Man, I was so with you until you called this person who you've never met an "awful human being" after only hearing one side of the story.
Why do some people look so negatively at “nerd culture”
- Thread starter ASleepingMonkey
- Start date
Nerds have almost always been looked down upon as part of the assumed social ladder and popularity. It's generally unjustified, but it's how the world has worked.
Sometimes nerds and geeks do it to themselves by being too elitist and snobby about what they're into. That is true.
Sometimes nerds and geeks do it to themselves by being too elitist and snobby about what they're into. That is true.
Good post. You have Nintendo to thank for videogames being considered a children's toy so that retailers would start carrying them again. That's how they rebranded the medium so that the industry could recover after the 1983 crash. It was the industry's own doing for that toy perception.
Of course gaming would be the perfect radicalising opportunity for right-wing extremism to develop because of how exclusive gamers and developers/publishers try to be with their gatekeeping and how more exclusive can you get than only straight white males allowed. Obviously it's improving now, but an industry full of socially isolated people makes sense to end up being narrow-minded enough to become hateful bigots. The irony of the bullied becoming bullies is a common abusive cycle, and it's no surprise people took advantage of it when they had the slightest bit of power over someone else (women, minorities, etc).
Well to be fair we only have one side of the story, there very well could be more. If there is more to the story than what the OP is letting on, I agree with you and would humbly retract that statement for sure.
I'd wager a cheesburger that the type of person to badmouth their ex on a public forum might not have been the ideal boyfriend they think they were.
Why is coding considered nerdy?
Being a nerd to me, is someone who's life is out of balance. You can like programming and still realize that you need to work out, eat well, socialize, not dress like an idiot, etc. Balance. That's the difference between being smart and being a nerd.
Being a nerd to me, is someone who's life is out of balance. You can like programming and still realize that you need to work out, eat well, socialize, not dress like an idiot, etc. Balance. That's the difference between being smart and being a nerd.
I’ve only ever had female friends look down upon my gaming enthusiasm, not male friends. It’s not a constant criticism or anything like that, but they sometimes make hurtful comments which makes it seem very dismissive of something I’m passion about. I just laugh it off everytime, but it makes me reconsider how open I should be about it going forward.
I think it’s just a misunderstanding. They don’t understand that it’s my equivelant of their favourite TV shows, movies, music, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, CSI, Supernatural, or indeed their clothes shopping habits etc. Or hell even the smartphone games they like!
Games have an image in their head of being waste of time toys and bad for you. But they don’t give that same judgement towards things that are just aa unproductive, but seen as normal. Eg. TV and movie watching, social media feed browsing.
The thing is the games that come to their mind when they criticise, are probably the same ones I don’t even play and am critical of. The modern Western mainstream AAA ones that don’t have a lot of substance to them.
Non-gamers don’t think of your Breath of the Wilds, Final Fantasy 7s, Persona 5s, Mario Odysseys, Portals, Bloodbornes, ICO games, the plethora of Indies etc. They think of military shooters or sports games.
And that’s all it is. A misunderstanding. They don’t see games from our perspective. We’d criticise games too if we had a different ignorant perspective.
I should also add they are also anti-football (soccer). “It’s just a game” so it’s not just about games :P Maybe it’s just a stereotypical gender roles thing.
I think it’s just a misunderstanding. They don’t understand that it’s my equivelant of their favourite TV shows, movies, music, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, CSI, Supernatural, or indeed their clothes shopping habits etc. Or hell even the smartphone games they like!
Games have an image in their head of being waste of time toys and bad for you. But they don’t give that same judgement towards things that are just aa unproductive, but seen as normal. Eg. TV and movie watching, social media feed browsing.
The thing is the games that come to their mind when they criticise, are probably the same ones I don’t even play and am critical of. The modern Western mainstream AAA ones that don’t have a lot of substance to them.
Non-gamers don’t think of your Breath of the Wilds, Final Fantasy 7s, Persona 5s, Mario Odysseys, Portals, Bloodbornes, ICO games, the plethora of Indies etc. They think of military shooters or sports games.
And that’s all it is. A misunderstanding. They don’t see games from our perspective. We’d criticise games too if we had a different ignorant perspective.
I should also add they are also anti-football (soccer). “It’s just a game” so it’s not just about games :P Maybe it’s just a stereotypical gender roles thing.
Correct. Nerds aren't stigmatized because of some bad eggs on Twitter being awful to other nerds. It's something else that has been going on for a long time where when you grow up you are somehow trained to see a person being super interested in these things, or really anything at all, as childish or lame.
And what's funny is I have interacted with a few teens/pre-teens right on the bubble of when this happens who clearly have these interests, but are led to believe they can't express that because it's not cool. I would talk to them about specific nerdy examples of things they like and they would pretend to bristle in response until they snap out of it when you show them its ok to talk and like these things.
It's why I stopped watching anime in high school. Something suggested to me it's uncool and I shouldn't do what I'm interested in.
Saying nerd culture is like saying Asian culture. There are so many people that fit one or more definitions of nerd that they make up an enormous group of people. Large groups of people are not homogeneous.
Seeing people on one of the most important gaming forums for nerds/geeks shaming and laughing about nerds/geeks never gets old.
Calling geeks/nerds out over their gatekeeping/protectionism while doing their hardest to hide their own geeky/nerdy self is so fucking sad to see.
I would say that there's nothing to be ashamed about and that people who look down on you for being yourself are not worth your time. But this thread demonstrates perfectly why such well meaning advise is worth nothing if even the nerds/geeks themselves can't accept one another.
sad
Calling geeks/nerds out over their gatekeeping/protectionism while doing their hardest to hide their own geeky/nerdy self is so fucking sad to see.
I would say that there's nothing to be ashamed about and that people who look down on you for being yourself are not worth your time. But this thread demonstrates perfectly why such well meaning advise is worth nothing if even the nerds/geeks themselves can't accept one another.
sad
You have quite the selective memory. Gamergate, sad/rabid puppies, harassment, racism, and more. Anything going for diversity is criticised because of "virtue signalling", "SJWs", "forced agenda", etc.
People don't care to get into it because it's not trendy. Sure we have extremely successful shows and movies that take from the source material of comics or other fictional works, but at the same time people aren't intrigued enough to actually explore the source material, unless it's Game of Thrones.
Exploring the source material can be rather daunting especially when, depending on the source material, the content can be expansive dating back decades. In comics new reader jumping on points may not be widely advertised as such, and people lose interest if there isn't enough momentum aimed at mainstream.
On the flip side we've seen a lot of stories regarding harassment. It's not exactly uncommon for a woman to play a game online and be called out for it. That kind of behavior can potentially discourage any women to partake in the hobby. That kind of behaviour, from cowards that won't own up to it, is disgusting to say the least.
We gotta do better yall..
Exploring the source material can be rather daunting especially when, depending on the source material, the content can be expansive dating back decades. In comics new reader jumping on points may not be widely advertised as such, and people lose interest if there isn't enough momentum aimed at mainstream.
On the flip side we've seen a lot of stories regarding harassment. It's not exactly uncommon for a woman to play a game online and be called out for it. That kind of behavior can potentially discourage any women to partake in the hobby. That kind of behaviour, from cowards that won't own up to it, is disgusting to say the least.
We gotta do better yall..
This so much. A big problem with nerd culture is that a large percentage of "nerds" (hate the term, but fuck it) live in a bubble and think "news in gaming = news".
In all those "why don't people like geeks or nerdy stuff" threads someone will post "bc of GG, PewDiePie, Boogie, Moriarty, misogyny, alt-right".
Excuse me, but what the fuck?
Gamergate and stuff like the "Jontron scandal" only matters to a fraction of gamers. And even those who know the term aren't quite sure what exatly it was all about. And no, it doesn't matter that mainstream media reported on it.
Just because an article gets released (alongside hundreds of other articles) on CNN.com or NYT doesn't mean people notice or care.
Before you can assume a large percentage of the population "knows" sth, it takes days of front page coverage.
"Trump FBI Russia scandal" / "War in Syria" / "Brexit" now that's the type of issues that "people know about". Gamergate coverage oth, received less amount of screentime/newspaper space as an mid tier NBA trade or Samsung releasing a new phone.
Non-Gamers look down upon "nerds" for the same reasons they did in High School, it isn't sexy.
Most of the people that participated in that nonsense is not indicative of the wide gaming community as a whole. While video games are generally created by male developers, it is important to understand that those particular consumers, in this case the Gamergaters, are not the explicit norm in gaming communities, they’re a fringe group.
I still have no idea what the fuss is over GamerGate...
As for the nerds stereotype...you only have to look at any gaming forum.
Plus the whole man-child thing. And the obsession with anime thing. And the hygiene thing. And the out of shape thing. And a whole host of other issues.
As for the nerds stereotype...you only have to look at any gaming forum.
Plus the whole man-child thing. And the obsession with anime thing. And the hygiene thing. And the out of shape thing. And a whole host of other issues.
Except nobody likes you. So, yes it is sad. I can understand why a group of people that spent most of their lives being marginalized and treated like shit might end up excluding others for stupid reasons. I don't agree with it, but I can certainly understand it.
I think any group of people that defines itself by the media they consume to be really.... I don't want to say pathetic because that's too harsh. Sad maybe?
It can be video game obsessives, Twilight people (do they still exist?), comic book nuts, etc. It's such a juvenile approach to the world and speaks to the depressing traits of our consumerist society.
It can be video game obsessives, Twilight people (do they still exist?), comic book nuts, etc. It's such a juvenile approach to the world and speaks to the depressing traits of our consumerist society.
Everyone says they are a nerd though. You are a nerd if you study for a test, that’s how low the bar is
Online, they are the vocal majority. Even on left-leaning forums, talk of diversity, objectification, racism, sexism, and other issues that social minorities in gaming face bring up these people who don't care and want to maintain the status quo. Just constantly diminishing the scale of the problem. Stuff like you're forcing developers, you are calling for censorship, I don't see an issue with it so why should you, show me the stats that gamers are sexist or racist, Twitch chat doesn't represent the vast majority of gamers, it's online what do you expect I also get harassed, get a thick skin, etc.
”Nerd” is such a useless term. Star Wars and Marvel dominating cinema box offices just goes to show that nobody gives a shit about the media you consume; rather, it’s the amount of effort you put towards bettering your social capabilities.
Most “addicted online users” have the tendency to exhibit toxic traits such as the ones that you mentioned. Considering most online gamers qualify under the umbrella term of “addicted online users,” then it’s sound to conclude that these users will begin to exhibit toxic mindsets and behavior in their online behavior. I believe that the core of this problem is not gaming itself, rather it’s the anonymity and lack of punitive consequences given to deplorable behavior on the internet. Gaming, like many technology industries, are full of either men or women that are addicted to “being online” and reveling in toxic behaviors. To target the root of the issue we need to begin with punitive actions relating to bigotry in online spaces and to dismantle institutions that allow these mindsets to fester.
Last edited:
You don't see the problem with women in the video games industry being harassed by 'Gamers'?
GG is simple. Some people did not like that some other people where calling aspects of gaming out for being sexist. So they pushed back against this but tried to hide the fact they wanted to keep the sexist aspects by saying it was about ethics in game journalism instead.
Being bullied for most of my life for being a nerd made me more aware of stuff like racism and homophobia (as a kid, I saw those issues as worse bullying that doesn't stop after you finish high school). I think it's a damn shame that more nerds didn't have that viewpoint.
Such elitism or bullying also exist inside the nerd culture.
"I am a true gamer who enjoy Dark Souls, not like these Call of Dudebros"
"Dark Souls 3 is such a noobish casual fest and a betrayal from From"
"Back off with your single player game kids, I rule an empire in EvE."
"I am a true gamer who enjoy Dark Souls, not like these Call of Dudebros"
"Dark Souls 3 is such a noobish casual fest and a betrayal from From"
"Back off with your single player game kids, I rule an empire in EvE."
I would have though it was more like having an entire bookcase devoted to 19th century French poetry, having a book or two isn’t the same.
ftom my experience i have to say that's pretty spot on
Such elitism or bullying also exist inside the nerd culture.
"I am a true gamer who enjoy Dark Souls, not like these Call of Dudebros"
"Dark Souls 3 is such a noobish casual fest and a betrayal from From"
"Back off with your single player game kids, I rule an empire in EvE."
My point is that most of the respect that geek and/or nerd culture receives is based around a really superficial image of each. The acceptable parts generally revolve around fashion and status symbols, and their appeal lies almost solely within their social aspects. I'd actually go so far as to say that whether you're "geeky" or "nerdy" doesn't matter so much as does the fact that you're sociable or successful in general. It's not respect (or lack thereof) for the culture, per se; you're ultimately still judged in the same manner as before all of this was popular. If you're immensely popular or successful in general, then you've likely got an in, anyway, so yeah, your interests will probably be treated with more respect, because they're likely core to who you are and how you found success.
People need to divorce the idea that liking GoT and star wars means "nerd" culture. Star Wars especially has never been about nerds. You think nerds are the reason why it became a hit in the 70s?
What makes a nerd, a nerd is how much they consume a certain type of work. If you only watch the movies and move on in your life chances are you are simply an average person.
If you go beyond that spend hours breaking down all the intricacies and get all the minor stuff, that changes you from a normal consumer to a hardcore fan.
In any case as others have said, maybe don't based your identity around the products you consumer. And no, I am not saying what she said was right. Anyone that insults someone with the word faggot is automatically a worthless and horrible person to me.
What makes a nerd, a nerd is how much they consume a certain type of work. If you only watch the movies and move on in your life chances are you are simply an average person.
If you go beyond that spend hours breaking down all the intricacies and get all the minor stuff, that changes you from a normal consumer to a hardcore fan.
In any case as others have said, maybe don't based your identity around the products you consumer. And no, I am not saying what she said was right. Anyone that insults someone with the word faggot is automatically a worthless and horrible person to me.
It's this, at least from my perspective. 'Nerd culture' is so heavily predicated on consumption that people start feeling entitled to entertainment they don't need, that they demand everything be catered to them. Kicking up an overwhelming shitstorm about how an electronic Star Wars toy is bad because they feel owed a good game, they feel owed a lootbox-less game when nobody actually owes them that.
Reddit has some of the most heinous shit ever posted to it on the daily, and yet what is the most downvoted post on that site? A PR statement from EA. Imagine harnessing that much impotent rage into something actually important.
And then there's how much of their identity gets wound up into what the consume. Look at any thread about GotY lists and noms, either here or elsewhere, and see how many people seem personally affronted that some people they've never met didn't like a video game as much as they did.
Last edited:
Ahh yes all nerd culture is terrible, great rebuttal.
Ontopic: Because people are dickheads and make assumptions based on anything they hear.
No, he's saying that a lot of nerd culture reinforces being misogynistic and self-victimising. See: Gamergate.
You mean a small segment under the umbrella of the giant nerd culture?
I used to be really concerned about how people viewed my gaming habits, probably into my early 20s but I’ve surrounded myself with people who all enjoy similar hobbies. I’ve begun to realize that the person who doesn’t play games at all (even mobile) and doesn’t see their value looks as crazy as the person who says they don’t listen to any music.
Ok lol that’s just another judgement but I feel like gaming is so ingrained in our culture now that it’s really odd for someone to say it has no value.
If someone is truly being rude about it, which I see less and less, I usually just snap back at them and make fun of them for being antiquated/cliche/no fun. That usually shuts them up because I’ve noticed most ppl who do that don’t expect a real response especially one so critical of them.
But maybe this isn’t the best way to go about it. My brother and sister in law laugh when I try to show my nieces and nephews Miyazaki films saying “omg you watch anime!?!” which is annoying.
Ok lol that’s just another judgement but I feel like gaming is so ingrained in our culture now that it’s really odd for someone to say it has no value.
If someone is truly being rude about it, which I see less and less, I usually just snap back at them and make fun of them for being antiquated/cliche/no fun. That usually shuts them up because I’ve noticed most ppl who do that don’t expect a real response especially one so critical of them.
But maybe this isn’t the best way to go about it. My brother and sister in law laugh when I try to show my nieces and nephews Miyazaki films saying “omg you watch anime!?!” which is annoying.
It's still easy to knock the "nerd" down a few pegs. Kind of a legacy attitude, considering "nerd" culture is more accepted and popular than ever. The side effect on this surge has been a greater visibility of the dark underbelly and there's been some blowback. Nerd is also an outdated umbrella label.
I work in a dev studio and also enjoy football. The smart arse condescending remarks that get made whenever the ball comes out show me that nerds, geeks or gamers are just ignorant about hobbies outside of their interests. That's what it comes down to for me. Ignorance. Some people just want to shit on things they know very little about.
Why are you worried about what someone thinks? People spend too much time worrying about what other people think. If you like it do it.
Huh. Today I learned that my social anxiety is apparently a completely fine reason to ridicule and belittle me simply because I enjoy video games and comics. Go figure.
What a weird thread
What a weird thread
