Fake Geek Girls, Where did it start?

[MorganL4]

Okay, so I turned on my PC one day and came here, to find that Jim had done an episode on Fake Geek Girls.... Okay, odd topic, not an issue I knew existed...But okay....

Then Cory and Johnathan do a Critical Miss on the issue, ha ha guys Madoka Magica and all.... Good show, strange that I get the same topic twice in one week, but coincidences happen....

Then Bob gets involved...... Okay seriously I want to know what is causing this whole uproar, of what I thought was a non issue.

And last but not least, yesterday we get the official escapist crew doing part of their podcast on this...

What caused this sudden issue to piss off my favorite site? An issue that I thought didn't really exist outside of a few crazy guys who can't get laid and want to take that out on the opposite sex......


I want my Escapist back.......

 

[Eddie the head]

I heard some comic book writer said something in his blog. And blew up form there? I might be wrong I didn't care to look it up.

 

[yeti585]

Okay, so I turned on my PC one day and came here, to find that Jim had done an episode on Fake Geek Girls.... Okay, odd topic, not an issue I knew existed...But okay....

Then Cory and Johnathan do a Critical Miss on the issue, ha ha guys Madoka Magica and all.... Good show, strange that I get the same topic twice in one week, but coincidences happen....

Then Bob gets involved...... Okay seriously I want to know what is causing this whole uproar, of what I thought was a non issue.

And last but not least, yesterday we get the official escapist crew doing part of their podcast on this...

What caused this sudden issue to piss off my favorite site? An issue that I thought didn't really exist outside of a few crazy guys who can't get laid and want to take that out on the opposite sex......


I want my Escapist back.......

Well, you see, the Escapist has been going at this all wrong (at least Jim is, I don't know how satirical the Critical Miss strip was of either side). It's not a super attractive girl dressing up like Catwoman to get attention from an overweight unattractive nerd. It's a mainstream crowd using geeky/nerdy/gamer/etc. stereotypes to say how much of a "geek" they are. This is all well and good, minus the stereotype part, but actually being a geek is looked down upon.

[sup]also, no one wants to hear how someone has "no life" because they spent half an hour playing Pokémon on their DS for the sixty fifth time.[/sup]

 

[Zoe Castillo]

--

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Me and some of the others basically went over this in the latest CommuniCast.

I can understand why some people are bothered by it, but honestly, it's pretty fucking ironic, all things considering.

'Oh, I suffered through my early years being a geek, why should others get to call themselves a geek without the having to go through the social scorn I had to?'

What is a geek exactly?

As gamers, we're always nitpicking over what words mean, we can't even nail down absolute definitions of game genres, let alone label each other ¬_¬

Like I said in the CommuniCast, I don't consider someone who only plays Call of Duty a 'real' gamer (ugh), compared to someone who experiences a wide range of genres, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be a douche about it and start whining about how our club is getting invaded by 'posers'.

 

[Lionsfan]

Me and some of the others basically went over this in the latest CommuniCast.

I can understand why some people are bothered by it, but honestly, it's pretty fucking ironic, all things considering.

'Oh, I suffered through my early years being a geek, why should others get to call themselves a geek without the having to go through the social scorn I had to?'

What is a geek exactly?

As gamers, we're always nitpicking over what words mean, we can't even nail down absolute definitions of game genres, let alone label each other ¬_¬

Like I said in the CommuniCast, I don't consider someone who only plays Call of Duty a 'real' gamer (ugh), compared to someone who experiences a wide range of genres, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be a douche about it and start whining about how our club is getting invaded by 'posers'.

So then what is your definition of a "gamer"? Not being rude or sarcastic, genuinely curious


As for the Fake Geek Girls, it's just like Feminism, Sexism, Trayvon Martin, Video Music Awards, etc. etc. Hot Topics show up every few months, everybody decides they "have to address the problem", has a few flamewars (or a lot, looking at you Sexism), and then everybody forgets about it 2 months later. And then it's usually replaced by a new hot topic

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Me and some of the others basically went over this in the latest CommuniCast.

I can understand why some people are bothered by it, but honestly, it's pretty fucking ironic, all things considering.

'Oh, I suffered through my early years being a geek, why should others get to call themselves a geek without the having to go through the social scorn I had to?'

What is a geek exactly?

As gamers, we're always nitpicking over what words mean, we can't even nail down absolute definitions of game genres, let alone label each other ¬_¬

Like I said in the CommuniCast, I don't consider someone who only plays Call of Duty a 'real' gamer (ugh), compared to someone who experiences a wide range of genres, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be a douche about it and start whining about how our club is getting invaded by 'posers'.

So then what is your definition of a "gamer"? Not being rude or sarcastic, genuinely curious


As for the Fake Geek Girls, it's just like Feminism, Sexism, Trayvon Martin, Video Music Awards, etc. etc. Hot Topics show up every few months, everybody decides they "have to address the problem", has a few flamewars (or a lot, looking at you Sexism), and then everybody forgets about it 2 months later. And then it's usually replaced by a new hot topic

Someone who plays games, but like everything, there's varying amounts of dedication.

If you really want to get into it, there's the whole 'casual' and 'core' gamer crowd, but really, I don't care for labels that much. More often than not, they're used as an undeserved self-gratifying attempt at feeling superior over others than an actual measurement of how 'into' the hobby an individual is.

 

[mad825]

Well, you see, the Escapist has been going at this all wrong (at least Jim is, I don't know how satirical the Critical Miss strip was of either side). It's not a super attractive girl dressing up like Catwoman to get attention from an overweight unattractive nerd. It's a mainstream crowd using geeky/nerdy/gamer/etc. stereotypes to say how much of a "geek" they are. This is all well and good, minus the stereotype part, but actually being a geek is looked down upon.

[sup]also, no one wants to hear how someone has "no life" because they spent half an hour playing Pokémon on their DS for the sixty fifth time.[/sup]

Pretty much this.

It's just about as bad as that guy who keeps on boasting how many woman he's slept with. It's the case of trying too hard, unnatural, not cool and pretty much damn right pathetic while also raising suspicion on their claim.

 

[A Satanic Panda]

I agree with Daystar. The attractive boys and girls from high-school that ostracized them for being "geeky" made being geeky or nerdy also mean you are an outcast. Now the same people that made them outcast want to join them, and the geeks and nerds are not welcome to it. That was their identity, they don't want it taken away. Especially sense they forced the outcast identity on them in the first place, and now they want to force them to be mainstream.

Captcha: DICK and the Hopper

 

[sextus the crazy]

Well, you see, the Escapist has been going at this all wrong (at least Jim is, I don't know how satirical the Critical Miss strip was of either side). It's not a super attractive girl dressing up like Catwoman to get attention from an overweight unattractive nerd. It's a mainstream crowd using geeky/nerdy/gamer/etc. stereotypes to say how much of a "geek" they are. This is all well and good, minus the stereotype part, but actually being a geek is looked down upon.

[sup]also, no one wants to hear how someone has "no life" because they spent half an hour playing Pokémon on their DS for the sixty fifth time.[/sup]

This.

also...

"Being a nerd is a byproduct of losing yourself in what you do, often at the expense of friends, family and hygiene. Until or unless you've paid your dues, you aren't welcome. Being a nerd isn't graceful or glorious. It's a life born out of obsessive dedication to a craft, discipline or collecting some stupid shit that only you care about."
-Maddox, 'You're not a nerd, geeks aren't sexy and you don't "fucking love" science.'

Nerd is a title earn by having certain characteristics. It's not a fucking trend for people to superficially latch on too.
Unlike some others, I like having more gender equality in my hobbies and having people who care or want to care about them. What I don't like is people trying to use said titles and hobbies superficially for their own popularity before discarding them later.

 

[Genocidicles]

To me it's not about people enjoying something I enjoy, or not 'earning' their nerd cred.

It's more about me worrying that I'll go and talk to someone who seems to be like me, only for them to turn out to be the same kind of person who annoyed me at school.

 

[yeti585]

What I don't like is people trying to use said titles and hobbies superficially for their own popularity before discarding them later.

It's more about me worrying that I'll go and talk to someone who seems to be like me, only for them to turn out to be the same kind of person who annoyed me at school.

(not a direct response) Okay, let's say the kind of fake-geek-girls the escapist is talking about were the ones in question, or that they exist. Wouldn't what their doing be akin to a guy telling a woman in a bar that he's an architect/musician/insert title that stereotypically interests women, when he's really not?

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

I don't care, I'm often too busy enjoying the things I enjoy to give a damn if other people are genuine in their enjoyment of the same things. I've said it before once a sub culture attracts a certain level of attention it is going to attract the so called 'posers'. The thing is once geekdom falls out of fashion then the ones who where in it because it was cool at the time will move on to whatever is then in vogue anyway. So why concern yourself with it?

Secondly I find the notion that you need to go through the same abuse nerds used to go through just to call yourself one is awfully petty. Treating others as outcast because they don't meet your own preconcieved checklist of nerdom as outcast makes you come across as no better than the ones who treated nerds as outcast. And in the end treating others as you may have been treated is not going to change that it did happen to you.

 

[phylline]

I'm not even sure this is a real phenomenon. Either way, it's interesting how the issue is completely focusing on "fake geek" women, not "fake geek" men as well.

 

[mechashiva77]

I'd have to agree with the others, and say it's from that guy who was raging at girls at conventions. I can understand the "real" reason behind the hatred, but it often escalates to the point where others begin to attack solely women or people in general who legitimately want to get into gaming but don't know that much. Do people really need to be bullied in school or tormented in order to be considered a geek? That's like saying you need to be a bully to enjoy sports. The hypocrisy of it annoys me sometimes. A lot of us are always striving to be accepted as a serious medium and don't want others to judge us (i.e. the post about some geezer raging at geek culture), and yet we are constantly at each other's throats over stuff that is inconsequential.

I don't care, I'm often too busy enjoying the things I enjoy to give a damn if other people are genuine in their enjoyment of the same things. I've said it before once a sub culture attracts a certain level of attention it is going to attract the so called 'posers'. The thing is once geekdom falls out of fashion then the ones who where in it because it was cool at the time will move on to whatever is then in vogue anyway. So why concern yourself with it?

Secondly I find the notion that you need to go through the same abuse nerds used to go through just to call yourself one is awfully petty. Treating others as outcast because they don't meet your own preconcieved checklist of nerdom as outcast makes you come across as no better than the ones who treated nerds as outcast. And in the end treating others as you may have been treated is not going to change that it did happen to you.

This guy put it best.

 

[sextus the crazy]

What I don't like is people trying to use said titles and hobbies superficially for their own popularity before discarding them later.

It's more about me worrying that I'll go and talk to someone who seems to be like me, only for them to turn out to be the same kind of person who annoyed me at school.

(not a direct response) Okay, let's say the kind of fake-geek-girls the escapist is talking about were the ones in question, or that they exist. Wouldn't what their doing be akin to a guy telling a woman in a bar that he's an architect/musician/insert title that stereotypically interests women, when he's really not?

Yeah, and blatant lying to pick up romantic partners is pretty scumy in itself.

 

[sextus the crazy]

I'm not even sure this is a real phenomenon. Either way, it's interesting how the issue is completely focusing on "fake geek" women, not "fake geek" men as well.

Yeah, I know guys are also guilty of this crime. Maybe, people perceive it as a women thing (outside of sexism) partially due to the popularity of shows like the big bang theory, which has a cast of mostly male nerds, and therefore, the people who perceive them as "sexy" or their nerd traits as "desirable" are mostly women. Perhaps, said women don't like their "nerdiness" so much as their "quirkiness" combined with their modest conventional attractiveness.

I hate it when you see some asshole who's like "OMG, just played madden on my Xbox. I'm such a nerd." like doing one of the most socially accepted gaming related things get's you nerd status.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Wait what, why is this a thing?

Girl likes a sexy outfit.
Girl puts on sexy outfit, 'cos it's sexy, without having any interest in the medium from which the outfit originated.

The end.

The only lesson here, people, is that some outfits look good.