Breakfast Topic: Are you a closet nerd or a flag-waving nerd?
by Josh Rose 
Sep 1st 2010 at 8:00AM
We all know about the idea of the overweight, basement-dwelling virgin, the idea that gamers and comic book nerds all look like the comic book guy from The Simpsons. Many of us know that is not the case. You even see people in trade chat calling each other "nerds" and "virgins," although the inevitable response of calling someone else a nerd in WoW is laughable. In my guild alone, we have a lawyer, an author and a chef, along with many happily married people with children. Some are openly proud of their nerdiness; some try to argue they aren't nerds over Vent.
My girlfriend hides her geek from a lot of her friends. She watches anime, is a gamer and even dresses up for our local comic book convention, but many of her friends and work associates have no idea about this side of her. Me, on the other hand -- I let the geek flag fly. I wear my gamer T-shirts. I talk openly about WoW and other games with my friends. I still complain about the fact Firefly never got a second season.
It seems that being a nerd has become less of a stigma than previously, but some people still fear letting others know they are gamers. Many of us are proud of our gaming and science fiction fandom, and some of us are closet nerds. Which are you? Does playing WoW and other video games make you a nerd? Is that a bad thing? Are you proud to be a nerd, or do you rebel against the label? Is your WoW habit something you hide?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 12)
Wulf Sep 1st 2010 8:05AM
http://bit.ly/4thehorde
'Nuff said.
Johan Forn Sep 1st 2010 8:32AM
That's really sad.
Gendou Sep 1st 2010 8:34AM
Epic.
One of my guildies has a custom license plate with her in-game name on it.
Neyssa Sep 1st 2010 9:16AM
I was walking my dog in the park the other day. I went by a group of ~17 year olds drinking. One of them said: "the problem with my paladin is that he is blue and has a tail".
My boyfriend was just walking to my direction, so I greeted him loudly "FOR THE HORDE"!
It was pretty funny actually :D
Erzfiend Sep 1st 2010 9:18AM
I've got that decal on my car, too.
I also have my WoW T-shirts, including the ones from the Get Lich or Die Tryin' video, WoW buttons on my backpack and hat, and I openly make references, even with my non-WoW friends.
I watch anime, read manga, play other video games, have about 3 or 4 lightsabers dating back to when I was a kid, and I've read every Harry Potter book at least 3 times.
Yep, and this is just the tip of the nerd iceberg. I fly my flag proudly.
Also, could not help but hear this in my head while reading this post:
NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERD!
Wulf Sep 1st 2010 9:20AM
Completely forgot about this as flag-flying as I walk past it many times daily... I suppose it's only considered banner-waving for our houseguests, but they all know we're outed geeks anyway.
http://bit.ly/dlL4t4
cygnus Sep 1st 2010 9:59AM
Awesome... that is all.
Malozing Sep 1st 2010 10:17AM
Nice car :)
Mellorn Sep 1st 2010 11:02AM
For the Horde!
Fallen Sep 1st 2010 11:17AM
haha! i have the white decal of that on my car, sadly it's starting to disintegrate slightly, one of the horns on the top has managed to disappear =( i'll probably need to replace it sometime soon.
But honestly, who cares if you game, i've gamed for 16 years of my life and i don't particularly care if people know, i worked as a swim instructor for 3 years and actively swim/go to the gym, go to school, hang out with friends, play games and am in a strong relationship. being a nerd doesn't mean you're an anti-social shut-in with frail bones and a bad complexion. be true to yourself, you'd be surprised just how many people out there are waiting for someone to talk games with them, and the second you admit you're a gamer, they too will break that shell, i've had it happen many times, where i admit to playing WoW, and having played WoW since launch, and suddenly people open up about how they play WoW, or played starcraft or diablo, or other games i know of, i even met a guy who was in the SC2 beta months before i got in, who was in my bio class last semester, just completely at random, wouldn't have pegged him for a gamer at all.
anyway enough rambling /endrant
Quasi Sep 1st 2010 1:33PM
Nerd- academic to an extreme normally losing touch with social skills and regular people- eg, Math Nerd, Science Nerd etc
Geek- Obsessed hobby enthusiast, still capable of socializing, and blending in - eg, gamer geek, sci fi geek, music geek
Main difference being Geeks can still function in normal social circles, whereas nerds typically have difficulty relating to other people and typically avoid other people in lieu of their academic interests.
I am a gamer geek, and I guess a bit of a word nerd.
glyakk Sep 1st 2010 1:40PM
Looks like you are php flagged.
glyakk Sep 1st 2010 1:42PM
*PVP /fail guess that shows my own neediness, been coding all day.
thinkuknowme Sep 3rd 2010 4:41PM
I'm gonna buy that for my car too! I got a little 'gold' from Jinx to use up!
SWkid76 Sep 1st 2010 8:10AM
I am nerd hear me rawr
Josin Sep 1st 2010 8:10AM
RAWR!!!
Gendou Sep 1st 2010 8:35AM
RAWRbomb!
edersons Sep 1st 2010 9:05AM
RAWRlicious
Malozing Sep 1st 2010 10:16AM
RAWR! >:3 I am proud to be a nerd!
Rawromg Sep 1st 2010 5:56PM
RAWRomg?