d+pad

There’s a weird phenomenon in the gaming community where gamers tend to become polarized over an issue. Nintendo vs. Sega; Nintendo vs. Sega vs. Sony; Nintendo vs. Sony vs. Microsoft; and the odd Capcom vs. SNK thrown in for variety. Now, I’m all for a healthy debate, but this crazed sort of gamer nationalism rarely rises above insipid flame wars or mother jokes. And in the end, all it really adds up to is Rock vs. Paper vs. Scissors.

Things seem to be getting even more out of control with debates now crossing console lines and into which of two different games is the better one—games that will be available on any system! Specifically, as in today’s comic, people are actually fighting about whether Guitar Hero 3 or Rock Band is going to kick more ass. Message boards and product forums all over the Net are being consumed by debates on this highly controversial issue (!)

WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?

(That’s the non-specific, collective you—you might actually be sane.)

If you’re a fan of the guitar-god wannabe genre like I am, you should be ecstatic that we’re soon to have not one, but TWO more games that cater to our fantasies. Two games that are so fundamentally alike that screaming about how one is going to obliterate the other just makes you look like an ass. Which game you choose to play while tapping away on a plastic guitar isn’t going to affect your street cred—I guarantee it— so chill out. Besides, there are far more meaningful debates we could be having. Like Stones vs. Beatles.

-JBE

joe at dpad dot ca