Debate: Fans when they don't play the game

I actually like Kirby but I have never played a Kirby game or owned anything relating to Kirby. I never watched the anime either (did watch a few scenes and moment complication videos to learn more about Kirby)
I want to be a fan but I do remember a few years ago that people said it's wrong to be a fan of somthing when you've never had somthing to do with the games.

Do you think it's wrong to be a fan of somthing when I've never owned a Kirby game or merch?

people that do that shit are annoying lmao like i get where the idea is coming from but it's rooted in being used to keep women out of fandom spaces. but anyway the point is you don't have to be the biggest fan of something just to like it or appreciate it. i don't touch overwatch at all and i bought a keychain w the little onion octopus thing see i don't even know what they're called but they were cute and on clearance and i wanted it so i bought it bc i like it. i wouldn't have known it was from overwatch if not for the tag.

like i get that it's annoying, as a huge fan of something, to find someone wearing a shirt for that thing you're super interested in and them be like "oh i just thought it was cool" and not know a thing about it, but is that any reason to get all "oh well you shouldn't wear it or say you're a fan" like lmfao it's not ur business. tl;dr you do you boo

Despite what some may claim, nowhere does it say that you have to do things a certain way to be considered a fan of something. If you like something enough to consider yourself a fan of it, then you're a fan. It's as simple as that. Nobody has any right to tell you that you aren't just because you don't meet the ridiculous expectations that they set for themselves as to what a fan is. It's a silly, self-entitled mentality that forms the basis of a toxic fandom and should be treated with the contempt it deserves. There is no one way to enjoy something.

Just keep doing what you want to do and enjoying what you want to enjoy, however you choose to enjoy it. Someone else's opinion should have absolutely no effect on your own personal enjoyment.

Fandom literally only has to do with whether you enjoy it or not.

Hell, most Touhou fans probably haven't even played the series. Some only engage specifically with the music. You do you, y'know?

Ehh I disagree. You can like something, without being a fan. My own definition of fan is of someone who's really into something. Like I'm sorry but I won't consider someone who's only seen the Harry Potter movies casually, for example, a fan. Not saying they can't enjoy them, but they're not really fans if they don't really care about going deeper into the lore or reading the books.

That said, though, yeah, you do you. If you want to buy a Kirby plushie without having played any Kirby game or whatever then no one has any right to stop you.

My take? Who cares. You do you. You don't owe anything to the fanbase. Enjoy things yours way and maybe your love of the character will even lead you to games one day.

I love all the crazy characters and deep lore that's spawned from LoL, but I've barely touched the game itself. But, I'm thinking of trying to get back into it again because I've been listening to the music a lot lately and have watched a few worlds games and that's kinda hyped me on the idea of learning the game more. We'll see though.

I don't have any problems with fans who are just attached to a certain part or character because they think it's cool/cute/unique. A lot of the time, things are created to try drawing new people in so that they spend money on the merchandise or video game (think of someone who's never played Pokemon before but finding a Pikachu plush cute enough to purchase).

What does bother me is when these new 'fans' storm in like they suddenly know everything about a game or character because of a random meme they saw online. Using Pokemon again, imagine someone arguing that Ash is the worst trainer ever despite never watching a single episode, solely because they have seen "Ash lost the League again" memes online. Sounds a little far-fetched, except that I see this all the time especially in Fire Emblem or Fate fandoms (probably because I tend to follow these series the most).

At the end of the day, I don't think any sane fan would be upset by seeing new people who may only like their stuff on a surface level, so long as neither side attempts to create a divide that shouldn't exist.

Isa_theDT said:

Ehh I disagree. You can like something, without being a fan. My own definition of fan is of someone who's really into something. Like I'm sorry but I won't consider someone who's only seen the Harry Potter movies casually, for example, a fan. Not saying they can't enjoy them, but they're not really fans if they don't really care about going deeper into the lore or reading the books.

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My point was less that being a fan is as simple as liking something and more that it's more about to what extent and how much you take out of it that makes you one.

Mainly because you can be deeply invested in something without wanting to do something you don't want to do. I wouldn't blame someone who loves the Witcherverse, characters, world, and all, for not wanting to play 1 and 2 because those games have incredibly stilted gameplay, and if a Touhou fan only interacted with fanmade content and the spin-off fighters, again, I wouldn't say they aren't fans since they can probably talk on and on about the characters and music as the diehard shmup bois.

At the end of the day I feel like being a fan really depends on how you see yourself, especially because it's not inherently a positive or negative. You don't win any points for being one but it isn't inherently derogatory either so it effectively has no weight other than being a conversation piece.

I think if you like a video game character enough, you can be a fan of them, even if you haven't played their game of origin. At the end of the day we're all just people who like things. No need to keep others from being fans if it isn't harming anyone.

Echoing the whole you do you thing, that's what matters most IMO.

The whole definition of "being a fan of something or someone" is defined differently per person. After all if you like Kirby a lot, who/what is there to stop you from being a Kirby fan?

@machomuu yeah, I agree with that. Especially this part:

My point was less that being a fan is as simple as liking something and more that it's more about to what extent and how much you take out of it that makes you one.

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And I wholeheartedly agree with the "you do you" sentiment. But I do think there has to be at least some level of investment or enthusiasm needed about something for someone to be considered a fan. What this investment and enthusiasm is for does completely depend on the person, and again, not being a fan of something doesn't mean you shouldn't be allowed to enjoy it.

Don't let others define you. I'm a fan of some of the telltale games even though I've never played them myself. Sometimes you can get just as much of the experience from watching a playthrough on youtube.

Silksong hasn't even come out yet and you bet your ass I'm already a fan. As long as you support that interest in a way, who's to say that you are or aren't a fan?

I don't have the time or money to play most games these days so my experiences come solely through watching other people play, hearing about the games via story or lore, or just listening to the music. I wouldn't say it makes me any less of a fan of the games. Most of the time I'm more invested in the lore of the games like Legend of Zelda than I am the actual gameplay and I feel like that should be acceptable since not everyone has the time to invest in the games.

You shouldn't let people over the internet dictate whether you want to be a fan of something you genuinely like. People streaming games others don't play is a daily occurrence, doesn't stop the viewers being any less of "fans" if they enjoy watching said game ^.^.

What you want is yours to decide; what you want to do with it is your responsibility.

I can not tell you what you have to like and what not. I can tell you what I like and hope that we can find a common denominator we can talk about. But that's about it. If you like a character but have not played the game, I can try and encourage you to play it. If you go ahead and play it then we can talk about it. If we don't, well...

People are inherently tribal. Communities are build around common interests. Gaming communities in particular are built around specific games. Naturally, the people who join are those who played the game the community is build around. So if someone joins who did not play it and only likes a character, the other people don't know what to make of that. How to integrate such a person?
So you should expect sentences like "why don't you play the game?" and depending on the level of frustration also "you are not a fan if you don't even play the games!".

Your only option is to either keep looking for other groups that care about the same niche or you have to create that niche yourself. This is where it ties to "it's your responsibility".

The reason I'm saying it is because this in particular never seems to be a problem of "people don't accept my decision" (people are pretty accepting these days unless you hang out in specific places of the internet), but more of a problem of the sorts "I don't want to deal with the responsibilities" (though, let me be clear: I don't accuse anybody of such, I don't know anyone here, or anywhere else, enough to make such an accusation).

Eh, gatekeeping ain't my style. If you love something and you engage with it in an unconventional way that's perfectly fine. The most important thing about these games is having fun, after all. :)

If you like something, don't let anyone else tell you what or how to think.