I’m going to tell you folks something. You may get mad about it, but hopefully, by the end of this article, you’ll feel a little better about it. If not, well, maybe I can make you a drink. Just be warned, I mix them strong.
Are you ready? Ok, here goes:
That video game you love to play right now? Or that movie you really love? Or that song that you can’t get out of your head because it’s so catchy?
IT SUCKS!!!
Now, before you flip out and decide to begin the mother of all flame wars, take a moment to appreciate where I went with that declaration.
We all love something a bit too much. For the record, I am referring to loving non-living things in this statement. For the discussion surrounding loving living creatures like women, pets, or Isla Fisher, talk to someone better qualified.
What we love can be a video game, a movie, a song, a car, or anything else we can grow attached to. When we love that thing, we grow a certain bond with it. There are a lot of memories and (usually) good feelings that we associate with those things. But oftentimes, we grow TOO fond of those things. We can become quite defensive of those things. And when someone squares up and utters the phrase, “it sucks”, we may naturally become very upset at it…and strike back by declaring something THEY love sucks. Sometimes I think message boards and forums should all be renamed “The Suck Zone” because of all the suckage thrown around in them!
(OK, that might be a little weird if it became true. “This bastard is talking shit about Destiny? I’ll take care of him in the Suck Zone!” Lotta creeper potential there.)
I’ve come across that phrase many times during the course of my gaming life, most recently when I was called out for my love for Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, which I own for my PS3. A PSN “friend” saw that I earned some trophies for the game and messaged me his discontent for the game. His exact quote was very literate: “ni no kuni? u like that RPG shit???” Another questioned me while I was playing Rainbow Moon. His insightful question: “WHAT THE FUCK IS RAINBOW MOON”. When I responded that it was a JRPG, he dismissed it.
Now I get that for many people, the JRPG, or Japanese Role-Playing Game, has fallen out of favor. The traditional JRPG is a very grindy type of game that requires lots of time and patience for what many see as little real gain. But I have been playing and enjoying JRPGs for many years, since Dragon Warrior on the NES. I like many other types of games, but JRPGs are sort of a comfort game that I’ll pop in when I want to disconnect my mind, listen to some music, and just grind.
Do I get offended when people tell me JRPGs suck? Not at all. I’m realistic enough to know that what I like will not please others. For Christ’s sake, I spent years defending the movie Last Action Hero; I’m used to being laughed at for things I love! But many people get offended when people diss the games or other things they love. And yea, I get why. When we grow attached to something, we don’t like others deriding it. Someone hating something you love almost feels like they hate something about you!
Well I say, get over it! No matter what you love, no matter how obviously great you think it is, someone somewhere will ALWAYS tell you, “IT SUCKS!” You love FPSs? That RTS player over there thinks your game sucks! You’re a Sony fanboy? Xbox One fans think your console sucks! Wait, you’re a console gamer? PC MASTER RACE, CONSOLES SUCK! Go to Wal-Mart, buy yourself something from their “Executive Thick Skin Winter Collection”, and worry not! Oh, and if you think Wal-Mart sucks, buy it at Target!
It literally DOES NOT MATTER if what you love sucks to someone else. I don’t think that I have to say that, but it should be obvious that what you love should only matter to YOU! You love playing Call of Duty? Then what the CoD haters say about your game means nothing! You get your thrills playing Hatsune Miku games? Play on and drown out the people calling your game out! You don’t care about the games and you’re an achievement or trophy whor—err, “hunter”? Go for it! Oh, and look me up if you want to boost! Because if there’s anything better than loving something, it’s finding someone you can share that something with!
Now, if you like Madden? Your game sucks!
Do you think I’m right? Do you think I’m wrong? Do you think I suck? Let me know in the comments!
