For the gamers who might be concerned I threw them under the bus and stole their “Geek Badge,” you are not losing your title anytime soon. You may never totally lose it. It’s just that games keep getting pulled into the mainstream. My mother, who never understood my playing “A Link to the Past” for hours on end, now sits for hours playing “Peggle.”
I understand the gamers’ concern. I feel a twinge of rage every time I hear someone talking about what an awesome character Whiplash is. Movies are stealing comics away from us comic geeks. I am glad to see my favorite characters on the big screen, however, everyone can see comic movies. This means even the people who call us geeks get to enjoy them.
For example: When Rob went to “The Dark Knight Returns” he saw a person in high school that picked on him for being a comic geek and overheard him saying how cool Batman was. It was a slap in the face.
It’s like when a band you love gets discovered. You enjoy the fact that they are getting paid so they can make more music. You get more music, and your band may be around longer because of it. The downside is that money changes things. The sound might change, your fellow fans may change, and now there may be more fans. Tons of new fans. It’s a double-edged sword.
So gamers, I get it. If games and comics join the mainstream, we might lose our geek identity. It’s not fair and I hate to be the one to say it. I know none of this makes it any easier to take, and I may deserve a little ire. I just hope you understand that I wasn’t demoting you or viewing you as anything other than geek brethren. The geek landscape is changing, and we need to prepare for the future. The world is slowly stealing away our passion for mainstream abuse. While fighting to hold on to your integrity, remember what side you’re on. We’re all in it together.
