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Originally posted by: Bill Aurion What? Personally offended? I'm not seeing any of that here, I'm seeing people defending a game for the strengths they enjoy...Come back when people start posting with a crapload of angry emoticons and exclamation points! 
You know you've thrown down "fightin' words" in a situation like this when someone reacts to your comments through insult, and a CONSISTENT trigger on these forums is and always has been Suda's games.
I think there's something else going on here, beyond the simple "strengths they enjoy". I think what we're seeing is something I shall call "Hermit Crabbing".
This phenomenon occurs when someone discovers something which they are the minority in enjoying, much like a hermit crab finds a small empty shell to dwell in. The hermit crab will viciously defend the opening of his/her new home (aka the franchise in question). The power of being a hermit crab stems from the fact that the shell opening is small and therefore easy to defend. In this case, the opening of the shell is synonymous with the lack knowledge other people possess about a given franchise; the crab is quick to capitalize on this lack of knowledge in their arguments, easily defending the opening of the shell from attackers.
However, as the franchise becomes more popular, their like for it fades simply because more people like it and it has become "mainstream". In essence, the shell expands to the point where the hermit crab can no longer feel snug within the niche and must seek another "home" to defend.
Naruto is an excellent example of this. I knew of many people who discovered Naruto back before it made its way outside of Japan and they loved the series, but as it spread to the US and was widely embraced by the anime community, they felt it had "sold out" and was too "mainstream" and they didn't like it anymore, despite the fact that the series itself had not changed, only the amount of people who patronized it.
More than anyone, I can understand the notion of not wanting to be lumped in with a larger group of people when it comes to your likes and opinions, but hermit crabbing finds its roots in the audience member
enjoying their feeling of seclusion in their tastes. When the franchise was liked by few, their decision to like it was, in their minds, an act of rebellion, setting them apart from the rest of the herd. In liking Naruto, these people felt as though it made them unique, and when the uniqueness was gone, their ability to enjoy the franchise went with it.
But they had loved Naruto and would defend it from even the slightest negative comment with a level of vehemence typically exhibited by someone when you openly mock their
mother.
I see the same stir to action when someone says anything negative about a Suda title. It's easy to spot hermit crabbing because even the very best arguments put forth to defend the franchise pang of insult or some degree of sarcastic anger which will only ever arise when someone has struck a
nerve. Grasshopper makes for a great hermit crabbing situation because the games have been met with such a critical backlash that liking them practically IS an act of rebellion.
But I guarantee this: if NMH becomes immensely popular, sells over a million copies and Suda's later projects begin succeeding as a result, we'll start hearing comments about how Suda "sold out" and "lost his touch"(not necessarily from NWR, but all over the internet).
I know hermit crabbing is practically unintentional, but when your arguments degrade into personal insult, it should be noted by the person doing the hermit crabbing that they're doing it.
Yes, I too need to be watched for hermit crabbing. We all do, because, for the past 3-5 years, we were all very likely hermit crabbing for
Nintendo.
Topic: No More Heroes for Wii!!!! (Read 200112 times)
