@WhiteKnight recently said this: "Fanboys are actually anything but fans, but that's a debate for another day."
This has got me thinking: what is a fanboy? If they aren't real fans, then what is a real fan? This thread is here for discussing the topic in a CIVIL way. I don't want any flame wars or trolling, just honest discussion.

It's an extremist of a certain brand.

I thought you might be joking but seems like not. Here is a proposed etymology of the word:

"devotee," 1889, Amer.Eng., originally of baseball enthusiasts, probably a shortening of fanatic, but may be influenced by "the fancy", a collective term for followers of a certain hobby or sport (especially boxing); There is an isolated use from 1682, but the modern word is likely a late 19th century.

Actually I should add that this is of just the word fan. We will have to discuss fanboy to compare the two obviously.

TA DA!!

_{Kudos to the one who gets this reference}

Devotee: an ardent follower, supporter, or enthusiast (as of a religion, art form, or sport)

Ardent: characterized by warmth of feeling typically expressed in eager zealous support or activity <ardent proponents of the bill>

Zealous: marked by fervent partisanship for a person, a cause, or an ideal : filled with or characterized by zeal <zealous missionaries>

Partisanship: a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person; especially : one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance

...sometimes I hate the dictionary. In laymen's terms, it's someone who takes their love of something to unreasonable levels. You know, the people who follow Nintendo blindly, backing everything they do, or going the opposite way and expecting unreasonable things from them.

I personally think that a fanboy is a person who is devoted to and enjoys a certain show/brand/game/etc. In this case, I would describe myself as a Nintendo fanboy, since I buy only Nintendo consoles/games. I do this since I am not interested in the types of games that other gaming consoles play. However, I believe that the term "fanboy" has garnered negative connotations in recent times. It has been used to describe people who vocally praise one product while bashing another, often with little reason. I only support Nintendo, but I don't bash Microsft or Sony.

This is a good example:
An extreme fan or follower of a particular medium or concept, whether it be sports, television, film directors, video games (the most common usage), etc. -Urban Dictionary

Ok, so we all have a general idea of what we think a "fanboy" is. So, what do you think a "fan" (not the electronic kind) is?

Ok class, it's time to learn some fanboy anatomy!

Yep. It's really simple.

Fanboys are not fans because they really couldn't give a crap about the company they claim to love. They don't have the company's best interests at heart at all. Let me give you an example: every time I say "Apple should acquire Nintendo," or "Nintendo should develop mobile apps," I invariably get inundated by Nintendo fanboys telling me they would hate that, or even (and this is my favourite) "the day Nintendo is acquired by Apple is the day I give up gaming." It doesn't matter that I've just explained why that would be really good for Nintendo, no, that fanboy wants Nintendo to continue to do what it's doing for the simple reason that that's the way they like it (there are perhaps genuine reasons that Nintendo should not do these things, but I've never seen a fanboy mention one).

A fan wants to see the companies they like be successful, because a successful company means that the people that work at that company have a better quality of life and the company's output is higher quality. A fanboy wants the companies they like behave in a slavish fashion, doting on the fanboy like he's the most important person in the world, and focusing entirely on what that fanboy wants to play and buy, regardless of whather it would bankrupt the company.

Fanboys are just spoiled little children (regardless of age, I'm talking about emotional maturity).

A MISERABLE LITTLE PILE OF SECRETS! BUT ENOUGH TALK, HAVAT YOU!
@Waltz I missed you putting fanboys back in their place.

I can't see the term fanboy as anything other than negative.

If you enjoy Nintendo products & games, you're a Nintendo fan.

If you blindly apply Nintendo as the best company and can't look past it's faults you're a Nintendo fanboy.

Fan: A person who has a strong interest in or admiration for a particular sport, art or entertainment form, or famous person.

In my opinion, it's someone who likes something, but keeps it within reasonable levels, by acknowledging and perhaps accepting the flaws that whatever they admire has.

I see what you done there!

A fanboy doesn't really think that Nintendo is the best company in the world, though.

The minute Nintendo makes a decision that the fanboy doesn't agree with (such as selling itself to Apple), the typical fanboy would, apparently, give up on Nintendo completely.

No. A fanboy simply thinks that he/ she is the most important person in the world and Nintendo exists solely to please him/ her. And every decision that Nintendo makes has to be for him/ her.

Someone who thought Nintendo was the best company in the world would be happy if it was sold to Apple and would rush out to buy an iPad for iMario. This is blind loyalty (silly in itself, but not irritating). Not fanboyism.

Since mods are watching, i'm going to be civil.

I think it's someone who always tries to defend something they love regardless of whether it's right or wrong. Something like that.

So I assume that this is sort of the crux of the argument which is that fanboys unlike general fans don't have the company's best interest at heart? You know I can actually buy that argument. I think to a degree we are taking some liberties with the meaning behind the terms. Assuming that fan does derive from 'fanatic' though don't you think there could be an argument that a fanatic doesn't have anyone else's best interest at heart?

Fanboyism and brand loyalty usually go hand in hand from what I've noticed. But as always, it's different strokes for different folks.

All in all, I definitely see it as a very negative label.

I like Nintendo, but I'd rather they weren't bought out by Apple.

I'd rather there was market plurality and I'd want Nintendo to have as much autonomy as possible.

But am I still an

EEEEEEEEEEK!!

NINTENDO FANBOY?