This applies to both video games and other types of media like TV shows and anime. There are times when the fanbase of a thing is utterly awful and it feels like a collective of bad people with loud mouths. But when you get right down to it, there's no such thing as a fandom hive mind, however much it may feel that way at times. Are you able to enjoy something without letting the awful fans ruin the experience for you?
I honestly find it really easy to separate the two. I'm often perfectly content to enjoy a thing in my own little bubble without concern for how other people that consume the same media behave. At the same time, I have friends who have had their love for things ruined by awful fandoms and they felt like they could no longer enjoy those things anymore. I just can't relate to that, personally.
What about you guys? Is this something you can do, or is it not?
I honestly find it really easy to separate the two. I'm often perfectly content to enjoy a thing in my own little bubble without concern for how other people that consume the same media behave. At the same time, I have friends who have had their love for things ruined by awful fandoms and they felt like they could no longer enjoy those things anymore. I just can't relate to that, personally.
What about you guys? Is this something you can do, or is it not?