Mark Serrels of Kotaku Australiarecently posted an opinion piececalling for gamers — and fans in general — to “care less” about the media that they consume. Hatred, bile, irrationality, and “the sh*tstorm following negative reviews,” he says, is a product of people caring too much about such things.
I say that we should caremore.
Mind, I’m not arguing that we needmoreinternet vitriol. Just the opposite, in fact. But it’s wrong to think that the solution to fandom’s worst excesses is replace anger with apathy. That hatred, bile, irrationality and sh*tstorming isn’t a product of caringtoo muchabout videogames, movies, Batman, or what-have-you. Instead, it’s a product of fans caring too muchabout the wrong things, andnot caring enoughabout theimportantthings, the things that make videogames, movies, Batman, or what-have-youworthcaring about in the first place.
Serrels argues that “if people are passionately invested in something, they will react badly to criticism of that product.” That’s wrong.Truepassion for something is inclusive and welcoming. If someone reactsbadlyto such criticism (and I can’t stress that part enough), then the thing they’reactuallyinvested in isnotthe product itself, but thenotionthat the product isperfectandbeyond criticism.They’re invested more in the perception that they have “good taste,” or are invested in defending their “reputation” from those that they believe would dare tell them they like “bad” things. It’s a semantic difference, but it’s often the difference between a spiteful comment or nasty death threat, and a reasoned, well-written reaction.
Where does this over-investment in the perception of perfection come from? Serrels says that it comes from insecure fans allowing themselves to be defined by their hobbies and interests, and as such construing criticism as a personal affront.
While I agree that it’s never healthy to attach one’s sense of identity to any one thing, I can’t help but get a little philosophical whenever someone trots out this old anti-fan chestnut. If we can’t or shouldn’t be defined by our interests and hobbies,how the hell are we supposed to define ourselves?
To twist the immortal words ofPlanescape: Torment, “What can define the nature of a man?” Is it his appearance? His hobbies? His politics? His gender? His sexual orientation? His geographical location? His language? His religion? His race? His weight? His clothes? His income? His credit rating? His choice of cellphone service? The list goes on endlessly.Allof these things contribute to a whole, because they’re a part oflife. People aren’t born and die in a vacuum. Their identities are influenced by everything around them, and that includes how much they care about the things they care about, including videogames or movies or Batman or what-have-you.
Insisting that the problem lies in an overabundance of passion, and to suggest that passion be abandoned or extinguished, is to diminish a part of that whole, and, ironically, to contribute to the very problem: allowing external influences to define one’s self. It ultimately harms our sense of self as surely as unhealthily seeking validations of our insecurities in the reviews of others, raging at that which does not conform. A writer I’m sadly unable to recall once said that he considered it aninsultwhenever someone tells him to “chill out” over things he was angry or enthusiastic about. To him, such admonitions carried an unspoken contempt, implying that his concerns and passions were trivial and didn’t matter.
Apathy is anathema to critical thinking. A person who doesn’t give a shit has no opinion, and has no motivation to explain his or her reasoning beyond “just because.” It’s becausewe don’t care enoughabout games that fans take the lazy route of lashing out at dissent, rather than daring to examine their own reasoning and think aboutwhythey agree or disagree with a critic.
Like I said, when someone claims to be passionate about something, and yet only expresses that “passion” as hate towards anything that criticizes it, they’re being passionate aboutsomething else entirely. What fans need to do — whateveryoneneeds to do — is engage in a little introspection and find out what theyreallycare about. They’ll find that their passion, their enthusiasm – if genuine and not misguided – willonlyexpress itself in positive, productive ways.*
If you care —reallycare — you’ll find that you won’t be concerned with shouting down critics (because you don’t care about “winning” the argument), but instead spend your time and energy finding thoughtful, constructive ways to refute (or even integrate) their criticism, or allow their opinions to refine, sharpen, and ultimately elevate the discourse.
To borrow a few words from Gamasutra’sLeigh Alexander, folks who truly care will be too busychampioningwhat they care about to waste their livescondemningthe things they don’t agree with.
So please, for all our sakes,care more.
*Unless their genuine passion is for being Angry Internet Contrarians. In that case they really would benefit from ceasing to care and insteadSTFUAJPG‘ing.
