Journalists will mark down games simply because they are popular or well loved on a particular console.

Why is this happening? Are we not all brethren, united under one banner, which is gaming? Don't we all find pleasure in this our hobby? Why have we fallen to disparaging one another based on inevitably varying tastes?

This site seems to be the seat of corruption, but this can only be expected as it's the largest if not the only gaming news aggregation on the web. Fanboys spoiling games for other people, trolls spewing useless caustic remarks about a game that they don't care for, and possibly can't even play, and Moderators doing absolutely NOTHING about keeping the peace.

It seems this issue has come to an especially fierce boiling point in the advent of the long awaited Gran Turismo 5. And it has finally hit close to home to some people that their actions are like a never ending cycle.

360 Fanboys approving ridiculous reviews, PS3 Fanboys denouncing those who would comment on a game which they do not own and vowing revenge for Gears of War 3, and on, and on, and on.

Is it that you all are devoid of common sense? Why is it that before this, PS3 trolls were content to troll games they didn't own, yet they didn't anticipate that the same thing might be done to a game in the future? Has this not happened in the past?

I've heard things from members I won't name akin to "They hit us first! So we're going to hit back!"

Are you three year olds? Are you not aware that an eye for an eye means everybody loses? Where's the mature leadership that says, "Looks guys f*ck what anyone says, this is what we want to play, and we'll be damned if we let what anybody thinks about it affect us".

Instead, what I see is a tit-for-tat attitude. I hear folk all the time salivating for the day when the PS3 will surpass the Xbox 360 in worldwide sales. They say, that then the 360 fans will be put in their places and will finally shut up.

HA! Fat chance. You think for a moment that this constant fighting is going to let up just because of a small change in sales leadership? Hell no. They'll keep on trolling, and you'll keep on feeding them, and you'll keep on trolling and they'll keep on feeding you, and so a never-ending cycle will continue.

Do you throw gasoline on a fire?