Top 10 Geekiest Hobbies

[Rasix]

You're missing the pictures of the 35 year old, heavyset guy with a bad case of eczema in the same outfits.

[Calantus]

You're missing the pictures of the 35 year old, heavyset guy with a bad case of eczema in the same outfits.

Damn, beat me to it. :P

Oh, and I have acquaintences who are into anime (I see them at lan parties I go to), and they are the weirdest people I know. When you have to state multiple times that no, you will not be using someone's "digi-name" to address them, you know something fucked up is going on. When the first one told me that he prefers "Mikkimon" I thought it was some kind of joke but, alas, it was not.

[plangent]

Your focus dictates your reality folks.  Can't stress that enough ;?>

[Paelos]

I used to have 30%, but I quit Magic midway through high school when I pulled my head out of the sand.

Star Wars - Have been and always will be a whore for this. I love the Empire, they've got style.

MMO's - It's like that abusive relationship I keeping coming back to because the loving is good for the first couple of weeks. Then I remember why I left.

As for DnD I don't mock people that do it unless they try and bring it out into the public eye as normal. It's not normal, its a fantasy. Trying to make it seem mainstream means you are putting yourself in the crosshairs, so don't expect me to pull any punches. There's a fine line there between computer games and rolling dice in a room with a bunch of dudes.

Oh and football = good, I'm a serious Saturday afternoon college addict. The NFL I like because of fantasy leagues and beers.

[esad]

The real losers are idiots who spell "losers" with 2 "o"s.

It's called drawing out the word. I guess I should've spelled it "looooosers" then it would have been clear. Hmmmphf.

You're missing the point anyway.  It's not that people who play DnD don't have sex, it's that there is a perceived loserness associated with that activity.  If you ask single women what they find attractive in a man, you'll get very few responses of: "Plays DnD." It's not an activity most women look for. If you don't believe me then go anywhere there are women and start chatting them up. As soon as you can turn the conversation to DnD and see what happens. You're not going to get too far.

Hence, the point of the originally linked story.

[Paelos]

The real losers are idiots who spell "losers" with 2 "o"s.

You're missing the point anyway.  It's not that people who play DnD don't have sex, it's that there is a perceived loserness associated with that activity.  If you ask single women what they find attractive in a man, you'll get very few responses of: "Plays DnD." It's not an activity most women look for. If you don't believe me then go anywhere there are women and start chatting them up. As soon as you can turn the conversation to DnD and see what happens. You're not going to get too far.

Try the same with with sports, or drinking, or fights. Anything that's seen as really male dominated regardless of where it fits on the nerdy scale doesn't make for great female conversation on the whole. That shouldn't be the yardstick for why playing DnD is nerdy. I think most of the dumbass stuff that women prattle on about on a daily basis is ten times stupider than the average DnD banter.

[El Gallo]

Try the same with with sports, or drinking, or fights.

Chick at bar: "what do you do?"

Dude 1: "I am the most successful Dungeons and Dragons module writer in history"

Dude 2: "I am a starting wide reciever for the Steelers"

Agreed on the fightin' though.

[Paelos]

Try the same with with sports, or drinking, or fights.

Chick at bar: "what do you do?"

Dude 1: "I am the most successful Dungeons and Dragons module writer in history"

Dude 2: "I am a starting wide reciever for the Steelers"

Agreed on the fightin' though.

Hmmm, I was thinking more, "I am the leader of the Steelers fanclub". Playing pro or college sports is a different game altogether because it = big $$$ or big muscles.

[Soukyan]

The real losers are idiots who spell "losers" with 2 "o"s.

It's called drawing out the word. I guess I should've spelled it "looooosers" then it would have been clear. Hmmmphf.

No. Drawing it out is doing as you demonstrated above. Using two O's is misspelling and stupidity. It's a byproduct of our modern chat-client learning culture where people talk about luv, seks, loosers and kkthxbye. Where your, you're and yore are often used interchangeably as are their, there and they're. Wanna, gotta, should of, could of, would of learned proper spelling and grammar if I wasn't so busy trying to get "sum hawt cyber luvin" online.

[El Gallo]

Ah, that makes sense.

Also, if Curt Schilling wears his EverQuest hat to his WOrld Series postgame interviews, will that make us cool?

[AlteredOne]

MMO's - It's like that abusive relationship I keeping coming back to because the loving is good for the first couple of weeks. Then I remember why I left.

LOL yeah I'm with ya.  I'm pretty much 5%, with my half-time participation in various MMO games that I cancel pretty quickly.

I guess I was 30% at some point, but stopped playing DnD freshman year in college.  That's when, like the other guy above, I realized that my fellow college DnD players brought geekdom to a league beyond my own.  I mean, the "WARP" (Williams assoc. of role players) guys had their own permanent table at the dining hall with a distinct odor, forcing women to take alternate routes to the salad bar.

"Star Wars" only counts if you have a Chewbacca costume and visit fan conventions.  About 90% of kids from the 70's loved those movies, and about 90% of those see the new series as complete schlock.

[esad]

OK, a quick check of Yahoo Personals

Women seeking Men within 25 miles of me who:

Like sports: 148

Play DnD: 0  (serched for DnD, D&D, Dungeons, Dragons, RPG, Role Playing)

[personman]

Try the same with with sports, or drinking, or fights.

In Texas the women are easily as likely to be as avid as men.  I think that's becoming true in general actually.

[Paelos]

Try the same with with sports, or drinking, or fights.

In Texas the women are easily as likely to be as avid as men.  I think that's becoming true in general actually.

I lived in Dallas, now I live in Atlanta. Southern women are a different breed in that a good amount like sports, especially football. "Sports" may have been too general I suppose. DnD will just always be a male dorky thing. Talking about soap operas will be a female dorky thing. Nobody is going to be putting either on the Yahoo file.

[HaemishM]

Some people spend their Sundays watching football. I spend my Sundays playing D&D. It's social, creative, fun, and I get to spend quality time with my friends. Why, again, is that worse than being parked on the couch watching millionaire felons bash against each other?

Because people like this have decided they want to fly their freak flag high.

[WayAbvPar]

Some people spend their Sundays watching football. I spend my Sundays playing D&D. It's social, creative, fun, and I get to spend quality time with my friends. Why, again, is that worse than being parked on the couch watching millionaire felons bash against each other?

Because people like this have decided they want to fly their freak flag high.

GodDAMN you for enticing me to click that link, you bastard! You have been sitting on that one awhile, haven't you?

My only hope is that they never reproduce.

[esad]

Hey this is a tangent I know, but who the hell is funding "Dungeon Majesty????"

Yeah it's got the worst production values outside of a Peoria high school film project, but it has to cost some money. This is a question that keeps me up at night.

[Samwise]

Some people spend their Sundays watching football. I spend my Sundays playing D&D. It's social, creative, fun, and I get to spend quality time with my friends. Why, again, is that worse than being parked on the couch watching millionaire felons bash against each other?

Because people like this have decided they want to fly their freak flag high.

I'll see your Dungeon Majesty and raise you a pair of Raiders fans.

[Big Gulp]

I'll see your Dungeon Majesty and raise you a pair of Raiders fans.

Dude, that's Gwar.

[schild]

Dungeon Majesty surfaced at Corpnews. But I guarantee they got that link from somewhere else as it's floating around game dev forums and got passed around last week at BHG. Anyway. Yea, that's some fucking awful video.

[Ardent]

[philosophical tangent]

I actually think that the social stigma attached to geekdom and its associated activities flows directly from the abhorrance of intelligence in American culture.

Anything involving thought or logic in the United States is frowned upon as a cultural rule. And no, I'm not talking about LARPers ... I'm talking about science, reading books, and anything remotely connected to intellectualism in general is heavily frowned upon in America. People are far more likely to believe bullshit like astrology or fung shui than anything resembling science, because we have degenerated to the point that people who use logic and a scientific method to come to conclusions are distrusted as infidels. I mean, look who our President is, for Crissakes.

In our culture, we worship vapidity. Our heroes are Paris Hilton and Terrell Owens. Getting shitfaced at the sports bar every weekend is perfectly acceptable, but reading some award-winning science fiction is frowned upon as "geeky" and for "social losers". Forget about Star Wars or DnD, you should be neutered and exiled, for how dare you have interests that deviate from the slobbering masses.

And if you don't believe that America is a culture that worships teh stoopid, all I need to say is this: 75% of the people in this country think angels exist. Nuff said.

[/philosophical tangent]

That should stir the pot, hopefully.

[Teleku]

I saw it as an awful link of the day on SA awhile ago, so thats probably where alot of people got it from.

[stray]

[philosophical tangent]

I actually think that the social stigma attached to geekdom and its associated activities flows directly from the abhorrance of intelligence in American culture.

/Disagree

It flows from an abhorrance of "ugliness". I'm not just saying ugly as in "appearance" either. I'm talking about behavior as well.

Geekdom doesn't equal intelligence. "Nerds" on the other hand, might be a certain type of geek with some range of intelligence, but geeks in general are simply the hapless burnouts of society. Well...barring the homeless, of course.

Think of Revenge of the Nerds for instance. All were geeks, but only some were the typical "smart" nerd. There was one guy who represents the type I'm mainly talking about: Booger. Also worth mentioning is the "Comic Book Guy" from the Simpsons. Those are the kind of geeks I'm criticizing here...And as far as I know, there are more geeks like that than from the nerd variety.

It has nothing to do with intelligence. Most of them are ignorant, loadmouthed dumbasses, actually.

Also, most geeks are just as enamored as others with some of the most stupid shit in media and culture, if not moreso. The fact that there are even "fanbois" of certain franchises or whatnot, tells me that they are just mindless consumers, no different than the average soap opera viewing, People magizine reading, housewife. Swap Guiding Light for Star Trek, and People magazine for Fangoria, or whatever, and you have roughly the same thing.

I'm sure plenty of them are jerking off to Paris Hilton as well.

I most definitely agree that American culture doesn't encourage intelligence and all that, and it is vapid, as you say...But geeks aren't necessarily excluded. Sometimes they're even worse. Fucking teddy bears or believing you're one of the undead aren't exactly "logical", wouldn't you agree?

Getting shitfaced at the sports bar every weekend is perfectly acceptable, but reading some award-winning science fiction is frowned upon as "geeky" and for "social losers".

Two points against the Boogers of the world: They're doing both. Except they drink alone.

Wait. That's three.

And if you don't believe that America is a culture that worships teh stoopid, all I need to say is this: 75% of the people in this country think angels exist. Nuff said.

So did Einstein and Newton. And I'm sure you could find more than enough interesting, intelligent conversation with a lot of priests, rabbis, or Buddhist monks, whether you believed in the religion or not. Just because people believe in God doesn't make them "stoopid". Writing off the most enduring legacy of the human race, just like that, is what I'd qualify as "stoopid".

Then again, what I should have said is: Don't even go there, dude.

[schild]

I really goddamn hate what some of you can do to a thread.

[Jayce]

Hey this is a tangent I know, but who the hell is funding "Dungeon Majesty????"

Yeah it's got the worst production values outside of a Peoria high school film project, but it has to cost some money. This is a question that keeps me up at night.

Disclaimer: I haven't watched whatever's at the link.

You should watch Trekkies 2 sometimes.  There are a lot of fan films being made out there and their production values vary, actually quite widely, between abysmal and "surprisingly not too bad".

The acting pretty much sucks across the board though.

[Big Gulp]

Juvenile bullshit

Why don't you just admit that you're still hung up on the daily beatings and scorn you received from those mean old jocks in high school?

[Paelos]

[philosophical tangent]

And if you don't believe that America is a culture that worships teh stoopid, all I need to say is this: 75% of the people in this country think angels exist. Nuff said.

[/philosophical tangent]

That should stir the pot, hopefully.

Oh Angels exist my friend...

[Bunk]

I really goddamn hate what some of you can do to a thread.

I think of it more as evolution of a thread than as highjacking.

I have qualified on about 5 of those 10 listed items.  Sad thing is, I find I get labeled as a geek more for things like my knowledge of computers, enjoyment of sci-fi, enjoyment of Jeopardy...

[Ardent]

You make a lot of good points, stray. Well done.

One clarification:

Just because people believe in God doesn't make them "stoopid". Writing off the most enduring legacy of the human race, just like that, is what I'd qualify as "stoopid".

I never said, and would never say, that people who believe in God are stupid. I'm an idiot, but I'm not that dumb. I just think that it's possible to have a deep faith without buying into the ancillary nonsense (like angels and devils) that sometimes accompanies it.

schild wrote:
I really goddamn hate what some of you can do to a thread.

You may now return to your fascinating discussion of people who fuck Big Bird dolls.

[Paelos]

I never said, and would never say, that people who believe in God are stupid. I'm an idiot, but I'm not that dumb. I just think that it's possible to have a deep faith without buying into the ancillary nonsense (like angels and devils) that sometimes accompanies it.

I guess I'm confused as to what you mean by this. There are numerous references to angels and the devil in the Bible. Angels speak to the Virgin Mary, angels deliver the wrath of God, angels protect Daniel in the Lion's den, angels meet Lot in the city of Soddom, etc.

Are you saying that they don't exist and are just a literary device in the Bible, or that the Bible is on the whole unreliable?

[Ardent]

Paelos, nobody reading this cares about my beliefs. I can PM you if you're really interested.

[Paelos]

But you're a Yankee fan, you have to believe in the Devil, right?

RIGHT?

Yeah don't worry about the PM, I just wanted to see what you meant. If it's a long drawn out philosophical debate over the existence of God or the validity of the Bible, then you're probably right not to derail the thread further.

[Ardent]

Why don't you just admit that you're still hung up on the daily beatings and scorn you received from those mean old jocks in high school?

Heh. Coming from the guy who wrote on the CoH board:

You people are the kind of assholes that I'd kill off on a regular basis in Champions. No respect for comic books, you just want the most powerful character regardless of whether it y'know, actually fits into the game world or makes any kind of thematic sense.

In the Breakfast Club of life, something tells me you lean towards the Anthony Michael Hall end of the scale yourself, friend.

[HaemishM]

And if you don't believe that America is a culture that worships teh stoopid, all I need to say is this: 75% of the people in this country think angels exist. Nuff said.

If you really wanted to hit this point home, you would have said 75% watch and like Friends. Now that's some good, mainstream stoopid.

Angels, however, just invites retardation in a thread. It's like mentioning any subject on abortion or gun control. It brings out the unreasoning emotion in just about everyone.

[Big Gulp]

In the Breakfast Club of life, something tells me you lean towards the Anthony Michael Hall end of the scale yourself, friend.

Heh.  Obviously you really don't know me very well.

As to being a nerd, yep I'll freely admit it, and have never tried to hide it.  The difference between me and you is that I don't have a hate on for jocks, I don't look down on anyone who doesn't engage in "intellectual" activities (and here's a hint for you; if you call yourself an intellectual, most likely you're not) and have left high school behind me.

Guess you haven't.  No problem, you'll grow up someday.