Like many geeks, I am not, nor have I ever been, very comfortable in my geeky obsessions. They are hidden away, buried and untalked about. I’m not just talking about my love of movies and science fiction and the occasional computer game. I have secreted away still geekier joys, of which I will not speak.
But let’s say, hypothetically, that I enjoyed something like….model building. Hypothetically.
Today, I went to Pandemonium Books and Games (hypothetically) to buy a model. A lot of gaming shops will also have tables and space available for people to gather and game and have fun. As I stood there, clutching my Tyranid Pyrovore detailed metal cast kit and medium dry brush, I snorted at the kids playing Magic the Gathering and thought, Nerds, before going back to looking for Warlock Purple paint pots.
Now, I know I’m in no position to judge. I have a Spiderman Beanie Baby, an action figure of the Queen from Aliens and an un-assembled Imperial Guard engineseer on my desk. I’m firmly a geek.
But my own unwillingness to admit that this to anyone who I haven’t carefully vetted makes me extremely dismissive of people who I consider geekier than me. And that’s a little bit shameful. I have no right to judge other people’s hobbies. I shouldn’t pretend I’m not one of them and scoff at them and give them odd looks.
At the very least, I’ll take this space to admit my inner geek and to formally apologize to everyone over the past year that I’ve scoffed and snorted at.
Here’s to being more accepting of my own kind.
-D-
dylancharles.net 