Gaming is an interactive experience. We play games -- but at the same time, games play us. In this column, psychologist Nicholaus Noles explores how video games manipulate our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, all in the name of fun.
What Are They Thinking!?
Fanboys. You've seen them online. You've seen their comments attached to game reviews and posted on blogs, proclaiming their undying love for one console or title and their utter contempt for others. Call of Duty vs. Battlefield, Forza Motorsport vs. Gran Turismo, Star Trek vs. Star Wars, Xbox vs. PlayStation -- if two sides exist, gamers on both sides will readily defend their favorites. Some of you undoubtedly look down on fanboys, either chuckling or feeling frustrated at their irrationality. These feelings are entirely justified, because make no mistake, every fanboy (and fangirl, for that matter) is irrational. But, before you start feeling smug, it's important to note that the irrational thoughts and behaviors exhibited by rabid fans influence everyone to some degree, even if they don't post their thoughts in all caps on a message board.
For many people, choosing a gaming console (or even choosing specific games) is a big decision. Purchasing multiple gaming platforms is not a viable option for most people, so they must make a choice and give up opportunities to play games on other platforms. After this initial purchase, gamers invest a significant amount of time and money into their hobby, and this ongoing investment causes people to associate their own self-worth with the value of their favored brands. Because people feel meaningfully linked to certain brands, they interpret negative comments about these products as personal attacks. But why do fanboys act so crazy?
The short answer is that they are experiencing cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort that people feel when they try to hold two conflicting beliefs, or when they are presented with evidence that contradicts something that they strongly believe. For example, I would experience cognitive dissonance if I fervently believed that the Wii was the best console around, and then someone pointed out that the Wii is less powerful than other consoles and offers fewer blockbuster titles. The critical thing about cognitive dissonance is that people are very motivated to stop feeling it, so they turn to dissonance reduction strategies that are irrational and often infuriating to other people.
One common rationalization strategy is to explain away problematic evidence after the fact. For example, I might try to change my own desires. In technical terms, this is called adaptive preference formation, but in practice it goes something like this: I want a 3DS. I don't have enough money to buy a 3DS. Actually, I don't think I want the 3DS. 3D is just a stupid gimmick. In this case, dissonance is reduced by denying the core desire that created the conflict. Another way to avoid or reduce dissonance is to change the way that you pay attention to different kinds of evidence. This expresses itself in two ways. People exhibit a confirmation bias -- they believe and pay attention to evidence that supports their beliefs -- and they marginalize evidence that does not align with their beliefs. Nobody decides to start ignoring good evidence or paying attention to facts that support their ideas, we just naturally fall into these patterns when we experience dissonance.
Cognitive dissonance and the strategies that people use to reduce dissonance are common to all people. When we invest time and money into a brand, we create a personal and emotional link between our preferences and our sense of self-worth. In order to protect our beliefs (and by association our own personal value), we often employ irrational or illogical self-protective strategies. We rationalize, we deny our own feelings, and we pick and choose what we want to believe about ourselves and our favorite brands.
Acting like a fanboy is only natural, but the environment surrounding gaming pushes fanboyism to new extremes. Because gamers are often experienced Internet users, their beliefs are challenged constantly. Even well-regarded products are the target of negative reviews... or positive reviews that are not quite positive enough. Similarly, "facts" both supporting and undermining almost any position or preference are abundant online, making the Internet the perfect place for both creating conflicting beliefs and motivating irrational behaviors. Indirect attacks on your beliefs (Xbox sucks!) can quickly become personal attacks (you suck!), and that's when the trolling really starts. The important thing is to remember is that we're all irrational and we're all fans, but given enough evidence, even the most hardcore fanboy can come to see the error of their ways. Also, Xbox > PlayStation.
To go deeper, read Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts, by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson.
Nicholaus Noles is a dad and avid gamer. He writes about psychology, games, and the psychology of games. Nicholaus received a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Yale University, and works as a developmental psychologist at the University of Michigan.
