53 replies to this topic

[Emperor Robrainiac]

I really should be getting stuff done in class right now... but seeing as how I don't really have much to do right now I decided to make this topic since this has been buzzing around my head for quite a while.

After skimming around the net I've noticed more and more people complaining about how a show/game/comic is ruined by an obnoxious fanbase. Be it Sonic, be it My Little Pony, be it Nintendo, be it Homestuck... Hell, be it any fanbase you can think of, there's always people who give up or refuse to watch a show just because the fandom have a lot of irritating fans.

Honestly, I try not to dwell on the fanbase when trying something new... However, I'd be a hypocrite if I said that it never happend before. This may come as a surprse to some people, but the only fanbase I've ever had raged over was not Bronies, not Sonic fans, but actually the Gurren Lagann fanbase. If you said one wrong thing about the show or its characters, the fans would get on your case and call you "gay," or "not manly." And even though I'm getting kind of weary from people saying "I see ponies everywhere!" I really can't complain to them because whenever someone said "Who the Hell do you think I am" or "Your drill is the one that'll pierce the heavens" I would feel the same way.

Eventually, I decided that my view on the show as kinda immature and I decided to watch Gurren Lagann again without the fanbase in mind and found it to be a pretty decent show... Not spectacular, not life changing but still a decent watch. It did get tiring to see people still quoting the show, but it didn't anger me like it did during my second try. I'm not so irritated by the fans anymore... I still think some are obnoxious, but like other fanbases, I've met some pretty cool fans.

But recently I've noticed that so many people disliking or giving up on a series because of a notorious fanbase. So I gotta ask, what do you guys think... Can a fanbase really ruin things for someone? And what about the sane fans, why should they be judged for their fanbase as well?

Edited by Wayward Vagabond, 01 June 2012 - 04:00 AM.

[Vertekins]

It is my honest opinion that if you truly liked a franchise, you'd like it for what it is instead of having your liking for it be moulded by it's fanbase.

The MLP fans don't detract from the fact the MLP: FiM is an extremely well-made tv show brimming with character and intricate characterization with a real sense of love invested in it's plots and animation and it's respect for the fanbase. The Sonic fanbase doesn't detract from Sonic's greatness either.

And I for one frikkin' hate it when people let a specific character's fans warp their view on the character itself and/or make them hate that character. That's an incredibly misguided form of hatred IMO.

[King Sombrero]

Without fans...there would be absolutely no point to anything. Yes there's obnoxious fans of every single thing but you don't see anybody saying that it ruins football or anything, but shows and games seem to have that mentality and I don't get it. I always say that whether it's flaming for differing opinions, rule34, or not liking something, don't let obnoxious morons ruin something for you because there's always a very sizeable portion of good fans who even if they may or may not be outnumbered by the idiots(most likely not) are still a hell of a lot smarter than them. Take this forum for example, it singlehandedly reatored my faith in the sonic fanbase. I think if we were to "invade" every other Sonic forum out there we would dominate em all

[Tornado]

Someone here (and hell, it might have been Verte since she basically just said the same sentiment) once said that the fanbase and fans should never detract from what you personally enjoy, and that if you find that it does than you probably never truly liked the thing in the first place. And that makes a lot of sense, because at the end of the day if you cut yourself off from the fanbase and just take in the thing, it should be able to stand by itself in your mind; and since you can block out all that stuff very easily, not liking a fanbase should never be an excuse to not like something.





(But seriously, I think it was Nepenthe)

Edited by Tornado, 31 May 2012 - 07:42 PM.

[Ekaje]

There are terrible parts of every fanbase (though some have terrible parts that are larger/more noticable than others), so to judge a series by it is unfair.

[Nepenthe]

I will admit that fans of anything can be irritating when it comes to their fervor towards whatever it is they idolize, and that if you're going to plan on having any type of interaction with them, you're gonna have to take the bad with the good. Ideally, this shouldn't affect your opinion on a franchise itself; the actual installments and their quality therein will never change regardless of how irritating, influential, or vocal its particular fans become. I've gone through similar motions with MLP:FiM. The more over-enthusiastic bronies have long since worn thin on me and now I find them a bit annoying, but they have absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the show is still good. Just enjoy what you enjoy and deal with the fans on the backburner.

(Edit: Huh. Have I ever said anything about fanbases and their ability to be irritating? I may have but I don't remember. I think my own self-ascribed quote is that if a sequel or remake to a movie or game "ruins your childhood," your childhood wasn't all that great in the first place.

My childhood, on the other hand, was awesome.)

Edited by Nepenthe, 31 May 2012 - 08:06 PM.

[Phantomime]

I never think too much of a fanbase of something I know nothing about, and when looking into something I've heard good things about, I try to make sure I know as much as I can about the actual show/game/webcomic so the fans, bad or good, don't dilute my opinion.

[Megabox!]

Hmmm it possibly could? I hate the Los Angeles Lakers because MOST of their fans are REALLY, REALLY annoying when it comes to the sport. Same goes for most die-hard Zelda fans, but the fans don't usually drive me away from the franchises......all that much

[BW199148]

Good topic.

Oh this aimed at me right:

Okay I think fanatical behaviour towards anything be it MLP, Sonic, Star Wars, Resident Evil, COD etc. starts to grate on me after a while, I think nearly everything I have enjoyed has a fanatical fanbase but its unfair to say that an entire fanbase is batshit insane but I encountered my fair share of fantards who make want to jump off a cliff.

(My About me comes on about this) I actually left the FiM fanbase because:

A: I got bored of it and lost interest it happens but not just FiM but MLP in general, I might watch it again who knows.
B: I hate the term "Brony", sorry but I hate fan groups names in anything, just pidegon-holes people I prefer to just be a fan.
C: Know it all stuck up arseholes who have be right 100%, if you are even a little bit wrong they will go into a fit of tardrage (you get kinds of people in the Star Wars fanbase more).

I like to joke about the "Brony" fanbase for shits and giggles, you got to admit them Pony Thread Simulators are both hilarious and fucking creepy at the same time but you get those kind of discussions in the Sonic fanbase too although thank fuck not on this fourm.

What I hate most about fanbases are those sad fucks that bitch about how bad the current games/film/album thing is, if you honestly don't like it that much, fuck off and find something else to enjoy.

The only fandom (if you call it that) I left because of a fanbase was TGWTG's (not the so much the reviewers). I left the fourm because I got sick of sycophantetic bullshit that spews from fanatical idiots mouths who think reviewers are immune from any criticism *cough* Nostalgia Critics Let's Play.

The only reason some people do that is they want to do as much as arse kissing as possible so that they can plug their shitty unoriginal review show and hope that one day they can become a reviewer and get paid regardless if they are actually any good.

Edited by BW199148, 01 June 2012 - 08:58 AM.

[Applejack1973]

Suddenly ponies everywhere.

[Jix Hedgehog]

Fanbases are formed when people come together to disagree on many levels of a single subject.

How you judge a fanbase depends on how well you deal with criticism

[BW199148]

Fanbases are formed when people come together to disagree on many levels of a single subject.

I thought fanbases are form when people share a similar interest?

[Katzii]

I tend to completely ignore fanbases because they can negatively impact on something for me.

Personally, I find myself really put off of a thing if people obsess over it to the point that it takes over their life. I knew someone who did that with Super Sentai (to the point that it dictated their social life so much that they wanted to leave the wedding of a friend early so they didn't miss an episode).

There's also the extreme fans that "ruin" things. I don't want to see My Little Pony porn nor do I find "Princess Molestia" a hilarious concept. I don't want to see Sonic characters with genitalia.

The majority of "fans" don't ruin things for me. It's the vocal and outrageous minority that tend to put me off. So I honestly just avoid all fanbases and keep my likes to myself for the most part.

[BW199148]

I tend to completely ignore fanbases because they can negatively impact on something for me.

Personally, I find myself really put off of a thing if people obsess over it to the point that it takes over their life. I knew someone who did that with Super Sentai (to the point that it dictated their social life so much that they wanted to leave the wedding of a friend early so they didn't miss an episode).

There's also the extreme fans that "ruin" things. I don't want to see My Little Pony porn nor do I find "Princess Molestia" a hilarious concept. I don't want to see Sonic characters with genitalia.

The majority of "fans" don't ruin things for me. It's the vocal and outrageous minority that tend to put me off. So I honestly just avoid all fanbases and keep my likes to myself for the most part.

^This.

If people find how to believe I lost interest in Friendship is Magic, two years ago I was really into the 80's Alvin and The Chipmunks but after while I got bored and move onto something else, it happens its natural that people will lose interest in things, doesn't mean "LEFT FANBASE FOREVER!".

Besides I don't think its healthly to obsessed with one interest and interest only.

[Emperor Robrainiac]

Someone here (and hell, it might have been Verte since she basically just said the same sentiment) once said that the fanbase and fans should never detract from what you personally enjoy, and that if you find that it does than you probably never truly liked the thing in the first place. And that makes a lot of sense, because at the end of the day if you cut yourself off from the fanbase and just take in the thing, it should be able to stand by itself in your mind; and since you can block out all that stuff very easily, not liking a fanbase should never be an excuse to not like something.

My thoughts exactly... when I was in highschool I had some friends would often hate on things just because of it's fanbase and it ended up rubbing off on me... We're all older and wiser now, so we've really kicked that habit and I just judged things for myself from then on without the influence of certain fans over hyping it or being stupid.

If people find how to believe I lost interest in Friendship is Magic, two years ago I was really into the 80's Alvin and The Chipmunks but after while I got bored and move onto something else, it happens its natural that people will lose interest in things, doesn't mean "LEFT FANBASE FOREVER!".

Besides I don't think its healthly to obsessed with one interest and interest only.

Yeah, my interests vary from time to time, it's really odd and hard to explain. I may lose interest in one thing and go to another, only to go back the next day or week. Doesn't mean I'm obsessed though, despite my pony obsession being the longest obsession ever (Again, I use obsession loosely) I often do take breaks and look at other things than ponies, such as Homestuck, Kirby, Legend of Korra... I could go on.

The only fandom (if you call it that I left because of a fanbase) was TGWTG's (not the so much the reviewers). I left the fourm because I got sick of sycophantetic bullshit that spews from fanatical idiots mouths who think reviewers are immune from any criticism *cough* Nostalgia Critics Let's Play.

Ah yeah, the Nostalgia Critic's fanbase, I forgot about that. I tend to avoid reading the comments because of them... And ever since the critic made Douchy Mcnitpick, it's hell for anyone who questions the him. One guy expressed his opnion and they all went "OMG STFU DOUCHY MCNITPICK!!!"

[Snads Squishmitten]

I think a fanbase could ruin something if they had the power over the material they were fanning over. I think in most cases, while the fanbase probably has the /most love/ for the particular media.....they also probably hardly ever have enough of an unbiased view (as a whole) to really always know the best direction something should go in. That's why we see so many fics that can be really popular with a large segment of a fanbase but would probably make most people go WTF.

As far as other then that, then I think it's just a matter of if you can find a segment of the community you fit in nicely and if you can stand hearing opinions and arguments contrary to your own.

[LunarEdge]

I feel the fanbase of anything can deter anyone from something if they are physically interacting with said group. Having gone to cons, tournaments, and other places of interest... coming into contact with certain "fanbases" can be a bit annoying. For example, a few people at my school that I kind of know are big KH fans and one day at school (College) I was doing homework and had my music on my laptop playing pretty low and Simple and Clean popped up... one of the girls whom I didn't know TOO much proceeds to put on her Simple and Clean ringtone on her phone and blast it in my ear when I was concentrated on my studies. That's the kind of "fanbase" I feel can deter me from relatively liking something in the open at least.

Other than that I give no fucks.... I love what I love despite the fanbase

Edited by LunarEdge, 31 May 2012 - 11:11 PM.

[y cant solkia crawl]

It depends, really.

Sure, the fanbase shouldn't detract from your enjoyment of things, but there are some cases that are an exception.

Chao fans are one that comes to mind. When I was at the Sega Forums, after a while, I literally felt ashamed for liking Chao Gardens because of how some people acted about them, myself included since I was guilty of it myself at one time.

Treacher knows what I'm talking about, since he's the one who warned me in the first place.

While fanbases in theory shouldn't ruin your fun no matter what, In reality it really depends on who you are, or how bad said fanbase gets sometimes.

[Mono]

Well here I am posting on a Sonic forum, because it was a major part of my youth. I don't find most Sonic fans annoying, here being proof.

But don't get me started on MLP. There is nothing special about this show. Stop lying to yourself.

Edited by Mono, 31 May 2012 - 11:28 PM.

[y cant solkia crawl]

Oh shit, here we go.