Speak Out With Your Geek Out – On Being a Grown-Up Geek

This week, bloggers all over the internet were encouraged to write blog posts about their geeky hobbies and interests, in a movement called “Speak Out With Your Geek Out.”  I wanted to participate, but of course I write about something geeky every time I write.  I could have, in theory, written a new entry every day on some geeky topic, but, earlier this week, I was too busy:

• Teaching a writing class
• Getting my car repaired
• Playing the Legend of Zelda
• Reading and posting in game related and comic book related internet forums
• Baking the second apple pie of the fall season
• Unwrapping UVs, so many UVs
• Having dinner at the bar with co-workers
• Doing first drafts of a small variety of video-game-related editorials and reviews
• Playing City of Heroes
• Cooking general meals and keeping the apartment clean

…engaging in a variety of both geek-related and non-geek-related pursuits.

I’m in a different environment this fall than I was this time last year. I’m teaching general college students, most of whom are not self-described geeks.  In teaching games in specific, I had gotten used to being around gamer-geeks almost all of my time, but now I’m spending more time around adults (both younger and older than I am) that don’t necessarily share my passions.

Women my age sometimes ask me what I do, and I tell them.  What I’ve discovered is that, when the topic of video games comes up, their first point of comparison is their children – specifically, their sons.  I had one woman mention to me that her daughter likes games. The rest of the women mention male children: either, oh, my son really likes those, or, oh, I don’t let my boys play them.  Our point of comparison is something that I do as an adult that translates to something that their little boys want to do, but aren’t allowed to do.  The topic of conversation then moves elsewhere.

There’s a certain conflation of “geek pursuits” with “child pursuits,” and sometimes the line becomes hard to draw.  Is the man, or woman, with a home full of comic book and animation art, and shelves of games and toys, an avid, discerning collector, or a stunted child who never learned how to grow up?  Whichever it may be, that person is me.  Even as a child, I knew I wanted to be a geeky adult, because geeky adults were the cool adults, who liked the things I liked.

But all around the internet this week I’m also finding little pools of disconnect.  Is Ocarina of Time not the world of enchantment and wonder I was lead to believe?  Should we just give up on Star Wars? …Am I just getting too old for video games?

My geek students were sometimes puzzled that I really dislike shonen anime.  Stuff like Bleach, or Naruto.  I find it formulaic, repetitive, and full of padding.  Of course, the reason they like it, and I don’t, is that it’s not for me.  That stuff is for kids.  … And, well…. wait, what?

I believe it’s possible to hold the opinion that some things targeted at kids can equally be enjoyed by adults, while other things targeted at kids, I just won’t like because I’m not a kid.  Other people my age sometimes are shocked by just how geeky I am, while others are right there with me. Some adults, however, will always be confused by an adult interest in geek things, because of the strong crossover between geek things and child things.  They “grew out of” stuff I feel I’m only now learning how to appreciate.  But whatever your case, balance is needed.  I believe there is great value, still, in geek-like (child like) things, and also value in having the relationships that an adult has.

Finding the balance is something that geeks like myself still struggle with.  Sometimes we even lash out or feel ashamed, justifying to the extreme about why our interests should be valued.  But if you find the balance and are comfortable with who you are and what you like, nerd rage isn’t necessary.  And you can probably find lots of common ground with people who don’t have the same interests as you, too.

I’ve found that a few of my gamer friends this fall are doing fantasy football pools.  That kind of surprised me for a little, since I’m used to talking with them about giant robots or video game design.  Compared to that, fantasy football is so… normal, so culturally acceptable, such a regular-guy thing to do.

But kind of geeky.