I have a hard time identifying with my fellow geeks.

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truebornracer

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#1  Edited By truebornracer

On paper I should be well-integrated, I get excited about Comic Con, I have serious opinions about NiGHTS, and most nights are ended in a severe, unhealthy dosage of World of Warcraft and the Snydecast. But for some reason whenever I'm in public with my would-be colleagues I find it much more comfortable to isolate from them. Maybe it's their incessant need to talk about memes in public, maybe it's because if I try to converse with them at some point during our chat I'll be told I've 'lost the game' which I'm pretty sure was funny never. Hell maybe it's just because I'm not socially awkward, infrequently get laid, and occasionally take a shower. Now I have a couple friends who share interest in nights spent pretending to be elves, but they're much less insufferable about it. I'm not trying to sound elitist I'm just curious if anyone has similar issues with geek culture.
 
 
 
Note: For the record, one could say I'm 'in da indie rock scene dood' but I honestly can't stand the majority of my fellow enthusiasts in that scene either.

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Tylea002

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#2  Edited By Tylea002

Fuck you, I lost the game.

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truebornracer

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#3  Edited By truebornracer
@Tylea002 said:
" Fuck you, I lost the game. "
This is the kinda shit I'm talking about -_-
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Pazy

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#4  Edited By Pazy

Gamers are people too, not all of us think games (of any kind) are the only thing that exist. Though by the sounds if it your embarresed by your more "geek" friends.

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truebornracer

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#5  Edited By truebornracer

It's not really that, I'm more just embaressed for them, liking games and reading 4chan isn't exactly an excuse to act like a jackass in public. Like I think Cosplay is awesome, I don't think walking around comiccon with a giant sign that says 'the game' on it is awesome.
 
The kinda geeks I hang out with are more like the Bombsquad I guess.

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AhmadMetallic

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#6  Edited By AhmadMetallic

Well, see, thats what bugs me, not everyone is into this for the same reosons. 
 i know 40 year olds who have Call of Duty 5 clans and only play that game, multiplayer only, and only on their server, which is a teamdeath match server only, and a BOLTS only server... they call themselves gamers 
 
So yeah, we dont all have the same reasons/thought & emotions/attitudes towards games. its just human nature to act cool and diss you, the geek. 
Did i get things right ?

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truebornracer

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#7  Edited By truebornracer

Let me spell this out
 
Dudes stoaked on games and life and is psyched to be at comiccon because scribblenauts looks sweet.
 
Doesn't bug me.
 
 
Dudes sitting behind me at denny's whose conversation is literally a chain of 4chan memes.
 
bugs me

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Tylea002

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#8  Edited By Tylea002
@truebornracer: In different circles my friend, like mine, all my friends do that. Not just geeks or whatever. In fact, who gives a shit if your a geek or not? The people I hang out with are full of "people who play games" and so what? No one gives a second thought to how that will effect their social status. They don't even care about what a social status is, which is why i don't like threads like these, with people trying to dissasociate themselves with steroetypes that shouldn't exist in the first place.
 
Also, I lost the game AGAIN. :(.
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Pazy

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#9  Edited By Pazy
@truebornracer said:
" It's not really that, I'm more just embaressed for them, liking games and reading 4chan isn't exactly an excuse to act like a jackass in public. 
Though I dont tend to do that myself I dont see it as acting like a Jackass, they act how they want without trying to seem cool the way everyone else would want them to. Even if they get looks they are having their fun and are being open and true to who they are.
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MasterOfPenguins_Zell

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I can have trouble understanding some of the nerdy things my friends do that I don't, but we do have a lot of similarities too.

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truebornracer

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#11  Edited By truebornracer

It's not necessarilly that, I like to have intelligent, progressive discussions about games, I think that's where geek culture, if not all culture should be headed. And I think it's mired in the whole 'let's call up this gamestop and ask them if they have battletoads for the wii lololol' the reason the bombcast is such a great podcast is because of it's disassociation from that whole scene. 
 
 
Like these idiots.
 
 http://melbourneartcritic.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/anti-scientology-protest.jpg
 
Not one of those 'protestors' have a real opinion on scientology, instead they just want to be part of a large coalition based on nothing more than a chance to be held in reverence by a website.

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Tylea002

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#12  Edited By Tylea002
@truebornracer: You misplace these people as one like yourself. They aren't doing these things "to fit in" they are doing these things for fun with their friends and like minded people. You want to dis-own them to fit in. There is a big difference there, realize it and you'll be much better off.
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truebornracer

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#13  Edited By truebornracer
@Tylea002 said:
" @truebornracer: You misplace these people as one like yourself. They aren't doing these things "to fit in" they are doing these things for fun with their friends and like minded people. You want to dis-own them to fit in. There is a big difference there, realize it and you'll be much better off. "
Partly yes, but the jackass at comiccon who spent the entire show yelling I LOST THE GAME was clearly aiming for some sort of internet holiness.
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Red

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#14  Edited By Red

See, those aren't geeks. Those are dorks. 
Diagram: 

No Caption Provided
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truebornracer

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#15  Edited By truebornracer
@Red said:
" See, those aren't geeks. Those are dorks. 
Diagram: 

No Caption Provided
"
thread over
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Tylea002

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#16  Edited By Tylea002
@truebornracer: INTERNET HOLINESS? HA! I was simply making a point with my first post, a point you clearly missed. Diagrams like the ones red posted are pointless, stereotypes don't need to exist, people spend too much time thinking of how they HAVE to behave to get in with a certain crowd. Fuck it, say what you want, do what you want, and don't care what other people think. And so long as this doesn't involve being a dick, then if there are people who don't want to associate themselves with you(this is where you are), who cares what they think? If they have to abide by pointless high school social rules all their life then they should be pitied. And I do pity you, the sooner you accept that people aren't stereotypes which will make you "cool or uncool" the easier it'll be for you in life.
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truebornracer

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#17  Edited By truebornracer

Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don't want to associate myself with you not by some sort of higher 'I'm cooler than that agenda' but more of a 'man you don't seem like someone who could provide a stimulating conversation' sort of way.

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OwnlyUzinWonHan

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#18  Edited By OwnlyUzinWonHan

Most of my friends are people that I play some Street Fighter with, then play basketball.
None of my friends are meme-screamers luckily, so I'm kind of with you man.

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Zabant

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#19  Edited By Zabant

you said you go to 4chan?
 
you obviously don't visit /v/, we're real bros. Anyone posts a meme there and they will get flamed to hell and back.

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#20  Edited By NinjaHunter
@truebornracer said:
" Maybe it's their incessant need to talk about memes in public, maybe it's because if I try to converse with them at some point during our chat I'll be told I've 'lost the game' which I'm pretty sure was funny never. "  
I wouldn't want to hang out with them either.  
 
The thing is, at least in my experience, it's very rare that anybody wants to talk about video games seriously outside of the internet. Besides the casual "Do you have this game?" "Is this game any good?" or "We should meet up online." they almost never want to go into the conversation to deeply. Maybe the problem you're having is that you're actively seeking someone to have some long and deep conversation about NiGHTS and not finding it. You're probably not going to get it out in the real world. It's best to stop looking for it and just let it come to you. You never know, NiGHTS might randomly come up in a conversation.
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tofford

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#21  Edited By tofford

Kinda get you. Is general conversation too hard. I spent most of my holiday talking about Fusion and i have no idea why.

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OwnlyUzinWonHan

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#22  Edited By OwnlyUzinWonHan
@tofford: Like Persona fusing or Metroid Fusion?
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penguindust

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#23  Edited By penguindust
@Red said:

" See, those aren't geeks. Those are dorks. 
Diagram: 

No Caption Provided
"
I was about to say this same exact thing.  If what you are describing is true then your "geek" friends are actually a spot lower on the totem pole.  I generally rank things Nerd>Geek>Dork. It is very possible to have conversations about games, anime, comics, etc without mentioning 4chan, memes, or anything antagonistic.   If a person was to have the same level of conversation on film or sports, would we think so poorly of them?  Perhaps, if they mentioned "Ain't it Cool News" every five minutes or lamented about their fantasy team's rank online.  If you are ashamed of your friends in public then you need to instruct them how to act in public.  You can guide them how to be less obnoxious without offending them too seriously. 
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damnboyadvance

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#24  Edited By damnboyadvance
@truebornracer: I kinda understand you. Just want to clarify, are you saying you're the Geek/Nerd/Dork or they are?
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truebornracer

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#25  Edited By truebornracer

I consider myself a geek, mainly because I know about things like Superman Red Son, Lucas Arts Adventure Games, Samurai Champloo, Warhammer etc etc. But the aspect of current geekdom I don't subscribe to is the 'meme screaming' as a blanket term

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tebbit

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#26  Edited By tebbit
@truebornracer: I know exactly how you feel! Some of my friends have successfully integrated lol and noob into everyday speech, with often hideously embarrassing social consequences, and I think to myself "Why can't you just talk like normal people!?"
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#27  Edited By ArbitraryWater

Sometimes I deliberately quote random rules from Dungeons and Dragons to make people feel uncomfortable, but that's only when I am trying to be a jerk. 
 
However, people who use the phrase "Epic Fail" in real life deserve to die a horrible and slow death.

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Black_Rose

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#28  Edited By Black_Rose

Take more showers

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truebornracer

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#29  Edited By truebornracer

bump for drama! and discussion!

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CommodoreGroovy

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#30  Edited By CommodoreGroovy

C'mon man, don't let your pride get in the way. Just let your buds know about your problem with having the public aware of your geekiness. If they are really your friends, they will at least try to compromise with you.

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The_Ish

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#31  Edited By The_Ish
Stop hanging out with B-tards, bro.
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JohnRabbit

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#32  Edited By JohnRabbit
@The_Ish said:
" Stop hanging out with B-tards, bro. "
Beat me to it.
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People who do these stupid memes in real life (as in, not at a computer typing) seem like the type of people I would never, ever want to hang out with. It is understandable why you are put off by it. I don't even like seeing it online.
 
Thankfully I have never seen this in real life. I can't imagine hanging out with people that fucking talk about 4chan shit or whatever. Ugh. It sounds like you need new friends! It is wonderful to be able to have intelligent conversations about stuff you like, especially videogames. This is why the Game of the Year 2008 Bombcast is my favorite out of all the podcasts.
 
So stimulating...mmmmmm

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#34  Edited By Johnny5
@truebornracer said:
" On paper I should be well-integrated, I get excited about Comic Con, I have serious opinions about NiGHTS, and most nights are ended in a severe, unhealthy dosage of World of Warcraft and the Snydecast. But for some reason whenever I'm in public with my would-be colleagues I find it much more comfortable to isolate from them. Maybe it's their incessant need to talk about memes in public, maybe it's because if I try to converse with them at some point during our chat I'll be told I've 'lost the game' which I'm pretty sure was funny never. Hell maybe it's just because I'm not socially awkward, infrequently get laid, and occasionally take a shower. Now I have a couple friends who share interest in nights spent pretending to be elves, but they're much less insufferable about it. I'm not trying to sound elitist I'm just curious if anyone has similar issues with geek culture.    Note: For the record, one could say I'm 'in da indie rock scene dood' but I honestly can't stand the majority of my fellow enthusiasts in that scene either. "
This thread spoke to me pretty much instantly. I have the exact same type of feeling. 
 
All of my friends i talk to regularly are pretty much nongamers, non-nerds. I have ONE decent friend who is a nerd. For some reason I just dont make friends with them in real life,  nor do I really mention gaming/nerdy subjects to my friends.  
 
Also a lot of gamers I meet in real life are douchebags, and are one of the reasons im not quick to point Out that I play a lot of games.
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#35  Edited By mattbodega
@Johnny5 said:
" @truebornracer said:
" On paper I should be well-integrated, I get excited about Comic Con, I have serious opinions about NiGHTS, and most nights are ended in a severe, unhealthy dosage of World of Warcraft and the Snydecast. But for some reason whenever I'm in public with my would-be colleagues I find it much more comfortable to isolate from them. Maybe it's their incessant need to talk about memes in public, maybe it's because if I try to converse with them at some point during our chat I'll be told I've 'lost the game' which I'm pretty sure was funny never. Hell maybe it's just because I'm not socially awkward, infrequently get laid, and occasionally take a shower. Now I have a couple friends who share interest in nights spent pretending to be elves, but they're much less insufferable about it. I'm not trying to sound elitist I'm just curious if anyone has similar issues with geek culture.    Note: For the record, one could say I'm 'in da indie rock scene dood' but I honestly can't stand the majority of my fellow enthusiasts in that scene either. "
This thread spoke to me pretty much instantly. I have the exact same type of feeling.   All of my friends i talk to regularly are pretty much nongamers, non-nerds. I have ONE decent friend who is a nerd. For some reason I just dont make friends with them in real life,  nor do I really mention gaming/nerdy subjects to my friends.    Also a lot of gamers I meet in real life are douchebags, and are one of the reasons im not quick to point Out that I play a lot of games. "
I hear you guys. None of my real-life friends are "game players". I've got jock friends and preppy friends and a TON  of Theater friends, but all of the "gamers"(and I use that foul term with derision) at my school were total assholes. And when they're not assholes, they tend to be real-life extensions of internet assholes: heavy on the memes, the homophobia, and the anger, light on the intelligence, the kindness, and the spirit of good play. They use video games as masturbatory objects. That wasn't how I saw video games, and those weren't the people I associated with. 
Honestly, the whole "Cult of Nerd" thing is really dumb. One of the things that really drew me into Giant Bomb (And, really, gamespot before) was that Ryan and Jeff and the gang didn't talk about video games the way they are described on message boards. They talked like real people with multiple interests, and games just happened to be one of them, and they infused their discussions with actual passion....even if it is passion for things that can be totally stupid.
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joelalfaro

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#36  Edited By joelalfaro

Like you, I don't understand a lot of the behavior you mention, but I try my very best to respect it, as I'm sure you do. 
  
So I understand your concerns... 

I think I learned that respect in college (art school), where a lot of  the "realest", less pretentious bunch, were quite socially challenged. I had trouble dealing with that aspect at first, but learned to let it be, because they were happy, they were good kids, and my other choices were chainsmoking, trendy wannabe, eccentric hippies or even hispters who only talked about faux-philosophical themes and their views on modern art.  
 
I get a bit of that awkardness when I view some of the QOTW entries here, but I try to tell myself that if these people like Giant Bomb so much, we have that in common.  And I'm happy they support the site.

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RichardLOlson

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#37  Edited By RichardLOlson
@truebornracer said:

" On paper I should be well-integrated, I get excited about Comic Con, I have serious opinions about NiGHTS, and most nights are ended in a severe, unhealthy dosage of World of Warcraft and the Snydecast. But for some reason whenever I'm in public with my would-be colleagues I find it much more comfortable to isolate from them. Maybe it's their incessant need to talk about memes in public, maybe it's because if I try to converse with them at some point during our chat I'll be told I've 'lost the game' which I'm pretty sure was funny never. Hell maybe it's just because I'm not socially awkward, infrequently get laid, and occasionally take a shower. Now I have a couple friends who share interest in nights spent pretending to be elves, but they're much less insufferable about it. I'm not trying to sound elitist I'm just curious if anyone has similar issues with geek culture.    Note: For the record, one could say I'm 'in da indie rock scene dood' but I honestly can't stand the majority of my fellow enthusiasts in that scene either. "

 
 
 I totally understand what your going through.....I'm 26....have a 2 1/2 month old baby boy, and I'm with someone who doesn't really grasp the whole gaming concept of having friends which are guys/girls who have the same shit in common with you and that its ok to trust the other person enough to pull the leash outta there spouses ass and let them roam around past the yard.
 
Now I know that might sound like some personal problems that I'm having with my old lady....(which in point it is)....but you know,  when it comes down to people like that....its all a matter of making the pieces fit.  It's like I base my life right now off of the Tool song "Schism" (I know the pieces fit, but I watch them crumble down).......Like for instance I have a friend that I've been kinda putting off and not seeing (by the way you know who you are)...but only because I've been trying to "make the pieces fit"....and get organized, and thats really what you need to do with your friends.  Get organized and make sure that they know where your coming from and make sure that you can have a steady relationship with your friends that are in your personal circle...but at they same time have ur friends that aren't in your personal circle, know your other life......your geek life.
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Metroid545

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#38  Edited By Metroid545

there is a difference between geek and nerd, a nerd is deeply into a hobby of choice (usually tech of sorts) and is a hardcore fan. Geek = greasy meme shouting, social rejects

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penguindust

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#39  Edited By penguindust

I define the three terms a little differently:    

  • Nerds are intelligent and ambitious.  They turn into computer programmers and rocket scientists.  
  • Geeks are passionate and knowledgeable about niche cultures.  Comics, sci fi, games, collectibles, and other nontraditionally adult hobbies.
  • Dorks are the socially alienated outcasts who find it difficult to function even within their own ranks.  They say the wrong things and do the wrong things constantly which sets up barriers between themselves and the rest of the public.  Some dorks enjoy making others uncomfortable, other are clueless to their inappropriateness.
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get2sammyb

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#40  Edited By get2sammyb

Oh fucking hell. Now I've lost the game.

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Metasin

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#41  Edited By Metasin

It seems to me you just dislike one dimensional people, and who can blame you. These types of people aren't relegated just to the geek world though. I've been around men who seem to only be able to carry on a conversation if it revolves around cars or sports and women who only talk about reality shows and celebrities. I think the real misconception is that there is some inherent level of intelligence involved in being a geek, which sadly is not the case.

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iam3green

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#42  Edited By iam3green

while, yes there are some weird people out there that do weird things. there are some people that play video games, while other people out there like to do weird things with video games. other people give gamers a image.

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#43  Edited By septim

Yeah I've never really enjoyed spending time with people who seem to revel in being "geeks". Whenever I would have to interact with the kids at school that dress in black and sit at lunch playing Magic I found them to be pretty nasty people. I think it's a pretty big misconception that games (even MMOs) appeal only to these types anymore. At my work (not game related in any way) half the guys I work with play various MMOs.

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#44  Edited By ryanwho

I'm like this too. I mean, the other day I was at work and OSs and ITs happen to be very nerdy, generally. So these dudes were talking and, well,  I knew just about everything they were talking about but I just didn't have any kind of passion to continue the conversation for all that long. Its like, I'm into but, but not that into it. Its kind of a personal hobby and not something I can sit around talking about with people for hours, as opposed to music.