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View Full Version : OMG, we are geeks.



Ichneumon
2010-01-21, 02:04 PM
I just watched these interviews http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4spot/20091222

and I thought the tips were really useful, and I recognised a lot of our own gaming sessions (I'm a DM), but OMG, I felt so enormously geeky.:smalltongue:

drengnikrafe
2010-01-21, 02:06 PM
Geek is in no way a negative term. It goes right next to nerd.

I embraced that side of my nature long ago, and never feel a burst of geekery as a bad thing, but rather as a thing to feel good about.

Zom B
2010-01-21, 02:07 PM
You're posting on a forum dedicated to a webcomic, filled with a bunch of people who talk about D&D, play it over the internet, and argue about the finer points of kobold adventuring age, and you're just now realizing that we're geeks?

Sinfire Titan
2010-01-21, 02:12 PM
Geek is in no way a negative term. It goes right next to nerd.

I embraced that side of my nature long ago, and never feel a burst of geekery as a bad thing, but rather as a thing to feel good about.

It stopped being a bad thing in 2000. Nerd, kinda. Dork is still bad.

Gamerlord
2010-01-21, 02:13 PM
Dork= A idiot, not a smart person.
Nerd= The guy you will be working for in the future :smalltongue: .

Blas_de_Lezo
2010-01-21, 02:14 PM
It stopped being a bad thing in 2000.

What happened then?

Mando Knight
2010-01-21, 02:17 PM
I looked at the first video, and as soon as I saw the Red Dragon mini at the beginning I thought "I've got that one."

Sinfire Titan
2010-01-21, 02:17 PM
What happened then?

The Internet became a mainstream method of communication. Back in the day, having a Cell Phone was a sign of both geekdom and wealth. Now it's considered standard fare. 15 years ago, knowing your way around the internet made you a nerd. Now, knowing how to work Photoshop is practically being bred into the children and the Internet is akin to breathing for most of us.

Delwugor
2010-01-21, 02:20 PM
What happened then?
People started using the internet and found out there where even geekier people than gamers. :smalleek:

Sinfire Titan
2010-01-21, 02:23 PM
People started using the internet and found out there where even geekier people than gamers. :smalleek:

Then there's 4chan...

Blas_de_Lezo
2010-01-21, 02:24 PM
The Internet became a mainstream method of communication. Back in the day, having a Cell Phone was a sign of both geekdom and wealth. Now it's considered standard fare. 15 years ago, knowing your way around the internet made you a nerd. Now, knowing how to work Photoshop is practically being bred into the children and the Internet is akin to breathing for most of us.

Oh, thanks. So the same happened here in Europe (or at least in Spain). Geeks were connected and rose as more-or-less standard people with different and funny hobbies (geeks finally entered into post-modernity!).

It also helped a lot the upcoming of the football ("soccer" I think you name it) videogames in PS1 and PS2, as it made videogames broadly popular (before that, owning a Super Nintendo was very nerdy).

Also, here in Spain, the geeks are called "frikis", and they plot every year a "Day of the friki proud".

Ravens_cry
2010-01-21, 02:32 PM
*looks at title*
And this is a bad thing. . .why?
Been a geek is about passion, it is about self-determination. Been a geek is about being able to look the world in the eye and say 'I am me.' It doesn't matter if your saying this in your replica Captain Kirk uniform or from behind a GM screen, this is who you are. Your interests are your own, and you are not ashamed of your mint condition Night Rider lunch box, your comic collection or ANYTHING. You are you, and nothing and nobody has any right to call it wrong. You take the road less travelled, and that has made you you. Some turn out to be early adaptations and go mainstream. Others will garner a sideways glance as long as they are remembered by any. But that doesn't matter. When this dusty trail ends, you can look back and say with all the passion of a well lived life and roar into the face of eternity,
You Did it Your Way.

randomhero00
2010-01-21, 02:37 PM
Turns out geeks/nerds are frontrunners. Everyone tends to end up following in our footsteps. It just tends to take a decade or two. Although its been speeding up recently. Be proud.

Thajocoth
2010-01-21, 02:37 PM
Next you'll be trying to tell me that the Earth is round, or that February has fewer days than any other month...

Voldecanter
2010-01-21, 02:38 PM
Well I'm proud to be a geek because unlike nerds , geeks have friends :smallbiggrin:

randomhero00
2010-01-21, 02:42 PM
Heh, what was that die with the shapes? He rolled it and said something about fire.

Ravens_cry
2010-01-21, 02:47 PM
Turns out geeks/nerds are frontrunners. Everyone tends to end up following in our footsteps. It just tends to take a decade or two. Although its been speeding up recently. Be proud.
Not everything will be accepted. I doubt that parading around in star trek uniforms will ever be the fashion de rigueur, yet that's an incredibly geeky thing to do.

randomhero00
2010-01-21, 02:50 PM
Not everything will be accepted. I doubt that parading around in star trek uniforms will ever be the fashion de rigueur, yet that's an incredibly geeky thing to do.

True, there is an exception to every rule. But star trek itself is pretty popular now. It has also inspired a lot of popular inventions.

chiasaur11
2010-01-21, 02:56 PM
True, there is an exception to every rule. But star trek itself is pretty popular now. It has also inspired a lot of popular inventions.

And the new mov8ie was popular.

Also: It didn't suck, unlike, say, Voyager.

Ichneumon
2010-01-21, 02:59 PM
I didn't want to imply being a geek is something bad. I like it, I just became very aware of it, watching those videos and recognising so much of it.

valadil
2010-01-21, 03:03 PM
Not everything will be accepted. I doubt that parading around in star trek uniforms will ever be the fashion de rigueur, yet that's an incredibly geeky thing to do.

True, but it's not something that most geeks do. Only the geekiest.

Ravens_cry
2010-01-21, 03:09 PM
True, but it's not something that most geeks do. Only the geekiest.
True, but that wasn't the point. The point is, when your a geek, your not even running. If you like soemthing, you like it. Whether it eventually becomes mainstream is beside the point. Star Trek is pretty popular with the new movie. Star Wars is another example. Something that has mainstream and geek appeal.

randomhero00
2010-01-21, 03:19 PM
True, but that wasn't the point. The point is, when your a geek, your not even running. If you like soemthing, you like it. Whether it eventually becomes mainstream is beside the point. Star Trek is pretty popular with the new movie. Star Wars is another example. Something that has mainstream and geek appeal.

Sure you are, if I follow you. Geeks and nerds fund projects like those before the mainstream gets to them. We're what let them bloom in the first place. Kind of the definition of frontrunner, no?

Eloel
2010-01-21, 03:19 PM
Been a geek is about passion, it is about self-determination. Been a geek is about being able to look the world in the eye and say 'I am me.' It doesn't matter if your saying this in your replica Captain Kirk uniform or from behind a GM screen, this is who you are. Your interests are your own, and you are not ashamed of your mint condition Night Rider lunch box, your comic collection or ANYTHING. You are you, and nothing and nobody has any right to call it wrong. You take the road less travelled, and that has made you you. Some turn out to be early adaptations and go mainstream. Others will garner a sideways glance as long as they are remembered by any. But that doesn't matter. When this dusty trail ends, you can look back and say with all the passion of a well lived life and roar into the face of eternity,

You win the game.

Asbestos
2010-01-21, 03:21 PM
I looked at the first video, and as soon as I saw the Red Dragon mini at the beginning I thought "I've got that one."
The Colossal Red Dragon is more 'small statue' than 'mini'. But yeah... if you own that, you might be a geek.

Optimystik
2010-01-21, 03:21 PM
You win the game.

Ironically, you made us all lose it.

Ravens_cry
2010-01-21, 03:24 PM
You win the game.
Oh, I already knew that (http://xkcd.com/391/).

Sinfire Titan
2010-01-21, 03:27 PM
Ironically, you made us all lose it.

GAAAAHH!

I lost again.

shadow_archmagi
2010-01-21, 03:28 PM
Dork= A idiot, not a smart person.
Nerd= The guy you will be working for in the future :smalltongue: .

In my experience, nerds do not generally have underlings. Nerds prefer to be underlings, but underneath someone who really doesn't have any idea what they do or how to go about replacing them. Or they're self-employed altogether.

In any event, they tend to either have a lot more free time than the average person, or a lot more money. In many cases both.

Ravens_cry
2010-01-21, 03:29 PM
Sure you are, if I follow you. Geeks and nerds fund projects like those before the mainstream gets to them. We're what let them bloom in the first place. Kind of the definition of frontrunner, no?
Yes, but let's put it in reverse. Comics were once mainstream, if childish, in western culture. Now, they are almost exclusively the property of geeks and nerds.

randomhero00
2010-01-21, 03:41 PM
Yes, but let's put it in reverse. Comics were once mainstream, if childish, in western culture. Now, they are almost exclusively the property of geeks and nerds.

Comics have evolved into graphic novels, manga (I think comics came before manga, right?) and super hero movies (spider man, batman movies, very mainstream) which are now main stream, or close to. Like I said, some things take more time, and there are always exceptions. The Dark Knight with Keith Ledger is comic book 3.0.

Sinfire Titan
2010-01-21, 03:44 PM
Yes, but let's put it in reverse. Comics were once mainstream, if childish, in western culture. Now, they are almost exclusively the property of geeks and nerds.

That's because of technology marching on. Way back in the days when comics were popular, Radios were rare and TVs a luxury of the fantastically wealthy. As the TV's popularity grew and price dropped, the comic books slowly faded into the background. Same with radio actually. The Internet is slowly becoming the death of the Movie Theaters (thanks to lawsuits, the government has ensured theaters a slow and painful death with excessive life support).

mikej
2010-01-21, 03:58 PM
What about Otaku (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku)?

I alway's tend to think both geek and nerd are one in the same. Also, for some reason I don't like the think of myself as "geek," but I felt saying nerd was alright. I go to conventions, talk d&d, and watch ( read manga ) a lot of anime.

I also own a giant sized red d20 :smallbiggrin:

Reaper_Monkey
2010-01-21, 04:01 PM
Ironically, you made us all lose it.

Actually, Ironically, it was you who made me lose. :smallfurious:

But yeah, we are all geeks, although I did like the concept used in the first part of a "geek spectrum". It's very true that there are a very many different types of geeks or things to geek out in, its also such a typically geeky thing to recognise said subtle differences between various geekisms. Why yes, I did just invent a new word - I'm a geek, what do you expect?

dsmiles
2010-01-21, 04:02 PM
FYI:



geek
Main Entry: geek
Pronunciation: \ˈgēk\
Function: noun
Etymology: probably from English dial. geek, geck fool, from Low German geck, from Middle Low German
Date: 1914
1 : a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
2 : a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked
3 : an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity <computer geek>

How's definition 1 fit you?

Sinfire Titan
2010-01-21, 04:04 PM
What about Otaku (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku)?

I alway's tend to think both geek and nerd are one in the same. Also, for some reason I don't like the think of myself as "geek," but I felt saying nerd was alright. I go to conventions, talk d&d, and watch ( read manga ) a lot of anime.

I also own a giant sized red d20 :smallbiggrin:

That's like OCD: It should be viewed with pity and understanding, and you should do everything you can to help them overcome their problems without hurting yourself. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Otaku)

Jayabalard
2010-01-21, 04:06 PM
How's definition 1 fit you?They're all really the same definition: a freak that doesn't fit into the mainstream.

mikej
2010-01-21, 04:07 PM
*look's at link"

O.o

I'm not that bad :smallwink:

Stompy
2010-01-21, 04:16 PM
Meh. Geek is a great way to qualify for the Grad Student and Computer Hacker PrCs.

...I want to have a geek-off now. :smallbiggrin:

FMArthur
2010-01-21, 05:28 PM
Talking to my from-out-in-the-country friends in university, some places still do have a big negative stigma associated with geekery. One even refuses to acknowledge that he is a geek or nerd and always qualifies it by saying he's a "cool nerd", unfitting of the norm. I don't know what he thinks of the huge rooms full of popular, social computer science nerds he says this in, but the implication is mind-numbingly stupid in this day and age. :smallsigh:

Anonymouswizard
2010-01-21, 05:56 PM
That fact that gamers are geeks was great humour for the comic dork tower.

Long live Carson.

But geeks are not bad.

Nerd who prefer to be underlings to those who have no idea what their doing: your current boss and your future lord and master.

But anyway, I couldn't leave this out:

"A new supplement that I don't need? IT MUST BE MINE!"

Sintanan
2010-01-21, 07:39 PM
From my understanding, as a fellow member of geekdom, I've noticed that we tend to be the forerunners for new technology and what becomes mainstream, while also letting our passion keep alive trends and fads that have fallen out of the mainstream.

Thus, without geekdom, society wouldn't evolve and progress... for we keep fallen fads alive and bring them back to the light of mainstream when the new generation is left wanting.

Mr. Spock
2010-01-21, 07:51 PM
Being a geek is something other people aspire to be. Lets all embrace our inner geek.:smalltongue:

Seffbasilisk
2010-01-21, 09:13 PM
Thing that really bothered me, was in the second video, where it stressed NOT being original.

Amphetryon
2010-01-21, 09:29 PM
We have news for the beautiful people... (http://thecrazyiscatching.com/?p=1180)

dsmiles
2010-01-22, 05:34 AM
Yes, we are geeks. I am also an engineer, and that makes me at least twice as bad as the level 1 geek (makes me at least a level 5 geek, as far as I can tell).

What amuses me the most about it is that 5 years ago, geeks were shunned by society (and members of the opposite gender). Now, everybody wants a geek friend so that they can keep up with the latest tech. (Also we have become suddenly viable as mates. Everybody wants smart children.)

:smallbiggrin:

Duke of URL
2010-01-22, 07:52 AM
A nerd is someone whose life is totally centered around a particular subject. A geek is someone whose life is totally centered around a particular subject... and LIKES it!

Gorbash
2010-01-22, 09:10 AM
It's kinda depressing that the most of the people in the videos are overweight, though.