Escaping "geekdom"/gaming. Would you do it?

[newbDM]

Has anyone else they need to escape "geekdom", and all the related stereotypes (many of which are surprisingly true...)?

I broke off from my two year long group about a month ago, and I have not heard from my other group for a bit longer (DM work issues). At first it, and having no college classes, left me extremely bored.

Since then my younger brother and his girlfriend have been teaching me how to workout and body build. I have begun socializing a bit more, and am looking for more common and popular activities to fill my time and meet people.

It seems to me that the more I try to get away from the stereotypical "ronery" mold the people on here are known for, the better things are going.

As for when I feel an urge for some hack-and-slash with minimal plot/roleplaying, I have picked up a few strategy RPGs at Gamestop. At least video games are a more common and popular form of geekdom, and the male-to-female ratio is a lot better...

[woodenbandman]

No not really. I don't feel the need to conform in that way. Besides, I'm like 6'4" so nobody messes with me.

[skeeter_dan]

I do just fine balancing my "geekdom" and other areas of my life, thank you very much. I play DnD once a week with my wife and some good friends, leaving me plenty of time to pursue other interests. I play/coach soccer, have a band, write poetry, and watch the Vancouver Canucks (RIP Canucks season).

I have never felt the need to escape "geekdom" and consider DnD to be a part of my relatively healthy social life.

[lisiecki]

Has anyone else they need to escape "geekdom", and all the related stereotypes (many of which are surprisingly true...)?
As for when I feel an urge for some hack-and-slash with minimal plot/roleplaying, I have picked up a few strategy RPGs at Gamestop. At least video games are a more common and popular form of geekdom, and the male-to-female ratio is a lot better...

No.

I'm not a geek. I happen to play roleplaying games.
Im not sure how the male-to-female ratio is better when you don't interact with the other players, but the people i currently play with are 50-75% female

[Zeta Kai]

Well, I am happily married with a young child, & my lovely wife forces me to be social with non-geek friends. So, between that & my son's activities, I have achieved a good balance. Although not by choice, really; my ideal weekend is spent doing geeky things non-stop.

[afroakuma]

There's something other than being a geek?

[Shpadoinkle]

Not really. Aside from not having a job, my life is pretty much fine the way it is, as far as I'm concerned.

[lord_khaine]

i dont considder myself a geek just because i spend my spare time playing d&d and WoW.

also, a lot of what "normal" people spend their time on is just so boooooooooooring.

[KBF]

No.

I'm not a geek. I happen to play roleplaying games.
Im not sure how the male-to-female ratio is better when you don't interact with the other players, but the people i currently play with are 50-75% female

Don't get defensive, please. If you aren't a geek, then I doubt that this thread is for you.

I'm only 14, and I don't think I'm smart enough to qualify as a geek, but since my gaming group split up it has been a bit easier to socialize. It's hard to avoid DnD when mentioning your hobbies if you are playing every week. And yes, you do need to avoid it. There are people out there who are very.. Weird, who all seem to play DnD. Being forward about it is usually just creepy, sadly enough.

also, a lot of what "normal" people spend their time on is just so boooooooooooring.

Sports can be so fun though...

[Dogmantra]

There's something other than being a geek?

I was surprised too...

[SurlySeraph]

You can work out and have a social life while being a gamer.

[DM Raven]

Whatever floats your boat guy, though it's sad so many people buy into the "geek/uncool" steriotype which is causing them to miss out on some really fun experiences.

Truth is, you can be a geek and bodybuild if that's what you want to do. (I know people who do both.) You can be a geek and still get tons of really hot women. (Again I know several people who do.) Or you can be a hardcore geek and devote your time to nothing but "Geeky" stuff. Any choice is fine as long as you can support and maintain your lifestyle. Who gives a damn what other people know/think of you. Manage your time and lifestyle as it suits you and let others do the same.

Movie stars play D&D.
Rock stars play D&D.
Famous sports figures play World of Warcraft.
Rappers play RPGS.

It takes all kinds, and putting time into something you enjoy doesn't/shouldn't identify who you are as a person.

<3

[mistformsquirrl]

I am what I am, I couldn't change if I wanted to - and frankly, I don't want to.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

I am what I am, I couldn't change if I wanted to - and frankly, I don't want to.

+1.
I game. I enjoy gaming, I have no desire to stop.
I post online. I enjoy interacting with people in a situation where I can block those that really annoy me, and avoid people who are idiots, I have no desire to stop.
I don't exercize, I have no desire to start, especially since even when I did, I never gained any muscle.
I don't date, which I really have no desire to change, and has nothing to do with my geekery and everything to do with my past.
I am a geek, I enjoy being a geek, I will remain a geek for as long as that continues to be the case, and I honestly have no problem with any of that.

[kyoten]

I must say I agree with DM Raven on this matter.

[derfenrirwolv]

He's escaping boys. Get the tranq guns, the net, and the d20's.

This case looks serious, we may need some minis to paint..

[The_JJ]

Eh. I understand with the underlying need for socialization, and the occasional need to drop the stereotypes and the stigma.

But hey, you can have your cake and eat it to.

Do whatcha want, no more, no less.

[Pie Guy]

Hooray for geekdom/geekiness!

All my friends are geeks, why would I want to stop?

[Stormageddon]

He's escaping boys. Get the tranq guns, the net, and the d20's.

This case looks serious, we may need some minis to paint..

HAHAHAHA! That just made me laugh really hard!

[Dixieboy]

He's escaping boys. Get the tranq guns, the net, and the d20's.

This case looks serious, we may need some minis to paint..

Hail to the king baby.

Congrats on escaping nerddom, now i am afraid we must hunt you down before you spill all our secrets.

[penbed400]

I do just fine, then again I multi-classed. I'm a jock 1/ geek 2/ class clown 3. I have to get less experience because I haven't leveled up my jock in a while so it's half experience. Frickin' multi-class rules. But yea, I'm popular and cool. At least I know a lot of people and they like me...that defines cool right?

[Gorbash]

I have begun socializing a bit more

And you play D&D all by yourself? Darn it, I was under the impression that D&D is played with 3-5 friends where you joke around, chat, act, share fun experiences and generally have a good time. Man, was I wrong.

How is D&D not a social event?

All my friends are geeks, why would I want to stop?

+1. Although, I'd say that all of my best friends are geeks, perhaps because of that. Although I would classify myself as a nerd.

I'm just not sure how in the world is being a geek/nerd is so time consuming. To my knowledge, most RPG groups meet at best once a week, for sessions lasting 4-8 hours. That's less than an hour a day. I guess if I stopped gaming I'd have 50 extra minutes each day to do what exactly? Clean my room? Study a bit more? Point is, time spent gaming doesn't actually stops you from doing anything non-geeks do, aside from dedicating one night a week at best for a session. Worst case scenario, you skip a trip to the club/bar/whatever. I'll take a D&D session over that any day, thank you very much.

I also work out at the gym, although not on friday/saturday nights, so this might shock you, but D&D doesn't stop me from doing that either.

[lord_khaine]

Quote:
Originally Posted by derfenrirwolv
He's escaping boys. Get the tranq guns, the net, and the d20's.

This case looks serious, we may need some minis to paint..

HAHAHAHA! That just made me laugh really hard!

me to

[Starscream]

I am a computer scientist and engineer. Giving up on a perfectly fun hobby isn't going to affect my geekiness one iota. I bleed binary.

And since when is being a geek bad? I have plenty of friends, some great hobbies, and have dated several women who were stunningly gorgeous.

The fact that I own polyhedral dice and enjoy comic books has done nothing to cripple my social life. Giving up on my interests to "fit in" would make me a lot less happy.

[Tsotha-lanti]

Three of my four-person group have been gaming for about 15 years, and one for about 10. All of us have trained in various martial arts (one competes nationally in a full-contact MArt and starts fights in bars), and two of us do/have done weight training. All of us like to go out and get smashed on occasion.

None of this seems to stop us from getting together and gaming. (Although moving from high school into college, then from college to careers, and starting families has cut down on our time - both for gaming and everything else.) We're all total nerds (into RPGs, computers, anime, webcomics, SF, all of it) - it's just that it doesn't stop us from having balanced lives.

If you're a "ronery nerd", it's not the fault of RPGs. (It might be the fault of CCGs, though...)

I'm proud of my nerdiness, but I also try to take care of myself.

also, a lot of what "normal" people spend their time on is just so boooooooooooring.

Tell me about it. Work, get home, sit your ass down in front of the TV until midnight. How do these people not just blow their brains out?

Movie stars play D&D.

To put too fine a point on it: Vin Diesel plays D&D since he was about twenty.


Also, since this is probably mostly a concern for teens anyway: you're all doomed to be awkward until you grow up. That'll probably happen after age 18, around the time you get to college or an equivalent level school, or get a real job. It'll probably take a few years. It really doesn't matter if you game or not.

[Epinephrine]

To the OP: Whatever makes you happy. I think you suffer from some illusions about what playing a game entails, and about life.

D&Ders you know may be complete losers, how would I know? But that's not necessarily even close to the norm. The group I play with are all happily married, working fun jobs in their fields. Of the group, three play sports other nights of the week.

Being a happy person, content with life is independent of being a geek, and is independent of playing D&D.

You can be a content geek who doesn't play, a miserable non-geek who does play, or pretty much any combination. Life is what you make of it.

[Haven]

I'm very confused as to why you would ask people on a D&D forum if they want to give up playing D&D. Although I suppose that if I ever signed up for, say, a "Flat Earth Society" forum, my first post would probably be "Hey guys, have you ever thought about the Earth being round?"

[Weimann]

I would certainly not want DnD to be my sole occupation, of course. A mixed life is a good one, and I see no reason to take away an aspect I enjoy.

Naturally, that isn't to say I couldn't enjoy a life where I don't play games. Just that at this point, I don't see much reason to stop.

[Alleine]

Has anyone else they need to escape "geekdom", and all the related stereotypes (many of which are surprisingly true...)?

No. In fact many of the stereotypes aren't true in my experience.
Like the majority of this thread, I find absolutely no need to stop what I consider to be one of my most fun and social hobbies. The second one being fencing, which is over for the school year.

If you have a problem with being a geek, or think there's something wrong with it, then there might be a deeper problem, but who am I to judge? If you want change, change. I am perfectly comfortable with what I do, and most people don't even take me for a 'geek'. I also generally choose to hang around people who don't like to throw around unnecessary labels/judge people based on such labels.

[Rhiannon87]

If your personal experience has been that gaming/geekery has been negative for your social life (or just your life in general), that's your decision, but that kind of sucks for you. Gaming and geekery make up a lot of my hobbies: D&D, videogames, various sci-fi fandoms, stuff like that. It's fun. It's something I do with my friends. We've been gaming for years and see no reason to stop. Why the hell would I want to?