Much has changed in the past two decades. At one point, those who played video games were considered basement-dwelling nerds who never saw sunlight and had little social skills. Now, the video game industry is the largest entertainment industry on the planet, enjoyed by young and old, and increasingly enjoyed by disabled folks too, which is fantastic.
At another point, Dungeons & Dragons, the tabletop role-playing game, was considered a worrying, even toxic and anti-religious game hosted by people in dark rooms with candles burning. Now, even Amazon Prime shows have been created to showcase various campaigns, with local breweries running game nights up and down the country.
It just goes to show that if something is fun, community-based, and can provide good memories, it’s sure to spread. The assumption that it’s bad or somehow a failing to geek out over something, no matter how popular or minor that is, is just thoroughly incorrect. In fact, you should thoroughly embrace your geeky interests, and in this article, we hope to say why in order to settle the matter once and for all:
Geeky Interests Lead To Community
There are a lot of geeks out there. It might not seem so to begin with, but you’d be amazed at how many collector’s forums, subreddits, and content creators exist, talking about the most niche topics and hobbies.
You may even find that small hobbyist groups are available near you. No matter if you’re into Warhammer or talking about old football history, or classic car restoration, or board games and conventions, or even old card games that have been out of print for ten years, you’re bound to find a community to talk to if you go online and discuss these topics, starting a conversation you find interesting.
Often, finding common interests with people out there can help you realize that your nerdy hobby is hardly as nerdy as you think. In fact, there’s always a bigger nerd.
Appreciation & Details
Geeks are great because they genuinely care about the detail of a given interest. They appreciate it for what it is, focus on its value, and explore creatively with that. For instance, it might be that you’re looking to craft a fantastic model village of the British railway system in your home or garden. Searching here for the best and most beautiful models you can use shows that essential and beautiful craftsmanship goes into the preservation of such a hobby.
The same goes for those who tinker with software in their spare time, modding video games simply for the fun of it. Perhaps you’ll find that when you create a draught of your own bottled beer using a kit, that other people with much advice to impart online are more than willing to help you too. Seeing your nerdy hobby as more than just a ‘geek zone’ and an actual craft that deserves your respect to learn and enjoy is more than worthwhile.
Learning History
Learning the history of your interests can be tremendously insightful, helping you round off your general knowledge and also your tangential knowledge of other topics as a result. Perhaps, for instance, you have a real love for the design of ancient military uniforms, such as those the Greeks or the Romans would wear into battle.
This can lead to a range of other interests, such as military tactics, or societal events of note, or learning about individuals that really pushed the course of history in a given direction. Learning history is an exciting and appropriate use of your time, giving you the chance to grow and develop within your hobby, not as a disembodied part of the world, but an essential part of it.
Productivity
Sometimes, it might be that your ‘geeky hobby’ is something that turns into a very profitable habit indeed. Perhaps your love for languages and learning them helps you offer subtitling services to online content creators making video essays about films on YouTube.
Or, perhaps your aforementioned interest in uniforms inspires you to create a few replicas, and before you know it you’re selling them on stores like Etsy in the best possible way. Productivity matters when you absolutely love the subject, even if that means serving as the ‘host’ or ‘dungeon master’ of your friend’s dungeons and dragons campaign.
We tend to think of recreation and productivity as opposed, but that’s not necessarily the case. Seek to excel in your geeky interest, and you’ll see how that can be the case.
With this advice, we hope you can thoroughly embrace your geeky interests in the best possible manner.
