Geek!

[hubbabubba]

After reading the NMM sucks or whatever thread, seems to be a bit of a \'painting toy soldiers is less geeky than playing war with toy soldiers\' thing going on here in CMON.
lol
Incidentally, whether you agree or not with what was being said there/here/wherever, I personally found the tone of some of the replies posted in the thread left a bit of a nasty taste in my mouth.
Keep it light, we\'re talking about toy soldiers after all lol (i.e no birthday cockpunching Iono)
Personally, I gotta say that I did/do have a bit of a problem in coming to terms with my obsessive fascination with collecting at painting minis. I sometimes feel like pervert going into a sex shop when I step into a GW store. lolI always find myself hoping I don\'t see anyone I know. lollol
Can I get counselling for this problem?

 

[Ritual]

Originally posted by hubbabubba
Can I get counselling for this problem?

I\'m sure you can get a good cockpunching, at least. :]

 

[hubbabubba]

ouch,

 

[lono]

Aw, but birthday cock punching is one of the best kinds, what with the added burn factor of candles fixed to the knuckles, and the distractionary singing...

Anyway, you\'re in luck. Whereas the other thread was obviously just a silly discussion, which only warranted a silly answer in response, I can indeed relate to this topic, so you get a more sensible response.

It comes down to this – it’s not the geek thing that’s a problem. It’s the freak factor. Being a geek is perfectly acceptable these days, in fact it’s crossing over into cool territory, but the stereotype of the toy soldier collector can tend more towards freak than geek, and that’s not such a good brush to be painted with.

You can still rise above this, but I think it comes down to a combination of your age, maturity, self-confidence, and if you actually are a complete social defective rather than just a geek.

When I first got into GW I didn\'t care who knew about it. It was new and exciting to me, and I wanted to get as many people as possible to share that interest. I had the innocence and enthusiasm of someone to young to care, and it was good!

As puberty approached I began to realise there was a stigma attached to the hobby though. Hell, I even started to notice it myself in various people I’d meet at my local hobby store. Let’s be honest, whilst there are a lot of perfectly normal people who enjoy playing with toy soldiers, there are also a lot of total freaks. They lack social skills, restraint, the ability to spot eyes glazing over on the non-hobby type they have spent the last half an hour talking about hot Elf chicks to. Oh, and there are a lot of them lacking in personal hygiene skills too. These people tend to have a habit of drawing the attention, hence there is a freak, rather than a geek stigma attached.

As a teen the fact that others may deem what you are doing as freakish and different starts to concern you. Sure, you might not be the same sort of freak as the stereotype, but unless you are very assured it’s easier to hide your hobby. It becomes important to you what members of the opposite sex may think about what you do in your spare time, so like all frowned upon habits you may have during puberty you keep it behind closed doors! lol

Time goes on, and, at least in my case, you can still be very much into the hobby, but you don’t let it define you. Not a single one of my mates at university was into toy soldiers so I didn’t chat about it with them. There was no point and there are enough other interests in my life that I can maintain a conversation without talk of minis!

But then, in the adult world, once I’d kinda got my shit in check and worked out a lot more about myself my hobby ceased to be something I’d try and hide at all. I’d be happy to mention it if people asked, if they showed an interest I’d go into more detail, but if they didn’t I wouldn’t. I even stopped hiding GW carriers in a backpack before I left the store. Why should I give a crap what someone who doesn’t know me thinks about me anyhow? It’s their problem not mine.

So a quick summary of that long winded ramble.

It’s fine to be a geek. It’s fine to feel the need to hide that you are one; you’ll get over it with time.

Just pray you aren’t a freak, because if you are then nothing short of a crack addict style intervention is going to bring you back to an acceptable level of humanity.

 

[hubbabubba]

Nice reply Iono, I think most people who are over 16 and still interested in minis know where you\'re coming from. But yeah, while I don\'t actively advertise the fact that these days I\'d rather be sat painting than stuck in some sweaty night spot, it\'s not something that I particularly hide either.
But, why is painting seen as less geeky than gaming? or is it even? is it because painting is creative and seen to require skill/talent? I haven\'t played since I was 15 or so, but right now the only thing that\'s stopping me is lack of time. I don\'t remeber if there\'s really that much skill in gaming or not, I guess it depends on the rules you\'re using, but I imagine that it could be like chess right? maybe not so taxing... But then chess is kinda geeky, but in a more intelectual geekyness, ughh? ? ?
The freak vs geek line is new to me... But yeah, now you\'ve mentioned it, I\'ve seen the diffference.

 

[Ritual]

There\'s so many non-flattering stereotypes concerning RPG and miniatures games players that it\'s hard to avoid beeing seen as a geek (or even a freak if you\'re unlucky... or seem to fit the bill ).

If you state that you\'re only painting the minis you might be considered odd, but at least you\'re creative and artistic in people\'s mind.

 

[lono]

The \'I\'m only painting, it\'s not so bad\' justification may well be something you can use to apease yourself and try and take the sterotype heat off you, but I really don\'t think that makes much difference to the general observer.

You are still playing with toy soldiers. If someone can\'t grasp that this fact isn\'t necessarily a bad thing to be doing (whatever method your toy soldier activities take) they are never going to get it.

EDIT - and yeah, gaming can be very tactical. It is still something where luck\'s a factor, due to dice rolls, so can\'t really be classed in the same camp as chess. But as with poker it\'s a case of playing the percentages. You need to calculate the odds of unit A, using weapon X, against unit B who are using weapon Y, and if the maths isn\'t in your favour you may need to bring in unit C who have weapon Z. And of course you need to do all this turns in advance, and factor in the counter moves, and all the extra malarkey of magic and special weapons that could impede this. Blah, blah, blah, I am a freak! lol

 

[hubbabubba]

geek noun [C] INFORMAL
a person, especially a man, who is boring and not fashionable:
He\'s such a geek.

geeky adjective INFORMAL
boring and not fashionable:
a geeky-looking guy in glasses

freak (STRANGE) noun [C]
a thing, person, animal or event that is extremely unusual or unlikely and not like any other of its type:
I was born with black hair all over my back, like some sort of freak.
The pearl, valued at £75 000, is so big that it has been described as a freak of nature.
HUMOROUS At my school you were regarded as a freak if you weren\'t interested in sport.

freak
adjective [before noun]
very unusual or unexpected:
She was crushed in a freak (= very unlikely) accident in a cave in France.
A freak whirlwind has destroyed over 20 caravans in west Wales.

freak (ENTHUSIASTIC PERSON) Show phonetics
noun INFORMAL
a health/computer/surf, etc. freak someone who is extremely interested in a particular subject or activity

nerd Show phonetics
noun [C] INFORMAL DISAPPROVING
a person, especially a man, who is unattractive and awkward or socially embarrassing:
He was a real nerd in high school - I can\'t believe he\'s so handsome now.

nerdy Show phonetics
adjective INFORMAL DISAPPROVING
He\'s nice, but kind of nerdy.
These glasses make me look/feel nerdy.

I think the dictionary needs up dating, or there should be some intermediate term. Still curious how these terms seem to be the almost exclusive domain of guys, be good to get one of the women amongst us to give their six pence worths.
@ Iono, as long as you\'ve bathed in the last couple of days, I think you\'ll be ok

 

[GreenOne]

Agents of the outside world may free you the clutches of the hobby, for a lot of people, work or love for example can save you.
I have a friend who been saved by his GF, since she moved in, he doen\'t game anymore; now he listens to TV, and have sex once a week.
He\'s so much better now

 

[supervike]

Very few people, outside my \'circle\' would ever know I am a mini-painter.

I\'ve got close friends that know it a bit, but don\'t realize how obsessed I am with it.

It\'s not so much of a \"i\'m worried about what they will think\" as a \"this is just part of my private life\"

But, the older I get, the less I care about how others will react to what I do.

 

[Yetie]

I totaly understand the freak/geek line some people dont quite get the idea that there arnt really evil powers of chaos trying to warp the fabric of reality.
Its quite interesting the idea of painting and not playing most painters i know who dont play have a general idea of the games. People who arnt part of the hobby, its like they dont understand why you would want to if you dont play.
I think its all part if the fact that mini painting is art but only if your involved in it. Unless you can apreciate the skills and technics involved then you wont see them as that.
I\'m with lono on the trying to hide it during my spoty trying to get unvirginated period of life. But now i dont care who knows its part of me and you either except it or not. Most people find it really interesting and want to know how to do the different technics and stuff.

 

[hubbabubba]

@green one, Once a week, Shit, lucky guy LOL they’ve not been living together too long right…

 

[Ritual]

Originally posted by lono
The \'I\'m only painting, it\'s not so bad\' justification may well be something you can use to apease yourself and try and take the sterotype heat off you, but I really don\'t think that makes much difference to the general observer.

You are still playing with toy soldiers. If someone can\'t grasp that this fact isn\'t necessarily a bad thing to be doing (whatever method your toy soldier activities take) they are never going to get it.

In my experience it does make difference to the general observer. If I don\'t mention gaming they don\'t see the connection! Now, I really don\'t care if people think I\'m a geek or not (the people who knows me seem to not mind either way), but, as I actually DON\'T play any games I feel it\'s unnecessary to needlessly file myslef under the \"RPG/gamer geek\" category.

 

[GreenOne]

@Hubba: Guess that\'s in the good times... You know, the kind of girls that uses sex to make the man behave the way she wants...
\" We rent the chick flick, or you don\'t get it this week...\"

 

[hubbabubba]

You know, the kind of girls that uses sex to make the man behave the way she wants...

...you mean there\'s another kindlol

 

[Bengoodall]

Hubba, there is mate, and those ones are scary women indeed.

Ive dated most of them, take my word for it.

I would rather watch chick flicks than have ex gfs throw bricks through my windows cause Ive moved on a year after we broke up.

 

[Arkzein]

Agreed that it seems to matter less the older you get. All too easy to get pigeon holed when you\'re a teenager.

As an adult (if you can call a baby faced 22 Year old student a proper adult ) it comes down more to the person themselves I find. If you\'re a normal looking bloke with a balance of interests who just happens to paint and game as well folk don\'t take much notice, all people have their odd thing. (One of my flatmates is a bagpipes nutter, the other hoards porn, I paint minis and we all find each other\'s \"thing\" a bit odd *laughs*). In fact I\'ve found people you meet often feel free to ask a lot of questions seemingly surprised to find someone \"normal\" into an odd thing. Whereas with the stereotypical \"freak\" they may just write it off. (Hard to explain that but I\'m sure some of you know what I mean )

If however you\'re a 45 year old guy living with his sister and his cats, haven\'t had a girlfriend in what seems like living memory and who\'s only social outlet is gaming.... well even without minis you\'d be in the \"freak\" territory. (This is a guy from my old club)

Can\'t say I\'ve noticed too much of a difference between painting and gaming as well, but almost everyone I\'ve mentioned it to seems to know that the two are inherently linked anyway (perhaps a UK thing given the size of GW here).

That\'s my experience anyway.

 

[raginggaijin]

Just wait until you are older. Once people learn you paint miniatures, they think you are the 40 Year Old Virgin reborn. Which means you have to get laid quite a bit to derail that train of thought.

I think being big enough to kick the dude\'s ass helps too.

Still, for someone my age I still collect, paint, and game with the soldiers I collect. Keeps me out of bars and away from jail, so I\'m not complaining. And my son is nearing the age where he wants to get involved. Though he has been raised around it his whole life and thinks it is \'normal\'. lol

 

[raginggaijin]

Originally posted by GreenOne
@Hubba: Guess that\'s in the good times... You know, the kind of girls that uses sex to make the man behave the way she wants...
\" We rent the chick flick, or you don\'t get it this week...\"

 

[Sukigod]

Originally posted by raginggaijin
Just wait until you are older. Once people learn you paint miniatures, they think you are the 40 Year Old Virgin reborn. Which means you have to get laid quite a bit to derail that train of thought.

That\'s funny. I\'m 38, married, three children (so no virgin) and when I meet people and they ask about it, they still give the 40 Year Old Virgin reference. (he was a crappy painter anyway )

This whole conversation reminds me of an old Oingo Boingo song called \"Nasty Habits\" Google the lyrics, listen if you can find it. Although not quite the extreme of the song, the sentiment is the same. Do we have to or should we have to hide what we do because of what someone else thinks ? (as long as it\'s not illegal)

My biggest concern is when I mention that I \"Paint miniatures\" is they\'ll think Doll House Miniatures or HUmmel Figuring types. There\'s a large crafty contingent in my area so this happens more often than one would think. It\'s only when I mention toy soldiers part that they get it....and slowly start to back away.lol

Sad, but true - just stay true to yourself.