The "Geek girl" video brought a tear to my eye.

[PedantMarina]

GeekGirlVideo

I only discovered it today, but I like it so much I had to share it.

Brilliant!

It fab, not seen it before, so thanks for sharing.

I am that geek. I have been gaming, comic booking and messing about with computers since I was a child. Everyone from my vile mother to random people in comic book shops has questioned why I enjoy it. I have never seen a male in a comic book shop being asked why he's there, ever. I used to really care, now, not so much. I am in my 40's. I am still a geek. People who don't like it can just fuck off

It's through being a geek I've gotten into feminism. I have been pretty lucky and had geeky circles of friends since my Uni days, all of which have included plenty of women. To me it was just normal, one of the things I liked about geek culture was how inclusive it was. However from gaming in recent years and the recent DC Comics reboot I've come to notice that either it has become more mysoginistic in recent years, or it possibly always was and I didn't notice.

I'm at a loss why things have to be that way. I want the things I love to be accessible to anyone that loves them. Although my experiences at school meant that my nerdy interests got me marginalised by my peer group, and in no way compares to being on the receiving end of misogyny (my social life completely turned around by the time I hit 18), I would have thought those men like me who went through that would have some level of empathy for anyone of any gender, race or creed who gets treated as second class, and would not want to perpetuate the same bullshit.

So to any Geek Girls out there rock on! You make the whole adventure infinitely better by your presence, and in my view any boy geeks who don't feel the same are the ones who have the suspect geek credentials.

And the thing is (sorry for not posting earlier - didn't think I'd get any replies!), but geek girls are nearly the only ones that will give geek guys the time of day. Do they really want to offend that market?!?

Mind, I've had some bad experience. I think some [geek, but not limited to] guys are so withdrawn they just can't cope with real living, breathing women. I'd broken up with one guy because he just didn't see me as a real person, was so wrapped up in not just geek ephemera but porn, etc, that after I left him he has not, since, had a girlfriend and is - "happy" is too strong a word - but not willing to change his lot in life. He and his friends occasionally go off to Brighton to hire prostitutes occasionally (or maybe they're doing each other, pondered this occasionally but not my business any more), and his mum does the rest. What more could he need, I'm sure he's thinking...

Thanks for listening.

BTW, which sleb have we spotted? The main one I'm aware of is Wil Wheaton (which clashes a bit with the "asshole" persona he has in BBT, but that's OK).

Adam Savage from Mythbusters is in it. He looks really happy about being in it as well!

I'm a massive geek (preparing to run a tabletop rpg for a group of friends tomorrow night, love computer games although I don't play them that often and have 4 feminist comics on my bookshelf to read). I was a member of the uni gaming society and met my partner through it. I've never been accused of not being a real geek, thank goodness, and it makes me really sad that it occurs. I don't have enough female geek friends, though. :(

OK, I don't do RPG - tried it, just left me Meh.

DP does C&S, though, and online and I enable him.

Anybody interested by the way?

I'm all about the Trek, the Pratchett, history geek (we're reenactors), and am [re] discovering most of the comic franchis films. DS (3.5) is totally into things like Spider Man and Iron Man these days, so I have good reasons to watch all that. Not that I'm saying I need a good reason, more like time-budgetary constraints >sigh

What is C&S? And what do you re-enact?

munkysea, I don't have enough female geek friends either. And what system for your RPG? /nosy

Chivalry & Sorcery (as opposed to D&D) - he says there's too much dice-rolling in D&D and Warhammer. I'm not sure, but I think C&S is more story&rules based, like, use your common sense.

We do Viking/Saxon era (which we refuse to call "Dark Ages" - Francis Pryor has convinced us otherwise) and Georgian/Pirate. Used to do Tudor, dabbled briefly in WotR.

We didn't watch The Tudors, and aren't bothering with The White Queen. Got to admit to enjoying the Borgias, but mainly because the fabrics/clothes are almost painfully gorgeous.

Oh, and of the things I forgot to mention earlier, Dr Who was an epic omission! Totally adore it, or did before (as we perceive it) too pander-y to the American market (mainly this past season). Hope it's a blip, though, and good writing will return. But even a mediocre DW is better than most things.

Amazingly (look at the NN) I am a massive Terry Pratchett fan. Also done D and D and loves me some Firefly and Serenity. I have been lucky to know some really fantastic geek men so never had this issue. Probably helps that my DB is the most massive geek ever so my credentials may have been based on that, somewhat.

I think there is a certain strand that I have avoided. Comic Con and the like that could be a little less accepting.

@TerrariaMum Edge of the Empire - it's the new system for Star Wars RPGs. I love me some Star Wars. I'm not so keen on D&D because the setting doesn't interest me enough to run it, and the campaigns I've participated in have all been hack n'slash dungeon crawl borefests. I do like Call of Cthulu and the new World of Darkness too.

With regard to the Geek Girl video, DH thinks it has more to do with fandom than anything else. I agree with him. I never had the issue either, but that may have been because I was with DH.

I must admit, I am a D&D 3.5 edition woman because that is the first RPG I ever played back when DH was DFiance. Since then, I have played Unknown Armies, a bit of GURPs and Pathfinder (first attempt at GMing). I do think there is a place for dungeon crawls, but I prefer terrain quests ala Baldur's Gate though that is a computer game. I would love to play SW RPGs as SW was my first ever foray into being a fangirl.

As to Spiderman and the films with Tobey Maguire, parts of them were filmed at my uni. /boast.

Meanwhile, has anybody seen a little something in the Metro this morning? Somebody texted in about how you're not a real "geek" unless you actually ARE a scientist (my wording, not hirs) and that people who are just into things like we are are merely fantasists/fans, etc. Can't find the text-in part on Metro online, so if anybody else can (or if they have today's copy) can they provide.

Ahem. According to the OED:

geek n. informal an unfashionable or socially inept person. a. knowledgeable and obsessive enthusiast. a computer geek
ORIGIN C19: from the rel. Eng. Dial. word geck 'fool' of Gmc origin.

See, I'm even a grammar geek (not that that's not obvious from the name).

Some would argue that we are not real geeks because we do not eat live chickens. Apparently, this is what geeks in sideshows used to do.

Haven't seen the Metro headline cos am at home atm.

It was in their "text in"/editorial letters section (not a real headline, per se). I just can't find it online.

Pff. I know plenty of people who get geeky about things and aren't scientists.

This video was fab and very inspiring. Thanks for the link.

I do think my particular 'geeky' interests have got more horrid and anti-women over the years, see also fatuglyorslutty.com which exposes the vile behaviour of boys and men towards girls and women on Xbox Live etc. Have always felt comic book (or superhero, anyway) fandom to be a bit grim and degrading and stayed away. EG Witchblade.

MMOs used to be a safe haven but have got worse over the years. I actually find it a bit sad these days when people I know "find true love" in the games I play, as all it means to me is that gender has crept in where I wish it wouldn't. over the top? :(

The science = "real geek" thing is all bollocks, the celebrated/"you like that too? that's awesome" side of geek culture is all about fandom anyway, I see it as menz trying to frantically scramble back to/claim as their own an area which is even more male-dominated than D&D/video games etc. May be right or wrong on this, just how I see it.

I have got turned off a lot of male sci fi/fantasy authors as they just have it so wrong in every way. Does anyone remember the dickwolves/rape joke thing with Penny Arcade? I had to block an author I used to quite like on Facebook because he started arguing with me about how Penny Arcade were right to make the joke. The main reason I blocked him was that he also said PA was funny, tbf. Sad part is he promotes himself as women-friendly, a 'male feminist' etc.

Yeah, I still don't have access to that text-in op-ed from the Metro, but from the replies, the poster's name is Martin. What a git.

I thought that was a fantastic video & it made me laugh & sad at the same time.

Geeks are a funny bunch, they show no mercy to themselves & expect no mercy from anyone else!

I play RPG's & Wargames, I'm afraid to say that the RPG guys are just about on the borders of acceptable for the Wargamers - they're almost social pariahs with "traits" that would ostracise them from manly "sporty" or "builder" types straight away. They're bully fodder TBH. I enjoy playing with them & have a whale of a time personally, as does my DS2.

If you dropped a female player into the mix, I honestly don't know how they'd react - would love to see it. They shut down if someone outside of the group comes over, if that someone was female they'd probably go into meltdown!! Saying that, the only female to come to our group (out of about 60 members) is a post-op transexual. She came for a while and then had a spat with another member (about a game, nothing related to her circumstances) and hasn't been seen since.

I think it's a real shame - I work in a large, pan-european company with nearly as many women as men and enjoy it. It feels strange to be in a single sex environment & I personally feel that we lose out because of it - you'd think that a fantasy world where anything goes would be the ideal place for anyone to turn up & add their viewpoint, but it doesn't seem to be that way!

One day maybe.

Apologies for the long post, I'll see if it still makes sense in the morning!!