Come, Join the Geek Side. October 19th

BlasTech · Post by **BlasTech** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 2:01 am

Heh, well its nice to see penny socialising with the others again, even though she's treating it as the lesser of two evils

SolidusRaccoon · Post by **SolidusRaccoon** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:02 am

Shall we play a game?

Squeaky Bunny · Post by **Squeaky Bunny** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 4:07 am

Someone should tell Penny to beware of geeks bearing gifts.

Madmoonie · Post by **Madmoonie** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 5:44 am

Penny is gonna a gothic mage. Or something creepy. And she is gonna have a good time, despite her best efforts.

Steltek · Post by **Steltek** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 6:07 am

ONE OF US, ONE OF US!

The JAM · Post by **The JAM** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 6:19 am

...it is pointless to resist, my sister...

Jaydub · Post by **Jaydub** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:51 am

Let's see, stay there alone in the dark in a place that has already creeped her out
with the lights on or with other people in a lighted room... not much of a choice.

Either way I am sure Penny would have ended up there sooner or later with the
later being running and screaming. At least this way was more dignified. 8)

Wayfarer · Post by **Wayfarer** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:52 pm

I don't think I've ever played what would traditionally be considered a role-playing game (though, as stated elsewhere, my childhood play came close)...
and
I'm not entirely sure what people mean by "geek" other than to label people who are interested in computers and sci-fi (/fantasy?)

Either or both of these facts could be factors in my next question, but...

What about role-playing makes it a geek (or nerd) thing?

*scratches head*

Sharuuk · Post by **Sharuuk** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 4:23 pm

Wayfarer wrote:I don't think I've ever played what would traditionally be considered a role-playing game (though, as stated elsewhere, my childhood play came close)...
and
I'm not entirely sure what people mean by "geek" other than to label people who are interested in computers and sci-fi (/fantasy?)

Either or both of these facts could be factors in my next question, but...

What about role-playing makes it a geek (or nerd) thing?
*scratches head*

I think it's a projection from others who either lack the imagination to RP or are too afraid of the "geek" label to even try. "Nerd" and "geek" have always been used as derogotory terms usually by the more athletic types to put down those of us who weren't really interested in sports or whatever and preferred to either read, study or work with electronics/computers.

At 6' 220Lbs and at times armed to the teeth for my job, the last image I project is "geek" or "nerd". But....by the 'standards' of geekiness and nerdiness, my love of SciFi/Fantasy and computers makes me a geek and a nerd. I love to get into full appliance make-up for cons and have won every costume contest I've entered.....and I've been "chastised" by corporate stick-up-the-butt types that I should be ashamed of my interests and should act my age (55) and get a life. I look them straight in the eye and tell them that the only reason they're giving me such a hard time is because they haven't got the guts to let go and enjoy a healthy (mental) fantasy and actually have fun with their lives.

These are the types who's idea of a fun time is the corporate retreat, and company cook-out. Oh yeah....lots of fun....get a bit sloshed, pop off to the wrong person or tell the wrong person what you really think of the boss/super/idiot-in-the-cubicle-next-to-you, who is that persons wife/husband/ boy-girlfriend or whatever.....the following Monday you suddenly find your position "deleted" and you've been "down-sized".

The same goes for the jock types who disparage us for spending all our time on computers when these geniuses probably can't even program their VCR's.

RP'ing is a mental excerise that a lot of the mundanes can't even grasp the concept of and so they condemn it as a waste of time, and condemn us as "losers" with no life. Granted, there are quite a few out there that fit that discription....but by and large the majority of us are quite well adjusted (?)

.....have pretty decent jobs and a fairly good income, and damn few social hang-ups...at least none that really matter.....we go out in life and have a good time and don't give a damn whether someone approves or not.

So yeah...I LOVE to RP....whether in full makeup and costume as a LARP'er or in my mind, on-line or at a table. Jock type? Not particularly. Potential bad-ass? Absolutely....but I'm also a bit of a geek and damn proud of it......and here on these forums.....I consider myself in excellent company. I'm glad to know every one of you.

S'aaruuk

Deflare · Post by **Deflare** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 5:09 pm

Another geek girl joins the ranks...

I am a geek, and I am proud of it. I like my comics (Japanese or otherwise), I like video games, I like complex board games, I like pen-and-paper games, and I like my sci-fi/fantasy. I like making random references to history, and being an all around intellectual. Geeks of the world, unite!

Side note: There is a subtle difference between geeks and nerds- namely, geeks are creative nerds, while nerds are rational geeks. A geek will take meditate on the moral quandaries of the Force, while a nerd will precisely calculate the relative power of a Star Wars blaster versus a Star Trek phaser. Further, a nerd would point out that I (in all likelyhood) misused the word 'power' in a physics sense, while I, as a geek, don't care.

Fusion · Post by **Fusion** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 5:40 pm

No one conciders me a geek, untill they talk to me.

5'8" 150lbs. I have been known to flip my friends (one weighing 320lbs) over my head and body slam them if they try to get me from behind. Then they talk to me and find out I know more about computers than their nerdy brother. I catch a lot of people off gaurd. It's fun!

Wayfarer · Post by **Wayfarer** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 6:57 pm

Hehehe. Yay, I understand more now!

Hmmmm... I think the most I could say is that I have certain undeveloped geek/nerd tendencies. I grew up on sci-fi (thanks to Dad

) and am familiar with a small but well-beloved range of fantasy, and I have always been a bookwork. (My mom tells me that even before I could read, my favorite books were the encyclopedias.

) On the other hand, I know very little about computers and have only role-played if you count the childhood games of pretend that I played.
...Would imaginary friends (made up for the sake of having imaginary friends) and imaginary countries and languages play a part in this...?

As to whether I would be more geek or nerd according to Deflare's distinction... I don't know. I'm sorta half logical and half creative (the two are actually trying to negotiate concerning what my major will be, at present). Maybe slightly more on the logical side, but I'm really not sure...

Deflare · Post by **Deflare** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:54 pm

Heh, don't think I was arbitrary with the definitions. I've long known that there's a difference between nerds and geeks, but I had a hard time isolating it. The flash of inspiration came when I noted that most of my family is left-brained (logical and mathematical), while I'm more right-brained (loopy and creative); somehow, I made the connection between that and nerd/geekdom. Eureka!

Wayfarer · Post by **Wayfarer** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 10:13 pm

Oh - wasn't trying to say you were being arbitrary.

- (You're not allowed to be arbitrary. It's my job to be arbitrary! No stealing my job! ...Oh, wait, my job was being absurd.... Never mind.) -

Really, I was just saying that you were the one who brought up that particular distinction.

Dragoon The Griffin · Post by **Dragoon The Griffin** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 1:13 am

Meh, I always used geek and nerd as basically synononmous, but I just about never use nerd anyways. The words don't have a clear-cut meaning, they're just mean you do things which would be considered 'geeky'. The attached chart lists alot of things which would be considered geeky, and their realtive geekyness (I wonder where on the chart carrying around the chart would go (I have it in my D&D folder)).

Deflare · Post by **Deflare** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 3:56 pm

Wayfarer wrote:Oh - wasn't trying to say you were being arbitrary.

- (You're not allowed to be arbitrary. It's my job to be arbitrary! No stealing my job! ...Oh, wait, my job was being absurd.... Never mind.) -

Really, I was just saying that you were the one who brought up that particular distinction.

Oh, don't mind me, I'm just babbling, and explaining how I came upon the distinction.

Heh, geek chart. Nice. Odd that it doesn't have sci-fi/fantasy movies, though. Where are the Star Wars geeks?

Fusion · Post by **Fusion** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 6:32 pm

In a Galaxcy far, far away.

Sharuuk · Post by **Sharuuk** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 7:07 am

SolidusRaccoon wrote:Shall we play a game?

Why did I just "hear" that in Joshua's voice?

Let's play "Global Thermonuclear War" <enter>

S'aaruuk

Wayfarer · Post by **Wayfarer** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 7:10 am

Why does that suggestion not surprise me? <exit>

Sharuuk · Post by **Sharuuk** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 7:15 am

Wayfarer wrote:Why does that suggestion not surprise me? <exit>

M'dear....do you know where that exchange and "Joshua" is from?

S'aaruuk