this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2023
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PC Master Race

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A community for PC Master Race.

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I've always found the "master race" moniker on Reddit subs really offputting/distrubing. Why repeat that here? It could just as easily be called "PC Enthusiast" or something totally normal.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well it's a joke by Zero Punctuation years ago, that sub is inspired by that joke, this community is the colony of that sub.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

and now the community IS the joke /s

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

The term has always been somewhat tongue in cheek, in part because it goes against the principles of PCMR to actually be elitist about liking PC. But also because it's a lightly mocking response to outside claims of superiority over PC that were rampant in the past (usually while lacking objective reasons for said superiority).

In my opinion, the term has grandfathered in to such a degree that it's relation to how Nazis used the word is kind of disingenuous to attach to PCMR at this point, since it's obvious the two uses aren't the same.

I also don't really blame the fact the name was kept, because that's what people migrating will be looking for. If they can't find it easily, someone else is just going to make it and the community will split. Who knows though, if people agree, maybe Lemmy will provide an option to rename the community - once it's grown large enough or something.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I just now found the community on my first try searcing for "PC master race". If it hadn't shown up I would have just assumed it didn't exist, rather than that it just had a different name.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I never followed the sub but stumbled across it here so I'm onboard now lol

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (4 children)

It's a part of the history. The original PCMR started back when the mods of the original /r/gaming banned posts about PCs, saying "There's nothing inherently gaming about PC. You could just be using it as a tax machine for all we know". This understandably created friction between the 2 cliques of gaming, with the console clique calling the PC clique a "master race" as a form of insult. At some point, everyone got fed up with arguing about it. /r/pcmasterrace was made, and leaned fully into the "master race" out of spite, and was spurred on by PC hardware at the time being way more cost effective than consoles. Over the years things mellowed out and it became less and less about console peasants "individuals who at the time insisted that console was superior, not individuals who later could only afford console after PC hardware went up in price. Important difference" and more about becoming one of the master race "owning your first gaming centric rig".

If you wanted the tried and true down to earth gaming forum equivalent for PC, you're looking for the PCGaming magazine. PCMR will always be an enthusiast forum, that was based separating themselves from the console ecosystem.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I believe the term originated via the video maker Yatzhee's "Zero Punctuation" video series (where the header image comes from), which was similarly tongue-in-cheek.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it pre-dated /r/gaming but those sentiments were probably shared in 4chan, so both may be pre-dated.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Interesting.
TIL
Thanks for sharing history.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 year ago

I still hate it.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Neat history, I guess? Still seems to be an abhorrent label to self identity with.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The justification behind it is deeply unserious

[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Does that make it better or worse to keep using it?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Worse, I should've been more clear.

They're using a reddit piss match from a nearly a decade ago to justify the use of a disgusting piece of language.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

Your meaning would've been clear in almost any other context, but in this case I could just imagine someone saying "it's not a serious justification, just chillax bro, we just like it". Or something equally asinine.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I always wondered where that awful name came from, and why it gained so much traction. Thank you for this helpful internet history lesson.

However, since this name was born from discord (not the app obviously) and we're regrouping on another network, why not give it a new name and leave the stale history behind?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think part of the issue is probably that when making a platform jump, keeping the same name and branding is important to make sure members can find their way back. I don't know how federation handles the closing / renaming of magazines, but once everyone's established it could certainly be something to vote on.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 year ago

It certainly makes sense to keep the name to help people find what they are looking for.

Even if in this case the contributors decide to not change the name, maybe a redirect or "formerly known as" function for magazines would make sense in the future.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

PC Master Race started as a joke from Zero Punctuation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSJKffmWZSk So it's a community in-joke.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

You're welcome to go create "PC enthusiast"

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

...It's just a popular fad/joke. Nobody is forcing you to "eat it up" tho -- just make an alternative community with "a least disturbing name" and move on.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

The term is used facetiously. There are much better things to be offended by, sir.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Just block the community if you don't like interacting with it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Its not that serious lol

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

/m/linuxmasterrace would like a word

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

It's because they aren't enthuisiasts, they are PC nuts. Master race is a god way to make fun of them or say "it's not serious".

P.S you can make your own magazine or sub instead of complaining.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I appreciate all the information here. This is like the 6th piece of history from the old place that I never knew the context too. Is there some kind of a lore page or doc for all of this information? It'd be cool if there were a few pages or a timeline that encapsulates all the different major sub squabbles and rifts that happened over the years. I was there for so many, but I clearly missed so much. Maybe [email protected] or a like minded instance could do something along those lines one of these days.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

A PC Enthusiast could be people who make clusters for render farms, or making WEB servers that can handle a million users, or whatever you can use a PC for.

PC Master Race, is specifically about making your PC cool for gaming.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Nazi's don't get to own anything. They got their asses handed to them both physically and ideologically during WW2. And it's not being used as a way of indirectly targeting marginalized communities in this context.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Just going to tell the story that I broke one of the cardinal rules of PCMR by drunkenly pointing out the origin of "master race" when someone in a PCMR thread was going on about some other group being offensive and how PCMR was so much better.

It's always been tongue in cheek; it's meant to be a statement that PCs are superior to consoles. At a certain point it seems like PCMR just turned into talking about PCs. And that's fine. The sticky thing about it is, if it's not about jokingly talking about PCs being superior, does it need to be PCMR? On the other hand it's dang near a brand at this point. Can you move a PCMR audience over to something else entirely?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

PC Gamer 2015: Let's stop calling ourselves the 'PC Master Race'

Thanks for pointing out how trashy this community is.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Tbh I wouldn't be against a name change. But keeping it the same definitely helps for discoverability during this transition period when we have a ton of people coming from Reddit.

Maybe in the future it'd be worth another look

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Why bother with it at all? It's just a fad/inner joke.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Que up that DJ Kahled-

Cuz we da BEST!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

"The Glorious PC Gaming Master Race" is meant to be understood ironically.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

because its funny...and true.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

I'm sure the community is perfectly fine, but the name is gross and awful. It's the reason I never went there on Reddit and probably won't here either, and I don't imagine I'm the only one. It's not welcoming at all. It seems normal if you're used to it, I guess, but having a Nazi reference in your name is not a good look. You'd be better off ditching it now you have the opportunity imo.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 year ago

Yeah, I agree. What comes to my mind first is "Which person did they nominate as PC Hitler?" or "Are they gonna joke about console Jews now?"

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