Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Cersei Lannister getting a divorce, Safari 6, or your favorite BBQ sauce, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
While talking about fake geek girls in yesterday’s Coffee Talk, RPadholic N8R brought up an excellent point about gaming not being geeky anymore. Videogames are most certainly mainstream. Comic books — or comic-book movies, anyway — are definitely mainstream. Even the rules of fashion have changed. Isn’t it weird that many NBA players wear outfits that Steve Urkel used to rock in Family Matters? What do you think passes for geeky and nerdy in 2012?
About a decade ago, my dear friend Rannie got swept up in the knitting craze that was blowing through San Francisco. I made fun of her for joining a knitting circle, but stopped the jokes after she made me a cool camouflage scarf. A few game writers I know enjoy LARPing (live action role-playing), which was portrayed as a nerd hobby in the movie Role Models. Some of my New York friends have taken their love of sports to a geeky level with their love of advanced stats. I distinctly remember trying to enjoy peanuts and a baseball game while two of my friends were arguing about the value of WAR (wins above replacement).
All that said, I’m not really sure how geeky or nerdy any of those things are. Considering that my life usually revolves around videogames, comic books, and mobile tech, I’m not in any sort of position to label anything as such. How about you? What do you think is geeky and nerdy in 2012?
Proper Grammar.
Grammar kicks ass!
I agree. The average person is just getting really, really stupid. I suspect in a few years we will elect Hulk Hogan to the supreme court and will start irrigating our crops with Brawndo. It’s got what plants crave.
Sad but true.
Electrolytes are what plants need.
I don’t know why, but I find ascots incredibly nerdy for some reason.
Also, people who are WAY into Magic: The Gathering and old-school Dungeons & Dragons stuff… but hey, my various Star Trek figures and Enterprise models are telling me that I have no right to talk.
-M
I still feel that comic books is still a nerdy thing. I dont see prints sold out at the small shops. The day i cant walk into a small shop an cant catch up on 3 weeks of comics is the day comics are mainstream.
You’re right about physical comics, but the culture stemming from the books has become mainstream. Like I mentioned, comic-book movies are a huge deal these days. Today at lunch I saw a typical LA woman wearing a Thor t-shirt. I meant to, but forgot to mention Comic-Con in the article. That used to be nerd heaven, but not it’s full of people wanting to see movie trailers, Twilight fans that have lines up for days, etc. It’s kind of nuts that outlets like E!, People, and Extra now have Comic-Con coverage.
Ur right about that aspect but the traditional comic book scene is still geek territory. The movies arent because of hollywood but i still have that haven. I think thats why i still go into shops. I get to walk in listen to people like me argue over stories or how a comic brand is messing up traditional stories and thats something that no mainstreamer coming in will ever be able to get.
To be fair, part of the reason that comic-book stores are floundering is that most physical-media stores are dying or already dead.
I want to be the last “hold out” on this. TPB’s and hard-covers are exceptionally better quality than the old, ad-ridden news rags they have had in the past. No e-reader will ever match the feeling you get from physically turning the pages and seeing the artwork on high-quality paper. Also, I don’t have to worry about not being able to read my graphic novels because of the battery life. In addition, I can sell my collection if ever I get bored of them or need to raise some cash. If I am not mistaken, you cannot do that with a digital copy.
I may try an e-reader for comics that I am mildly interested in and are relatively cheap, but for those series that I care about and really cherish, you cannot beat physical books.
I envision one day where I can hand down my collection to my son and read some of them with him. If it was a digital copy, I don’t think it would be the same.
-M
Records sound better than MP3s too, yet….
Yes, but the huge gaping hole in that argument is portability. I cannot take a record player with me everywhere I go, but a book and an e-reader are petty much the same size (minus the thickness, which depends on the book). If you put an e-reader in your bag, chances are that you can put a graphic novel in there as well. The same is not true for an mp3 player and a record player.
Aside from the quantity of books you can carry on an e-reader vs. a traditional paperback and ease of purchase (convenience), there is no other advantage that an e-reader has over the physical book.
With the exception of my iPhone (4 years old now) and my Xbox, I am perfectly happy living in the 20th century. You people can enjoy your hoverboards, flying cars, shoes that tie themselves, cybernetic implants, and robots that do all your house-hold chores for you. Oh wait…
-M
How about CDs vs. MP3s? The audio quality is better on CDs. You can carry hundreds of albums with you on a phone. Carrying hundreds of CDs at a time is difficult.
Being able to carry thousands of comics with you at a time is a pretty huge advantage. It’s fantastic for traveling and eliminates the need for storage space.
The hole in that argument is time. I can listen to a whole album before I get halfway done with “Knightfall”. If you are on a plane ride to Thailand, you can listen to way more CDs than you can read graphic novels. Well, maybe it’s just me because I like to take my time reading and looking at the artwork, but seriously, how many TPBs can you read on that flight? It pales in comparison to how many songs you can listen to in the same amount of time. Also, once you get to your destination, I seriously doubt that you are going to just sit under a tree in Phuket and read hundreds of comics for the duration of your trip.
Again, it all comes down to convenience. E-readers are great because I have the convenience of choosing amongst a wide variety of comics and the ease of purchase (since I don’t have to go to a store or wait for the mail to arrive). Obviously, if I want to read the same thing in paperback form, I would have to prearrange that when I pack and then those are the ones that I am stuck with for the whole trip, even if I change my mind. The big plus of instant gratification and convenience is all I am willing to bow to for these electronic readers.
-M
… and yes, I chose “Phuket” as my hypothetical place for the exact reasons that you are thinking of.
Travel isn’t just flight time. I’ve been on several business trips with long breaks or where I’ve stayed in hotels with poor television selection.
Additionally, digital comics get better over time. My Comixology collection has already been upgraded to a higher resolution to support the new iPad. Paper books deteriorate, even under the best care.
Truth is… I have no idea what’s geeky and what’s not anymore. I would think the fact that I’m in my 30’s and still in a band is geeky in ways, but at the same time, I just don’t know.
I love that you’re still in a band. A lot of people give up on creative outlets and artistic dreams as they get older. It’s awesome that you still perform and express with music.
I tried to quit, I really did. I stopped playing for like 2 and a half years.
See, my dad was a professional musician my whole life. He never had any other job, and supported my brother and I just through music. When he died, I wasn’t sure if I had picked up music for him, or for personal reasons. I had to find out, so I quit.
2 and a half years later, I find myself incomplete and lacking ambition. It’s affecting my family, my friends, and everything else. I realized then that succeeding at music wasn’t what I wanted, but in fact it was simply the pursuit that kept me whole.
Ironically, around the same time I found out that my dad had MULTIPLE opportunities to reach the next level, but turned them all down. Apparently, he had learned what I had learned much earlier.
Long story short, the thrill of the hunt is way better than the thrill of the kill.