Do you consider yourself a geek/ anti-geek or neutral?

News & General Discussion
1

We all know its bad to stereotype. But the amount of times I’ve been to game studios and people are playing dungeons and dragons or have a big stack of comic books by their desk, or the game testers are in heavy metal t-shirts and beards etc. I now know all the stereotypes are true 90% of the time.

Actually, a lot of the time I find the programmers (so-called computer geeks) are least into so-called geek culture of comic books, dungeons and dragons, manga and dressing up like wizards in the woods etc.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a bit of manga, I’ve bought the box set of Ghost in the Shell. But I don’t think that defines me as a human being.

I just think there is more to life than media and what media you’re into (whether the media be books, films, games(!), etc.). There’s the outdoors for example. And going outside when it’s sunny. It’s part of what made me want to become an indie rather than work for a studio.

I just wondered, in this forum, for example how many people identify themselves with geek culture and all that goes with it, how many are neutral on the subject and how many don’t like to be called a geek and proactively disassociate with those things?

Do you think this “geek culture” is prevalent more in AAA studios or say more web or mobile firms? Is it more prevalent in programmers, artists or designers?

For anyone who is getting into the game industry, how do you envisage game studios? Do you have a stereotype in mind?

By the way, not judging. Anyone’s entitled to identify anyway they like or not if they choose.

But like it or not. Once in a game company I can guarantee you will encounter this culture and, particularly if the boss is into this, it may help you to know about it!

1 Like
2

If I had to identify with any subculture I believe the closest would be the hacker subculture that was prevalent at MIT during the 1970s. I generally go with the term “geek” though because of how the media has twisted the term to have negative connotations and because the term “hacker” is not something you apply to yourself.

I definitely enjoy trying to understand the internals of computer hardware and software, playing the MMO equivalent of D&D (though I wouldn’t be adverse to trying tabletop), and generally avoiding nature.

TL;DR - I’m a geek. :stuck_out_tongue:

3

Everyone at my school sees me as a regular dude I guess. Everyone knows I program things and people get surprised when they see me for the first time and think that I’m not a geek. I don’t see myself as a geek either so no, I’m not a geek

4

Interestingly, I don’t identify with the geek “culture” at all. But when it comes to programming and technology I totally geek out. I just don’t get into anime, DnD, or any of that stuff. When I was in high school (about 17 years ago) I played Baseball, Football, was a sprinter on the track team and was on the school Powerlifting team. I was fairly popular and actually was prom king.

I played a few computer games… Battle Chess, basically anything from Sierra / Dynamix, and a few other oddball ones but that was about it. I never even owned a console until the PS3 was released. But I’ve been a programming nerd forever. I was partying and narrowly avoiding trouble on the weekends, but on weeknights I was parked in front of a PC, on dialup internet, on various IRC channels. I was writing little “games” in QBasic, writing utility apps in Visual Basic 4 and writing chat bots for the pIRCH IRC client which was based on Turbo Pascal.

Even in college, I was a big part of the party crowd, always playing basketball at the rec center, but many nights tearing it up on my PC playing various versions of Age of Empires with my “clan” which consisted of my roommate and one other guy from my floor (we never lost a match).

As I got older I calmed down… no more partying for me. I don’t even drink really except very occasionally. But I play softball, I’m learning to play my guitar, and while I’m friends with a lot of folks I work with I don’t really associate with any but a couple outside of work. Most of my friends are very non-technical. But I do still love to just waste a way a weekend hammering out code in front of my pc. :slight_smile:

5

I personally have found it difficult to label myself definitively a geek in the past, while I happen to have a number of geeky interests I also have plenty of interests that are considered the opposite, mostly outdoor pursuits ranging from skiing, diving and rock climbing.

When I was younger I was defiently more reluctant to show that I had those ‘geeky’ interests around people who I thought wouldn’t appreciate them. But after a few years travelling and generally maturing I’m now very open about it and often tell people I’m a geek.

I find it’s a way of sharing an interest without then having to discuss it. If I did, I know I’d likely bore the other person, its more a way of showing that I do in fact have interests therefore I’m not a boring sod, however we probably don’t share it and you certainly don’t want to hear me rant about them :).

But at the same time, for this reason I’ve started to make a more active effort in moving in some geekier circles to try and find people with similar interests. I find myself spending alot of time with people who’s interests encompass football and drinking and at times I miss having people to geek out with :smile:.

1 Like
6

I’m the dork the Unity Forums deserve, not the dork that they need.

7 Likes
7

For a very long time, all of my life, actually, I wrestled with the question: Who am I? Where do I fit in? What group can I call my own? This simple question caused me much anguish. It was a question I could not answer. Every time I thought I’d possibly found where I belonged, I’d soon realize that no, that is not me.

One day, about a year ago, this question crossed my mind once again, and once again I struggled, and once again I got depressed, and then… It occurred to me. The answer. So I wrote it down, taped it to my wall beside my desk, and it’s been there since. Forgive the potato quality.

Am I a geek? No. I’m just me. The only thing I know how to be. And that suits me fine. Every time I feel like I don’t fit in, and it gets overwhelming, I look at that sign, and I can breathe.

10 Likes
8

I guess it depends on how you see the term, like yoonitee said people are about more than just the media they’re into. I find the term geek to simply be one colour people can use to paint/describe who they are. I personally use it as a tool to describe my avid interest in something, I don’t consider myself to belong to a culture or faction.

Besides the term geek is used as a blanketing term to encompass an endless list of interests, most of which people only share a couple of.

1 Like
9

As I’ve grown older, I’ve increasingly found this to be true. When we’re immature in something, we tend to want to make sense of that domain. We do that by creating classifications, and assigning things to those classifications. Inevitably, we encounter cases where the classifications break down, and as a result we discover the true mechanics of whatever it is we’re discovering. I find myself currently undergoing this in my study of game design, but it applies to social endeavors too.

Once I was a nerd. Then, I wasn’t sure. Now, I’m just me; I’ll treat you as you if you’ll do the same for me.

If I need a label? I’m Batman.

5 Likes
10

Ok, well I didn’t want to just come out with it, but since you took the lead… I’m Catwoman.

1 Like
11

Don’t like manga or comics or super heroes; but since the early 80s, I’ve been into electronics, science, and computing. 100% Geek and very proud of it.

12

The “I am just me” is definitely… me. I don’t get into all of the cultural crap, politics, societal expectations and so forth. I do roam around in my jeans and t shirts most of the time and that is just because that suits me. (bit of a pun there).

I’ve basically heard from other people that I am definitely not what they expected. lol These days developers are as likely as not to be dressed in suits. I say let the people have their comics, D&D (actually I used to like that a long time ago and still do like D&D style video games), Manga, whatever floats their boat. If it’s what they want then more power to them.

Just don’t expect me to have any of that crap unless I just happen to want to have some of that crap. Then it is ok. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
13

I always thought of myself as Beast from the X-Men.

5 Likes
14

I’m a geek, and always have been. And I am old enough to have lived through the time where geek/nerd was a bad thing.

As far as stereotypes, I have never worked at a company that didn’t have at least one D&D campaign running and usually more. (often regular Magic games as well.) In fact, here, it is formalized by the company. Wednesday is “Game” night. Beer and pizza at 4:30, followed by games. There are rooms dedicated to LoL, Poker and D&D and then about 5-10 random board game sessions. It is the one day where relaxation supersedes deadlines. No one can be required to work after 5pm. Its actually gotten big enough that we occasionally have special guests. A couple of weeks ago the very awesome nerd Andy Weir hung with us and played board games. Lunch is also game heavy, you can always find a magic/blokus/cribbage/card game around.

I think to a degree it is just a common mindset. Making games is a rough vocation, and the people who tend to make it , by nature, have a serious passion about games in all their incarnations. Even producers and folks not exactly tech geeks, have that spirit. There is a huge fantasy football group here (D&D for sports geeks). We all kind of eat/live/breath games.

7 Likes
15

That is interesting. Do you think it is mostly the artists and designers who are into these board games or the programmers too? Because from my experience and what’s said above. It’s like the “computer-geeks” are more into hacker culture. And maybe would rather, I dunno, be hacking a robot in their lunch break in order to bring about the singulairty or watching science fiction? To put it another way and to stereotype profusely:

artists/designers → fantasy, manga, comics, D&D, beards, emos, super heroes,
programmers → science fiction, the matrix, robots, clean-shaven, goths, eccentric, superstrings
audio people → ???

What I think is there are two or more distinct cultures here and that people use the term “geek” to combine the two whereas in actual fact they are as different as sci-fi is to fantasy. (OK, so to an outsider maybe they’re the same thing). Also if one “culture” is formally recognised by the bosses then this can annoy the other culture. (Well programmers are never really credited for their work anyway so they’re used to it!

Heheh just saw this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Tvy_Pbe5NA

2 Likes
16

“Geek” has always had negative connotations. Modern geeks have stolen the word and chosen to use it as a positive instead. And that’s fine.

But I’ve always identified more with “nerds” and their intellectual pursuits at the expense of looking “cool”. It’s also a negative word, taken and used as a sign of pride.

In truth, though, I care a lot more about personal appearance and fitting in with mainstream society than those groups do. I tend to not fit in any 1 category because of it, and that’s fine, too. I like what I like, and anyone who can’t tolerate that isn’t my friend.

17

what is a geek ? something like a box label you must have in life to be considered as “existing” … ?
goth, emo, hipster, hacker, punk, normcore etc etc etc , those categories only exist in contradiction with others…
get rid of any label, be you and you 'll find whho you are…
and BTW geek means nothing, people often self-define as geeks like “hey look, i have super powers!”

1 Like
18

+1

1 Like
19

@yoonitee those aren’t even marginally accurate stereotypes >.> Most male programmers I know (including myself) have a beard or mustache of some sort. Most programmers I know watch anime*, and read Sanderson/Jordan. Additionally, many of them are thoroughly invested in either the DC or Marvel universe. Heck, at my buddies office, they’re all full blown, self-professed otaku.

Now, that is in addition to building robots, reading Gibson (which I still have yet to do >.<), or Scalzi, etc., watching Farscape/SG/Star Trek/Star Wars.

*OT: Gate has been amazing so far :smile:

Edit: I apparently can’t read “beard” without hearing “a great big bushy beard” from Hot Fuzz anymore >.>

20

I don’t like popular interests, don’t get out much.
Hard to talk in groups, where everyone can’t wait to say their thing, about subjects I usually don’t know/care about much. it’s really a lotta work try to fit one line in the conversation so they don’t start thinking you’re a serial killer or something.

I’ve met many geeks, from people who knew all anime cartoons, played dice role play, dressed with colorful geek outfits, etc. But I felt the same way there as in any other social groups. :-\

1 Like