Most video game enthusiasts know that E3 has just passed us by. There was the announcement for Halo 4, some Uncharted 3 coverage, more from Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Nintendo announced a new counsel. Big news with the recent release of Duke Nukem Finally, er, Forever!Movie goers have also been in for a treat this year. The new Pirates of the Caribbean (which I examined quite well I believe), Thor, Tron, as well as X-Men: First Class and the up coming Green Lantern and Captain America movies. With such a major media maelstrom, I've come to a solid conclusion.
Fans suck.
Harsh I know, but that's the truth. Fans of big time series are some seriously self-absorbed jerks when it comes to their area of fandom. There is something about nerd culture that refuses to let others into their world. They also seem to have a real hatred for any form of re-imagining of their favorite series. Fans are petty and protective.
The recent Tron movie is a good example of exclusivity in a fan base. I will set this out now, I have never seen either Tron movie. Neither of them looked all that great. What I'm going to talk about are the people. In a discussion among some friends I heard them criticize people who considered themselves Tron fans because they liked the new movie. My friends' argument was that since the new fans hadn't been fans of the old movie, than they had no right to say that they were Tron fans.
That kind of attitude bugs me. It makes something that is a way to pass time, a way to kill time, so kind of ivory tower. Come my fellow fans, the might fanatics chortle, let us look down on those trying to immerse themselves in our world. I get this sticky feeling that they think they're better because they've been fans longer. Here's the thing, however. Stripped down to its barest elements, this mentality has a reasonable foundation. Whether it is Tron, Superman, or Mario, fans are familiar with they're favorite series. They've grown up with it. The new fanbases can threaten to can seem to be threatening their childhood heroes and everything they knew about them. Pride in your favorite works is completely acceptable, but when you make yourself out to be superior because of your history, that is crossing the line.
The other point I wanted to make was about fans and re-imagining a series. This ties in a bit with the first idea. My example for this time around is the movie Thor. This is another movie on my "to see" list. However, the critics I have heard have said that this movie is too childish. It isn't gritty enough for the modern audience. This is such an stupidly odd idea to me. Let's take a quick walk down memory lane. The first Thor comic was published in 1962. This was the time when greasy hair and leather jackets were big, and The Twist was hitting dance floors across the nation. Not exactly a pop culture I would call gritty.
What I'm seeing here is something typical of comics. If it isn't dark and morally ambiguous with people getting killed off every other page, then many people these days think it is childish and unrealistic. Thor is about a giant Norse god with a hammer smashing things and throwing lightning. This is every young boys fantasy, haven't we hit childish and unrealistic with the subject matter itself?
I've raged enough against movies for now, so I'm taking this point to another medium, video games. This is a medium that is almost the opposite in its views on re-imagining, but is just as extreme. Those of us who enjoy video games don't settle for the same things. We want our series re-imagined. Legends of Zelda: Skyward Sword was one of Nintendo's big displays at E3 this year. They had amazing looking videos featuring the game, its style, and its action. Yet I found countless people who whined about the game, saying they've seen it all before. I myself am a huge Zelda fan, and I understand them, but disagree. They want a new formula, but if Nintendo did change things up, these same people would be complaining that it isn't the Zelda games they know and love.
There really is no way to satisfy the fans. Fans are petty and whinny, never satisfied, always wanting. I think the reason so many people avoid trying to get into comics or video games or movies is because the fans of each are so smug about their preferred medium. This is true of all kinds of hobbies, from sports to Dungeons and Dragons. Everyone talks about being open-minded and tolerant, but when their hobbies aren't so exclusive, they can get fiery.
I am also a fan of series, I admitted that above. I've been getting into comics, have been a long time fan of video games, and am trying out D & D. The reason I can say all this is because A) I'm not one to keep my opinions to myself, no matter how insulting, but mostly B) I am not exclusive. I'm always trying to get people to play video games and to read the things that I like. If I enjoy something, I think others deserve to enjoy it as well. All of us who consider ourselves fans of some series or another need to not be so offended by those who enjoy what we love. We could be their guides to all that we enjoy. Think of the reward like this, the more people who are fans of a series, the more likely that a movie or game company will put real effort in and do a piece right.
Just avoid Anime, that stuff gets real weird real fast.
Just something to chew on.
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