Post the First

So of all things I was looking around on some video game message boards (surprise, surprise I have some nerdish qualities) and wow, I never realized how intensely loyal to brands these people are. You can't look through a single topic without someone coming in and attacking someone else for their preference in video game system. If you seriously want to see the most extreme examples of brand loyalty, then simply head on over to a video game message board. It will blow your damn mind.

The first post I happened to click on was just a guy politely asking if he should pick up a Nintendo Wii game that came out this week. I was also interested in this game so I figured I would read this. Well after that first post, it was immediatly followed by someone telling him to sell his Nintendo Wii "cuz it suckorz" and buy an Xbox 360 because "it roxors!" ...I don't even have words to describe that. Not only does it have nothing to do with what the poster asked, but this person is so brand loyal to the 360 he just felt compelled to barge into this unrelated topic to express it in his own special, incoherent way. Needless to say the rest of the topic was pure chaos, with more people coming in to bash each other's preference in system. Everyone just ripped on other people's choices, saying their system (or brand) was the best...except for this one guy who just claimed to have fornicated everyone in the topic's mother. I doubt that was true but if it was, these people have more to worry about than which system is best. Either way the person never did find out if his game was worth getting.

This is just one example too. You can find this sort of thing in just about any topic you click on. People will absolutely refuse to acknowledge other systems even exist. They all feel their system has the best graphics, the best games, the best online, the best everything. If you try and tell them otherwise, they won't listen to it for a second. Instead they'll call you a racial slur and insult your lack of genitals, at least that seems to be the case in most situations.

I honestly can't think of another example of more intense brand loyalty than the world of video games. I could list thousands of examples of it, and just how passionate people can get about it. Hell I used to work in a store that sold them and we would just watch people stand by the games and argue over which system had the best selection. We saw one guy get so worked up he started screaming and we had to kick him out. Scary.

There's also an issue of brand personality at work here too. If you start to pay attention, you see that each of the three main systems (Wii, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360) has a sort of personality that goes along with it.

The Wii is considered to be the kiddy system. This is the cute, safe system that everyone can enjoy and doesn't do anything to offend anyone. Wii is the boy/girl you take home to meet your parents.

The Playstation 3 is the expensive system. It costs you a lot of money, but feels it is completely worth it in the end. At the same time, many people who invest the money, are disappointed with the end results.

360 is essentially considered the badass. It has the most brutal games and is also considered to be the most social.

I think this whole idea of loyalty with systems is something that has been around forever and isn't going anyway. Although I'm a little terrified because I know it was never this bad when I was growing up and things will only get worse. The real life Video Game Wars are just around the corner. However if we fight that war by eating mushrooms, growing really tall and then kicking turtle shells at the enemy, then sign me the hell up.