Geek³

Originally posted at WNE on 07/31/07

Twice in my 25 years I have been in situations were I realized the full scale and ultimate limit of my geekdom. I looked deep into the nerdy nether and was left wanting.

Not addressing my qualifications might make this story feel a bit empty, so I'll climb that hill first. I have been playing video games for 19 years and while that may seem normal these days with the popularity of games like Halo in frats across America, my love goes deeper. Playing MMO's takes it to another level, but I read the fan fiction and spend countless hours at lore sites to boot. Building computers is a hobby now , but at one point it was an obsession. Owning action figures used to be as simple as playing with them, now I buy them as decoration. Finally, I listen to podcast, watch vidcast, read webcomics and write two blogs.

Now that I have established how deep the rabbit hole goes, let me share what is too far for me. In sixth grade I collected comics and eventually comic cards (think baseball cards, but with super heroes), when I got to seventh grade I discovered magic cards. What was not to like? I collected cards already (baseball and comic) and I liked games. The combination of the two should have been geek heaven. No such luck, I end up buying a starter deck from a kid on the bus for five dollars and then selling them back the next day. Sitting on my bed the night I essentially rented some magic cards I came to the realization that while the concept still seemed cool to me, the act of actually playing would be outside of my comfort zone.

Lesson learned. Nope, while living on shit block some eight years later I discovered Warhammer 40,000 or just "40k" if your in the know. I love miniatures, I had a brief model railroad fling in middle school and still dream of having a room in our house dedicated to the craft when I'm older. I also love a good RTS, I have played most every major RTS title available since first playing the original Warcraft demo. Again, combine the two there should be geek magic in the air...right?

I spent two weeks pouring over "40k" fan sites, reading painting tutorials and planning my army. Eventually I ordered a few kits online and picked up paints from a local shop. I would attend class during the day and come home to paint and glue the night away. When my army was nearing completion I decided to stop by for a scheduled game night at the previously mentioned store. The crowd assembled at the shop was a shock to my system. I was expecting like minded fans who had as much passion for the art as they did for the game. What I got was pimple faced kids dressed in black and forty somethings who looked like they still lived with their parents. They had rag tag armies, that were at best unpainted and at worst not even official game pieces. Short a Razorback, just substitute it with a spray painted hotwheel. Dreams crushed, I went home and boxed up my paints and unfinished army.

I have been tempted to dip my toe in "40k" pool since the opening of an official Games Workshop, but the scars are still too fresh. Twice burned by geek hobbies, I am hesitant to fly too close to the sun on wings made of circuit boards and Mt.Dew. For now I will hold up in my geek fortress (read: my house) and stick with console modding and late night video game binges.