NBrid

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Written by: Hybrid

The art of conversation. Has it really gone stale? While some people in life still manage to carry on about a decent topic, there are still mediums where the closed minded rule. Of course I am talking about message boards. One person may state an opinion and others will either agree, disagree with insight, or 75% of the time, just an annoying attempt to make the person out to be a whiner or even a "fanboy." Yes we all know the dreaded word. Dictionary.com defines FANBOYS as: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So (grammar mnemonic for the coordinating conjunctions). But that site is wrong…In actuality it is just a buzz word given to people that defend a company or videogame system of choice. Although I do not intend on focusing on this word, I wish to address the issue puzzling many a brid in this day and age. What does it take to get through to people with your opinions?

No, I'm not saying we should force our opinions on others, I'm saying if we wish to have a sophisticated conversation about something like ohhhh What's up with this Nintendo kiddy BS, we should know how to address our peers. Formerly someone like me would reply with facts and slight insults describing the antagonist's views in a satirical fashion. One would say:

-Smash Bros was designed for kids and I only play mature games.

Do NOT reply by saying less than 25% of the games on any system are mature rated. That will not get through. Another example would even include twisting facts or forcing new opinions upon themselves to support their cause:

-So what if RE is on GameCube. That series is dead and no one wants to play it anymore.

Again, do not reply by saying even if it is dead, it still means that Capcom trusted their bloodiest franchise to a system that person labeled as "kiddy." It will not work.

So you may be asking, how do I reply to these posts without sounding like an idiot or a fanboy? I will put it in Algebraic terms for you. Let's say the person you disagree with is the negative force and you are the positive. If his post would be considered a very meager post with no facts and a lot of gaming slurs then it would be a -2. Now instead of attempting your standard 9 post with facts and justified opinions, you must post at a positive 2 in order to equal out both forces. Here is an example:

-Man you nbrids are so stupid. You can keep dillusioning yourself that Nintendo isn't kiddy but the facts remain they are and always will be kiddy. So turn off your fanboy shields and realize that.

Oooh wise words indeed. I cant stress enough that no matter how much you want to prove this person wrong, it just aint gonna happen. 90% of the online world is closed minded. PERIOD. This should be your reply:

-Maybe Nintendo thinks YOU'RE kiddy. I bet you never even stopped to think about that. No matter how much you grow, you'll still be just as kiddy as ever so keep pretending Santa will bring you your game.com for xmas and you'll soon realize that hard truth as well.

The trick to replying in message boards is knowing your limits. The examples above represent a "0" equalization of opinion force in this particular board. What does this mean? It means that the next post or reply will not focus on the same topic started in that thread. Once both sides have equaled out, there is no need to continue replying and you may leave the "lol's" and "this person does not represent us" to the rest of the people there that do not understand simple algebra. Posting in message boards can be fun however, but it's a rare occasion when someone will even reach the level of 5. That is when you start supporting ideas with facts.

I hope I have informed you and you will use this knowledge well. Just remember that empathy does not always work and just like your teacher says, math is EVERYWHERE!