The Great Divide

Welcome to the world of the Great Divide. Where each and every one of us is separated by a nigh intraversable chasm that only grows ever wider with each passing of the day. In this world, the two sides throw insults, fight, and argue at one another, in the hopes that they can rattle the other and make them see their way of thinking. The unfortunate bit of this tale is, that no matter how harsh, how smart, or even how true a statement or insult may be, they're rendered entirely ineffective thanks to the chasm of the Great Divide. All the while, those not belonging to either side sit idly by and just observe this inept and ineffective war with both interest and confusion, mostly unaffected by the outcome, if any.

Welcome to the world of gamers and the world of fanboys. Where the sides split down the middle, the West being those who cherish and support Microsoft's Xbox 360, and to the East, those who cherish and support Sony's Playstation 3, with the outsiders being those of the Nintendo and PC faction. ((I will admit right up front that I was exclusively a PC gamer until this year, upon receiving an Xbox 360. But I will also let it be known I have only owned it a month at most, and played it maybe a week, with another family member spending most of his time on it.))

Now, this Great Divide has pitted the East against the West since the inception of the Xbox, with the two sides warring against one another via graphics, innovation, game play, and exclusives. Now, the first three, I can entirely understand. To advance in technology and innovation, there needs to be competition to provide incentive. But the last one, the Wild Card, now that's where the war of the Great Divide really gets heated.

In a time before gaming became mainstream, before it was accepted by the majority of society, it was a hobby. One many enjoyed with passion and love. We were ALL gamers. There was no such thing as being a console or pc gamer, an Xbox fan or PS3 fan. We were all simply gamers. A united community who shared the same love and enthusiasm for our hobby. But as technology advanced, and more and more people began to accept this new form of media, things began to change. At first, for the good of the whole, but then, slowly, it began to twist, to change into something insidious, dangerous, and frighteningly, calamitous.

Gamers began to split. Some stayed with the PC, some gravitated towards the consoles. It was still cordial, still friendly, we were still seen as gamers. But then, consoles diversified while the PC stayed the PC. And the gamers split again, this time not just with the technology, but with the brand. Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft. The first seeds of hate began to sprout. For reasons unknown, animosity was held towards one another, and a war soon after broke out, causing the Great Divide.

Now, here we sit, in the present, with gamers aligned on opposing sides, feuding and fighting over who's system is best, who has the best graphics, best tech, and above all, the best exclusives. A new form of warfare was introduced, the Exclusive Wars. Causing the schism to grow ever wider, and the sides fighting an increasingly inept and ineffective war.

"This game is the best because it's on this system!"
"No, this one is the best because it's on this system!"

And so on. And with the inception and embracing of the internet, the battlefield became anonymous, tearing asunder our great hobby, making us say and do things we would normally not do if it came to anything else. The war has raged endlessly, fruitlessly, and futilely. Increasingly we all grow hostile towards one another, destroying innovation, destroying competition for the advancement of our hobby, and only worrying about the advancement of some hollow loyalty to a brand that only desires to make money off your ignorant exuberance for the same thing over and over.

Welcome to the Great Divide, where hate and ignorance breed into one another. Where staunch close mindedness has retarded the innovative process. Where friendly competition for the advancement of a hobby has given way to the competition of mindless consumption. Welcome to the war. Grab your gun, grab your helmet, and watch the fireworks. For as long as we stay separated, this war will drag on for eternity, keeping us from the full acceptance we seek within the real world.

Welcome soldier. Here's your bullet. Use it wisely.

[wat634]

Well written and very true.

All factions are reputed for their large animosity, and I'm sure anyone who has been on this site for a while knows this.

Oh well, gotta keep fighting, for your dignity that is.

[Chaostar]

Good blog, I see where you're coming from but "the great divide" as you put it, was well in place before MS or Sony got involved. I'd wager there was probably bad blood in the seventies when the Magnavox Odyssey and Atari versions of Pong were number 1 at ye olde gamestoppe. Let's not forget the Windows-Mac rivalry that is still being fought today and probably forever, sort of like if Chuck Norris traveled back in time to fight himself.

I think maybe you're taking the whole thing a little too seriously, the internet breeds the kind of hate you mention. Anonymity and angst in a controversial situation becomes a 'glory hole' for idiocy when confronted with an opposing point of view. OK my analogies have taken a downturn so I'll leave it there, again, I understand your message of unity and thoroughly agree.