# Are you a Geek?



## Ben the Code Ninja (Dec 21, 2006)

My non-gaming circle of friends always call me a geek for playing 40k games. 

I don't think I'm a geek. There's a lot more to acheiving true geekdom than just playing 40K.

For starters, a proper geek must:-

1. Lack any social skills not related to gaming 
2. Lack skills or knowledge relevant to regular, real-life existance (i.e. anything outside of gaming).
3. Lack basic standards of personal hygene.

So I was wondering, do you think you are a geek?


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## FrozenOrb (Dec 23, 2006)

For starters there's a difference between being a 40k geek and being a geek. For instance I started as a computer geek or more accurately a programming geek, but as the years progressed I went on to being a geek per se.

Basically any subject that would interest me I'd take into my life and show more enjoyment and fascination to that subject than was the norm. That's what it is to be geek.

I'd never trade being geek. I'm almost always happy, my life is always filled with fascinating things to occupy my time. I'm content with life. It's good.

Geeks also have to prioritise more being that these interests consume their lives so much, and as such tend to engage in the banal topics of equities and morgages and blah blah much less. Our conversations are heavy on the jargon, filled with obscure references. Geeks also tend to be in the above average IQ dept. 

Being a geek is a way of life. The geeks I know are fairly socially-skilled, and relatively well dressed. I personally have always been okay socially, above average I guess.

Clothes are actually one of my interests. I tend to like to look good, in some pretty expensive clothes because I find that's where the quality is at, and I often change multiple times a day. The lacking of basic standards of personal hygiene you mention can be true as you say, but this is hardly a geek only thing.


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

im a normal guy with geek tendancies...

i love GW, comics, films and roleplaying, those are my geek vices. I'm not ashamed of them, because theyre my passions in life.

I think Orb summed it up very nicely. i love it.


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## Stella Cadente (Dec 25, 2006)

1. Lack any social skills not related to gaming NO

2. Lack skills or knowledge relevant to regular, real-life existance (i.e. anything outside of gaming). NO

3. Lack basic standards of personal hygene. NO

well that was easy, I`m not a geek, does a geek join the army, I don`t think so lol


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

i'm joining, and i'm a geek, tho i think those rules are a little proscriptive.


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## sportman (Dec 22, 2006)

I am definitely not a geek. I party all the time and socialize with people each and every day. I just play Warhammer as a hobby on the weekends. I do see people who are worse than geeks and I won't mention anything cause someone here might be like that :shock:


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## FrozenOrb (Dec 23, 2006)

I know lots of geeks who joined the armed forces. Two brothers for instances, biggest geeks ever, both joined the Marines, another guy over in Iraq atm, you've never met anyone more potty about 40k Chaos. At a very loose guess, his army is somewhere in the 30k dept.


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## Jezlad (Oct 14, 2006)

I was in the army for 6 years Stella. 

I'm turning into one!!


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## Tahaal (Dec 22, 2006)

1. Lack any social skills not related to gaming- _No way. I have worked very hard on making myself a living legend 8) Couldn't do that without social skills, right?_

2. Lack skills or knowledge relevant to regular, real-life existance (i.e. anything outside of gaming).- _Nah, I play the trombone, I'm the future Drum Major of the marching band, I was a starting linemen for my high-school team, I make and edit videos... SO I have more then gaming (might explain my average table-top painting skills  )_

3. Lack basic standards of personal hygene- _Wait. *sniffsniff* Nope, clean and fresh._


Hell, I stopped playing football so I could stay in band, and the only people that call me a _band_ geek are...band geeks :roll:


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## Stella Cadente (Dec 25, 2006)

Yank army or Brit army, us brits are more professional you see  so we have no geeks hahahahahaha

nah I kid but the description given for a geek gives a false impression, no one like that in the description would join, waaaaaay to sad lol


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

i'm british, doing the AOSB at the moment.


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## Hudge (Dec 24, 2006)

I suppose I might be. But I do have good social skills and good personal hygene.


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## warrior-of-hope (Dec 20, 2006)

simply NO


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

I'm not a geek, I'm a nerd. There's a difference.  Despite the fact that I'm not the dullest knife in the drawer and I'm a gamer, I still somehow manage to be in a fraternity. Funny, that...


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## FrozenOrb (Dec 23, 2006)

The Son of Horus said:


> I'm not a geek, I'm a nerd. There's a difference.


A nerd has sellotape on his glasses, a geek doesn't. 8)


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

I was thinking more along the lines of nerds share similar qualities as geeks, but tend to keep up with personal hygene and know how to prioritize-- geeks focus solely upon what they are a geek of (for example, the uber-trekkies are geeks, as they spend their lives with vulcan ears and federation uniforms on :lol: ) whereas nerds similarly obsess but put school/work/family etc first, since they're smart enough to have gotten to be labeled a nerd in the first place. I don't know if that made much sense, but it makes sense to me. :roll:


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## Ahk-sep (Dec 31, 2006)

We always had 3 classes of geeks when I worked at my comic book shop back in the states. First was the uber-geek. You could spot them from a mile away and knew definitely of their geeky tendencies. Second was just regular, run of the mill geek. Last was the undercover geek. They would be people who you would not expect to play 40k, read comics. They would hide it so well from the real world, you were just amazed by it. I was the undercover type, since i did not hang out wiht any of my coworkers from my military job. Only way you know was if you saw me working at the store or came to my place and saw my models being painted. I love being a geek. It sets us apart from everyone else.


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## Jezlad (Oct 14, 2006)

Ahk-sep said:


> We always had 3 classes of geeks when I worked at my comic book shop back in the states. First was the uber-geek. You could spot them from a mile away and knew definitely of their geeky tendencies. Second was just regular, run of the mill geek. Last was the undercover geek. They would be people who you would not expect to play 40k, read comics. They would hide it so well from the real world, you were just amazed by it. I was the undercover type, since i did not hang out wiht any of my coworkers from my military job. Only way you know was if you saw me working at the store or came to my place and saw my models being painted. I love being a geek. It sets us apart from everyone else.


How true.

Classified Geeks!

- OK team, suspect number 3 the "dice molester", on the exterior he appears quite normal. Do NOT be fooled. In the presence of dice and toy soldiers this man will change. Advise extreme caution"


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## Lord Sinkoran (Dec 23, 2006)

I've never been called a geek for playing warhammer. Probaly because of my size or I'm friends with the school bullies 

please note I am not one of the bullies I just play rugby with them.


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## smiley (Dec 31, 2006)

you know your a geek when u post a topic like this ....*sighs* and no ur not a geek because this is liek death and destruction ..and it just takes imagination to play
the whole games about imagination  
and geek is playing yugioh!  and liking startrek


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## the cabbage (Dec 29, 2006)

From the oxford english

Geek - a degenerate

Degenerate - having declined or deteriorated to a lower mental, physical or moral level.

From wikipedia

Nerd - as a stereotypical or archetypal designation, refers to somebody who passionately pursues intellectual or esoteric interests - such as books and video games, rather than having a social life, participating in organized sports, or other mainstream activities.

From Merriam-Webster

Nerd - an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially: one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits.

None of the above for me, I manage to bring up two kids, study for a chemistry degree and be a full time SNCO in the British Army at 35, as well as play 40K. Many of my gaming friends are similarly well balanced members of society.

That said I still refer to the models as toy soldiers and the game as Nerdhammer so maybe?

And I don't want to stereotype but many of our younger gamers are Goths or similar and probably already qualify as nerds/geeks to the great unwashed.


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## Knight of ne (Dec 31, 2006)

im a bit of a both sorta guy, why the hell do you want to know?


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## Jezlad (Oct 14, 2006)

the cabbage said:


> or academic pursuits.
> None of the above for me, I manage to bring up two kids, study for a chemistry degree and be a full time SNCO in the British Army at 35, as well as play 40K. Many of my gaming friends are similarly well balanced members of society.


Well balanced?

I've yet to meet a well balanced squaddie. 

If you wanna have a wild night go out with some squaddies. 

What cap badge cabbage?

_Que Fas Et Gloria Ducunt_


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## PathogEN (Dec 31, 2006)

Froot said:


> 1. Lack any social skills not related to gaming
> 2. Lack skills or knowledge relevant to regular, real-life existance (i.e. anything outside of gaming).
> 3. Lack basic standards of personal hygene.
> 
> So I was wondering, do you think you are a geek?


im a geek yeah, but i dont lack any of those skills, i just have a passion for games, computers, programming and other things such like it.

geeks where i live aren't classified as the ones people avoid, nerds are

i guess it depends where you live, my girlfriend likes to call me a geek boy =)


yeah... to me your speaking of a nerd, not a geek

geekdom is nothing to be ashamed of


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## smiley (Dec 31, 2006)

god bless wikipedia


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## The Wraithlord (Jan 1, 2007)

> For starters there's a difference between being a 40k geek and being a geek. For instance I started as a computer geek or more accurately a programming geek, but as the years progressed I went on to being a geek per se.
> 
> Basically any subject that would interest me I'd take into my life and show more enjoyment and fascination to that subject than was the norm. That's what it is to be geek.
> 
> ...


Amen to that. I think one of the problems for those of us who fit this description is the fact that those who fail the requirements listed in the first post are easily the most visible members of the 40K community, mainly BECAUSE of the fact that they fail those points. Think about it: while the rest of us hang out with friends, hit the movies, spend time with girlfriends/wives/etc, do things other than just 40K, these guys are ALWAYS in the store, throwing dice. Of course others are going to think of them when they find out that we play these games as well.

Matter of fact, I was reading White Dwarf at work one night and the lady next to me took a look out of curiosity. She was floored that I played 40K because, in her own words, "you don't look like those freaks in the store. You don't smell like them either, hell you drive a motorcycle". At the time, I thought it was the funniest thing I had ever heard as I avoid spending any length of time in the local GW simply BECAUSE of the guys in it 24/7.


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## blkdymnd (Jan 1, 2007)

We had a gaming group for a long time, the NWGG or the Northwest Gaming Geeks. We held the mantle of 40k Geek at many Canadian and West Coast Grand Tournaments very proudly and some still do to this day. To be dubbed a Geek by another of the Geeks was a proud day and I remember mine well.

I am Geek.


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## jigplums (Dec 15, 2006)

undercover geek


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## Anphicar (Dec 31, 2006)

Undercover NERD.

According to those 3 things, i am not a geek. I have damn good hygiene, and have good social skills. HOWEVER-- i am very judgmental and literal in things, and sometimes my sense of humor can put people off, so i a not the most popular. But i am no loner.

i pursue things esoteric and enjoy things more intellectual.

I do be really smart 2.


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## Tahaal (Dec 22, 2006)

Yeah, those 3 arn't very good. I have a friend that has a hot girlfriend, is really popular (at his old, small school) and is a total, 100% geek.


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## johno (Jan 3, 2007)

Nerd, eh?

Lessee now:

-- Historical Wargamer? - check
-- Sci Fi/Fantasy Fan? - check
-- Historical Re-enactor? - check
-- Folk singer? - check
-- Real Ale enthusiast? - check
-- Works in IT? - check

Hmmm. 

OK you got me, I'm a Nerd, too!

johno


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## jigplums (Dec 15, 2006)

BUSTED


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