View Guestbook
Console Wars: The Prologue
By Schala
Being that our mailing list dealt with a video game, naturally the topic of "Which game system is the best?" came up. The FFML discussed such things as graphics, memory, game quality, and everything else possible concerning game systems. Most enjoyed the next-gen systems. Some, like the Dark Lord Eric, held out against the PSX, citing loading time and several other aspects. Others, such as Pokey, held no favorite system but endeavored to correct the misinformation of others. What misinformation this was, I have long since forgotten, as I was one of those who stayed as far away from this discussion as possible.
Unfortunately, posts became heated and things turned slightly ugly. I believe it was at this time that someone asked what "PSX" stood for (considering we know it merely as "PlayStation"), and someone else came up with the nickname "PlayStation suX." Many other things were said, and it got to the point where people were pleading with others to stop the madness. (Because I did not participate much in this discussion, I cannot relate just how far the posts went, although I did skim over every message and got glimpses of some of the language used.)
Now, some time before, I had bought a PSX and FF7, and unfortunately I was having some trouble with it. The console would conk out on me at the worst times, my memory card was screwed, and sometimes the game refused to even load. I was at wit's end, so I turned to the list for help, asking if this had ever happened to them, and if so, what was the remedy. Someone said that perhaps the lens was loose and I should have it repaired. Another suggested turning the console upside-down, which was perfectly harmless to both the game and console.
Then came along the N64 Man, from whose name you can guess which system he supports. He had subscribed a short time before and had read all the posts concerning my PSX problems. After the "turn-the-PSX-upside-down" suggestion, N64 Man went all out in bashing the Playstation. A few posts later, Aaron Cohen joined in the PSX-bashing. Quite a few people took offense to their language and manner. Eventually, however, things calmed down, and the N64 Man promised to quit using all caps and offensive language (although Aaron C. made no promises about his own behavior). So far, he's kept his word, and the matter was pretty much resolved.
Well, there isn't much FFML history to tell in order to appreciate this fanfic, except that the "discussion" came to be called the Console Wars. To the author's (Chaos's) credit, though, he did ask list members what side they would like to be on: anti-PSX or pro-PSX. Most, I assume, were neutral. Of course, several members were definitely on one side, such as N64 Man and Eric on the anti-PSX side (although I could have sworn that Magus was also anti-PSX...oh well). Since then, we have tried to stay strictly away from the topic of which system is best.
And thus the console holy wars begin...
Console Wars, Part 2
Console Wars, Part 3
Console Wars, Part 4
Console Wars, Part 5
Console Wars, Part 6
Back to my FFML fanfic page, my main fanfic page, my Final Fantasy page, or my main page (dang that's a lotta pages! ^_^)
Send me your comments! I'm big on typos, too, so if you spot one, let me know!
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page