"Once I too was a trainer who had fun during my battles... So you see having fun in battle is foolhardy. A perfect win... that is a Pokémon Trainer's duty."
"You know, playing this doesn't make you cool like a real rock band. Guys? Didn't you hear me? ...Stop having fun!"
— XKCD
"You know, playing No Russian doesn't make you cool like a real terrorist group. Guys? Didn't you hear me? ...Stop having fun!"
— Rock Band fans delivering the appropriate response
"And what of the nine-year-old girl? Perhaps she had no business playing in the first place. From Thomas's view, getting her off the machine allowed him to face the opponents he "should" be facing anyway."
— David Sirlin, Playing to Win: Becoming the Champion
"My review isn't going to convince any 2D fighting game fans, as they probably already have this game and are vehemently writing down where I'm supposedly wrong in my review."
— Monheim, Capcom vs. SNK 2 Review
Calvin: This is hard data! It lets you quantify your enjoyment!
Hobbes: I thought fun was supposed to be fun.
Hobbes: I thought fun was supposed to be fun.
Games are only fun if you win, bonehead! You're going to make us lose!
—Baseball Player, Calvin and Hobbes
"Enough with the fun!"
— Dana, Wayside
"I don't care if it's just a game, there still need to be some standards involved. Filling the Pokedex is an optional part of the game that has no actual reward to it, so the only reason to do it is for personal satisfaction. And if you can be satisfied by having other people do a significant amount of the work for you, then your standards are pretty low. Who cares if it's just a game? Either do something right or don't do it at all."
"NO ITEMS! FOX ONLY! FINAL DESTINATION!"
— internet meme regarding Super Smash Bros. Melee... and Brawl, for that matter. Eventually ascended in Smash for 3DS/Wii U with For Glory Mode, which takes out all items and turns every stage into a re-skinned Final Destination. Thankfully, players can pick characters other than Fox.
King Dedede: Brawl, huh? Meh. Too bad it doesn't stack up to a game made in 2001. It's floatier than Melee, you can't combo as well, it's way too easy to recover, they took out wavedashing, the air dodge is simplified and the tripping, come on! Definitely a weaker follow-up to Melee. What a shame. Poor, naive Kirby. You don't have a clue.
[Beat Panel]
Kirby: I can make Mario fight Sonic!
[Beat Panel]
(Dedede joins the Brawl)
[Beat Panel]
Kirby: I can make Mario fight Sonic!
[Beat Panel]
(Dedede joins the Brawl)
"Above all: Never have fun. If you start having fun, then other people might find it infectious and also have fun, and then where would we be?"
— How To Suck at City of Heroes
Strong Pokémon. Weak Pokémon. That is only the selfish perception of people. Truly skilled trainers should try to win with their favorites.
— Karen, spawning the rallying cry of the casual gamer community, Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal
"Face it. An idiot like you isn't qualified to play this game."
— IYOTEN, .hack//G.U.
"To every multiplayer game ever made: I like your game. I don't like your gamers."
— a Tweet discussing this subject
Leonard: I thought you were having fun with your new friends?
Sheldon: I had to leave. They were doing it wrong.
Sheldon: I had to leave. They were doing it wrong.
—The Big Bang Theory 4x17, "The Toast Derivation"''
"How can you tell the Hobbyists from the Hardcore/professional players? The Hobbyists are the one having fun."
— a Tweet discussing this subject
"And the sad thing is? Croyt's still more polite than most of the DotA 2 players."
"What about Heroes of Newerth?"
"A herd full of bull elephants in heat are more polite than the community of Heroes of Newerth."
"What about Heroes of Newerth?"
"A herd full of bull elephants in heat are more polite than the community of Heroes of Newerth."
— a YouTube conversation regarding these people
"Fun is just a buzzword when you can't actually think of any real reasons as to why the game is good, don't use it. Either way, being amused or entertained with something and being immersed are not the same thing."
— /v/
"If there's one thing World of Warcraft players hate more than people who don't play, it's people who do play but not as much as them."
Reggie: Otto, you're gonna have to get another snowboard to cart that head of yours around. It was just a 360.
Otto: Just a 360?
Reggie: Can't you ever just enjoy the ride, Rocket Boy?
Otto: No!
Otto: Just a 360?
Reggie: Can't you ever just enjoy the ride, Rocket Boy?
Otto: No!
— Rocket Power, "Big Air Dare"
Otto: God, you are such little kids!
Reggie: I'm a year older. What does that make you?
Otto: Do you wanna goof around all day or do you want to play hockey?
Reggie: Well, if goofing around means having fun, then I say we goof around. Right, guys?
Otto: It's not about fun! You know what? Just forget it. I've got a surf challenge to get ready for.
Reggie: Well, he certainly stomps off like a pro.
Reggie: I'm a year older. What does that make you?
Otto: Do you wanna goof around all day or do you want to play hockey?
Reggie: Well, if goofing around means having fun, then I say we goof around. Right, guys?
Otto: It's not about fun! You know what? Just forget it. I've got a surf challenge to get ready for.
Reggie: Well, he certainly stomps off like a pro.
— Rocket Power, "Otto Hangs 11"
All the kids: Calling on, Super Star Battle Team! Star Rangers!
Little Kid 1: Red Star!
Little Kid 2: Blue Star!
Little Kid 3: Yellow Star!
Little Kid 4: Black Star!
Little Kid 5: Ah... What was it?
Miki: Oh yeah, it's Dark Star!
Akihiko (who is almost thirty years old, yelling furiously): Wrong! It's Pink Star! If you don't even know such basic information, you shouldn't be role-playing Star Rangers!
Little Kid 1: Red Star!
Little Kid 2: Blue Star!
Little Kid 3: Yellow Star!
Little Kid 4: Black Star!
Little Kid 5: Ah... What was it?
Miki: Oh yeah, it's Dark Star!
Akihiko (who is almost thirty years old, yelling furiously): Wrong! It's Pink Star! If you don't even know such basic information, you shouldn't be role-playing Star Rangers!
"Don't you know? A lot of first-class athletes don't like their own sport. Their competitive spirit comes before their personal feelings. And I'm the same way."
— Kanna Ishirobi regarding mahjong, Saki Shinohayu -dawn of age-
Pegasus: Stop right there! I'd like to play a little guessing game with that card you're about to throw out on the field!
Kaiba: A game?! We're in the middle of a duel here!
Kaiba: A game?! We're in the middle of a duel here!
Little Girl NPC: Oh no...I lost...But I had a good time!
Kaiba: You're a third-rate duelist with a fourth-rate deck!
Kaiba: You're a third-rate duelist with a fourth-rate deck!
"Pokémon isn't about fun! It's about math! Math, and winning! It's like a job you don't get paid for!"
— Julian, Pokémon Rusty
"It's my fault for having fun!"
— Izuna, No Game No Life
"EH? SERIOUSLY? EASY MODO?"
"How gross! The only ones that should be playing Easy Mode are elementary school students, right?"
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
"How gross! The only ones that should be playing Easy Mode are elementary school students, right?"
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
— Touhou Project fan video, "Stops at the affected area and immediately dissolves ~ Lunatic Udongein" (aka "Overdrive")
" (aka "Overdrive")"'Enthusiastic' isn't the word I'd have used. Guys like them seem to be found at every field; if you're not a tourney player, then you're some kind of loser. If you don't play their way, you might as well not even play."
— Bruno, The Whiteboard
Dickstabbers is, to me, a humorous way to differentiate between Joe Casual and the hardcore speedsters who, given the choice between fucking the prom queen to shave 1.1 turns off of a run or stabbing their dong to shave 2.3 turns off of their run, will sigh regretfully and pull out their dickknives.
— a post on the Kingdom of Loathing forums
Pearl: Are the water balloons really necessary?
Steven: Yeah! This way, the moves really matter.
Pearl: But it's Checkers! Every move matters.
Amethyst: Sounds like someone's being a sore loser.
Pearl: (puffs up) I'M not being a sore loser... (jumps all of Amethyst's remaining checkers in one move) Because I just won the game.
Amethyst: Whaaaa?! Here it comes! (is splashed by the remaining balloons) Aaah, it feels good to lose!
Pearl: (clears throat) Ahem, I certainly hope that's not the attitude you have during battle.
Amethyst: You're no fun anymore!
The experts captured auction
With their lessons and their books,
And the casual week-end player
Got a lot of nasty looks.
The experts captured auction
And dissected it, and then
Somebody thought up contract,
And we played for fun again.
It was pleasant, lose or win,
But the experts muscled in,
And you couldn't deal cards in your own abode
Without having memorized the latest code.
With their lessons and their books,
And the casual week-end player
Got a lot of nasty looks.
The experts captured auction
And dissected it, and then
Somebody thought up contract,
And we played for fun again.
It was pleasant, lose or win,
But the experts muscled in,
And you couldn't deal cards in your own abode
Without having memorized the latest code.
— Ogden Nash, "Your Lead, Partner, I Hope We've Read The Same Book"
"Do you ever say to yourself, "wow I'm terrible. I'll never be able to take out that monster..." I know some people will tell you to "git gud", but that's a terrible sugggestion! Who even listens to those people anyway?"
— Bherna Gal, Monster Hunter Generations
"I've said for a long time, if you want to really deeply understand games on a fundamental level, you need to play fighting games. I know it sounds imperialistic from me, who is practically still a beginner at fighting games, yet people talk of me like I'm some aficionado. Like I'm trying to force my favorite or preferred genre down other people's throats, but it's a simple truth. It's the way of the world."
— Chris Wagar, Wordpress
"That's just one of the first results you get when you search for "How the Invincibility Leaf dumbs down video games", but when I read this and similar arguments the first response I'm compelled to have is to ask: so fucking what? So someone who isn't you 'gets out of' complex platforming sections. It's not a standardised fucking test! There are no jobs on the line here. First one to complete Super Mario Bros: 3D World doesn't get to become the Last fucking Starfighter. Kids and people who aren't as skilled or capable at Mario as you can continue enjoying the entertainment they purchased. Boo-fucking-hoo on you, you hater-of-other-people-having-fun. You tiny little tyrant sat atop a throne of your own smug contempt."
— Jim Sterling, Jimquisition, "Mario, Take The Wheel"
"Now, I've noticed a tendency for this program to get rather silly. Now I do my best to keep things moving along, but I'm not having things getting silly. Those last two sketches I did got very silly indeed; And the last ones about the beds was even sillier!"
— The Colonel, Monty Python's Flying Circus
The phrase 'it's just a game' is such a weak mindset. You are ok with what happened, losing, imperfection of a craft. When you stop getting angry after losing, you've lost twice. There's always something to learn, and always room for improvement, never settle.
— an infamous tweet by Fortnite streamer Ninja
Romelu Lukaku: Uh... this game is not fun.
José Mourinho: Games are not supposed to be fun. They're supposed to be hard and tedious.
José Mourinho: Games are not supposed to be fun. They're supposed to be hard and tedious.
Casual Battler: Go, Tauros!
Competitive Battler: (Evil Laugh) A foolish miscalculation! Tauros is in the PUBL tier and hasn't been good since generation one!
Casual Battler: ...well, I like Tauros, so-
Competitive Battler: Is yours even EV-trained? IV-bred? Ha! I doubt it. Meanwhile, my Mega Alakazam has 252 EVs in Special Attack and Speed plus four in Defense, with 31 IVs across the board and a Timid nature! I obviously outspeed, and my calculations indicate that a Focus Blast from my Alakazam on your Tauros is a guaranteed OHKO. So that shall be my move. Alakazam, Focus Blast!
(The casual battler watches as the Focus Blast misses his Tauros completely.)
Competitive Battler: ...why do I even play this garbage game?!
Competitive Battler: (Evil Laugh) A foolish miscalculation! Tauros is in the PUBL tier and hasn't been good since generation one!
Casual Battler: ...well, I like Tauros, so-
Competitive Battler: Is yours even EV-trained? IV-bred? Ha! I doubt it. Meanwhile, my Mega Alakazam has 252 EVs in Special Attack and Speed plus four in Defense, with 31 IVs across the board and a Timid nature! I obviously outspeed, and my calculations indicate that a Focus Blast from my Alakazam on your Tauros is a guaranteed OHKO. So that shall be my move. Alakazam, Focus Blast!
(The casual battler watches as the Focus Blast misses his Tauros completely.)
Competitive Battler: ...why do I even play this garbage game?!
