Only True Fans Stick By Their Favorite Series
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“I’ll explain my view on the situation and share why I think true fans should stick by their favorite series no matter what.”
It’s Not Them, It’s You
Whether it comes to video games, TV series, movies, or even books — we always hear about some kind of controversy that seems to upset the fans. Maybe your favorite character died? Or the ending wasn’t what you wanted? You should be able to accept these changes or outcomes without threatening to boycott the series from your life, wouldn’t you agree?
The developers, creators, directors, and writers are in charge, and they will tell their stories about how they see fit because it’s their vision. If you don’t like that then maybe you should make up your own version and show everybody what really happened. All kidding aside, you should be able to stick with your favorite series without being so sensitive all the time!
My Personal Example
Final Fantasy 13 was a very controversial entry in the popular video game series. It got so much crap for being linear, which means you were mostly forced to walk one pathway without much exploration in between. The game was more story driven with a lot of cutscenes, a boss battle or two here and there, and then more cutscenes.
A lot of people must have given up halfway through the game because guess what? It completely opens up towards the end of the game! A big open world with a ton of quests to complete and items to collect — it was all there, but you had to reach it first.
Heck — I played the game for around 170 hours by getting all the five-star ratings on all the 50+ quests, maxing out everyone’s ultimate weapons, collecting all items, and also maxing out the crystarium. It was a little different than previous entries, sure, but I very much enjoyed every second of it because I’ve always considered myself a true fan.
I’ve actually played all of the main Final Fantasy games since the very first one back in the late 1980’s. With Final Fantasy 13, I quickly learned to roll with the few new changes and have fun with it at the same time. Role-playing games, in particular, always revolve around a deep backstory with the main characters. All other similar games have a story to tell, and I love that about them!
I don’t know why people were expecting that to be different this time around? With Final Fantasy 13— I never once scrunched my face in displeasure, put my nose to the air, nor did I feel the need to boycott the Final Fantasy series or Square Enix (the developers).
I actually welcomed the differences and was willing to give them a chance. Am I crazy to be so civil and calm about this? I thought we were supposed to embrace change anyway, right? You may not like everything they change or do, but that’s not a reason to get all bent out of shape and wreak havoc.
For example, can you believe that some people actually issue death threats in certain situations!? Talk about over dramatic — and a little bit crazy at the same time. That’s a severe loss of emotional control and something that should never happen!
Something To Remember
It’s very fascinating how someone could enjoy a series for so many years, and then something happens they don’t like — they suddenly want to see the company go up in flames for making these changes. Humans are strange! How about instead of pursuing a life of hate, discord, and destruction you actually learn to adapt to these changes?
I know, I can already hear you griping now — but it’s not as crazy as it sounds! Hear me out. The people in charge of creating the content are telling the story their way, and you’re just there for the ride.
Something important that I think most people forget — this is their work, not yours. Unless they are making content based on customer or viewer feedback, they control what happens in their own world of storytelling. You should stick by the creators as they adapt their stories in the future and make changes to the format. After all — fans are supposed to be loving, cheerful, happy creatures, right?
The Wrap-Up
If you feel like rage quitting your favorite series over the silliest things, do you think that makes you a real fan in the first place? Not to mention, why are we so touchy about these things anyway?
Share your thoughts — you could also mention some of your favorite series, and if you’ve ever thought about quitting them for any specific reasons.
