I am always open about being a geek and nerd and enjoying my scifi, computer games, D&D and tiny toy soldiers. I am fairly old and belligerent and have grown so over the years, frankly I don't give two craps if 'they' think I'm a weirdo for collecting toy soldiers, I can assure you I have a dimmer view of those 'norms' than they do of me, all those bland, sad little bastards with their 'life more ordinary' existences.

Screw em, I have an amazing geek wife, good geek friends and enjoy my hobbies greatly. I don't shout about it all day, but if people ask me, I don't downplay or deny what I like to do.

But many here do not live as I do, many deny and conceal their interests in war games for fear of ridicule or optimism of getting laid...

Are you an out and proud war gamer or living a lie?

Proud! I even go so far as to post my conversions and paint jobs on....FACEBOOK!! Hell yeah, Go Go Geeks!

Definitely an out and proud wargamer.
My Facebook page links directly to my painting blog that's in my sig.
My house, first thing you see as you walk in, is my workstation which has 100something Guardsmen, 15ish Leman Russes, 6 Chimeras all there.

I won't deny it. However, I never get very many chances to talk about it, because it hardly ever pops up in conversation. That, and most people I know (who aren't wargamers/nerds) don't care enough to poke fun or anything.

I guess I'm proud. I don't go proclaiming my hobbies to the world, but if someone asks, I don't mind telling, and if someone sees my minis shelf, I won't hide it (I had it proudly on display in my room last summester in university, quite a few people were actually quite amazed by them). Hell, I did plenty of painting and converting in the public area of the common room, and no one really said anything.

As far as people thinking that it alienates women, that's not really the case. Most of the girls I've met in the past year who saw my hobby really couldn't care less, or were at the very least slightly interested by the 'artistic' aspects of it. It's simply the stigma of the people who play with the toy soldiers.
Of course, I can't say much about relationships, since I end up being every single girl's big brother/best friend (I don't know, I just give off that kind of air...), making my love-life utterly stagnant, but I'm not socially outcasted in anyway for my hobbies. If anything, I'm more out there than some of my friends.

If you're an unkept, poorly dressed slob with little in the way of social skills, you're going to be ridiculed and outcast no matter what.

Ive never been in a situation where being a geek was a bad thing, so never felt the reason to hide it.

Liking geeky nerd crud does not stop you being funny, friendly and likable, it doesn't change how your friends view you for the worse.

My Facebook is testiment to my geekitude from Gaming to Painting to TCG's, and I've been as open about it all my entire life as I have now.

I used to bring in Warhammer to art classes at my all girls secondary school and I used to have girls of all social niches coming over to try painting or ask serious questions about how to start out.

No one should ever feel that they should have to hide their hobbies, the only people who will give you flak for it are timewasters anyway, so what harm will it do?

Your not going to end up single for the rest of your life because you let slip that you like playing with toy soldiers to your friends

I don't have the Imperial aquila tattooed on my forehead, but I'm not afraid to talk about my hobby. Once you get out of highschool people really don't tend to care that much what you do for fun as long as it doesn't involve people getting hurt. To that extent though, I'm not going to give a 5 hour dissertation about the intricacies of Warhams if somebody asks. I'll just say I paint and play with toy soldiers and leave it at that.

Brother SRM wrote:Once you get out of highschool people really don't tend to care that much what you do for fun as long as it doesn't involve people getting hurt.

No one seemed to mind when I told them I worked in murders and executions...

I don't talk about it at work, but then my workplace is hyperpolitical. I don't actually talk about anything personal at all. Nothing to do with shame, I just don't give them ammo to shoot me with. Most I'll say is that I like to paint, and the conversation ends real fast (no dirt in that).

But when not at work? If I have more than a passing acquaintance? Hells yeah. If we get beyond talking about the weather and TV, then it'll come up. Not rambling of course, but its not anything I hide from people I know socially.

Living a lie, somewhat... actually ignore the somewhat.

I'm so deep in the lie I cannae escape it cap'n!

Seriously though, I envy the openness some of you seem to have with this particular hobby. Maybe I should stop befriending judgemental asshats?

As I've said in previous threads,I've never been "normal",and I didn't even discover war gaming/40k until I was 30.
I've never much given a gak what the status quo think,and tend to find the most interesting people amongst the "Freaks,Geeks,Lunatics and Outcast".
Concerning my 40k addiction,of course I don't hide it,most of my friends consider it to be one of my more "normal" pursuits.

The only people who have criticized me for my hobby turned out to be a massive man-bitch (I was good friends with his girlfriend, their breakup got really funny when she asked me to harrass him...), and the other is generally regarded as incredibly annoying by my circle of friends and aquaintances.

Being made fun of by your peers is nothing to worry about when you consider that most of the people who do care enough tend to have very little in the way of their own personal lives to keep themselves busy.

Out and proud as I said in another thread

Don't consider myself a geek, nerd, anorak, or rivet counter, but probably really am

do I care?

Pah! Fie and fiddle! I pee in the pot of contempt for all things scaled down and laugh in the face of scorn!

But I do weep sad, lonely tears into an unshared pillow each night

No shame.

Gaming has only helped me, both personally and professionally.

I don't hide it at all. If someone were to stop being my friend because of my (reasonable) hobbies then they weren't really my friend to begin with.

I gamed a lot in college. Considering the only way that I could possibly prevent people from learning about my hobbies would be to seal myself in my room and only take my bag with me in the dead of night, I was pretty public about the fact that I played. Was actually a bit of a chick magnet as well, although I'm not quite sure if that was because of me being a great painter, or just a case of "look at the creepy guy with all the tiny metal soldiers covering every horizontal surface."

Although really, if someone can't handle the fact that I paint toy soldiers, they probably can't handle my really weird hobbies.

im quite open and uncaring of what people think, if they wanna poke fun at me for being a "nerd" then i have 285 lbs of rugby player that they can also try to mess with. ive even had some girls go so far as to believe that 40k and dnd is cute =D be open and confident. besides chicks dig the greater good

Geek pride! It's nothing to be ashamed of.

^ same here rugby player who wargames

"Are you an out and proud war gamer or living a lie? "

Out and proud gamer! i even embarrass my kids with it. they are always trying to hide my little toy men fron their friends!

alarmingrick wrote:"Are you an out and proud war gamer or living a lie? "

Out and proud gamer! i even embarrass my kids with it. they are always trying to hide my little toy men fron their friends!

I'm actually looking forward to embarrassing my kids,well,my daughter,I can't wait to meet her first boyfriend...I think I'll dress up like an Ork for the occasion.

Out and proud.

I don't associate with many 'norms' anyway.

They can have their meaningless hum-drum existence and thug-ball games. I'll stick with my mandollies, thanks.

Never denied. All my friends, and many who aren't, know about it. No shame.

Normies make poor opponents!

Say it proud!

i am proud, and i proud my fiance is becoming part of the brood. She is a X-Files Fanatic, and she fit right in with me. Yet i dont know how she got into fantasy first...oh well.

I'm married. I have children. I have a mortage. I have a career. I have skills that are considered desirable to society. I also have a hobby.

At this point in my life I pretty much don't give a gak about what anybody else thinks. I am my own entity. The only ones who look down on what I do for hobbies are folks who don't have their own life together. It doesn't take more than a nudge to point that out.

High School and teenage years can be a bit tough, but once you make your own life, who cares? Everybody needs a hobby of some sort. Some folks knit and do crafts. Some build old engines. Some paint toy soldiers. There's really not all that much of a difference.

I am a flaming nerd.

I am also a metalhead so I am already out of the normal. And so fething what? I love every minute of it baby!

I don't walk around with a cosplay Imperial Space Marine costume or tattoo myself with the Imperial Eagle or anything but if the topic of hobbies comes up I'll talk about how I paint models and play wargames with the models.
(Though I did draw the Khorne symbol on top of my graduation cap! )

A lot of people think that the painting aspect is really neat and to be honest that's the part that intrigued me the most when I got into 40k and other wargames.

I'm confident enough in myself that I don't hide it, and people in the end will respect you for it.

I say Ol'bean I am a war gamer so much that I have my favorite marine legion tattooed on my skin.
.
.
.
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.
.
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< saying it proud and loud

+1 for Captain Beefheart, Vlads... I just turned avatars back on.

That's relevant, but I wouldn't just tell anyone I think Trout Mask Replica was great. I don't mind pointing out things things I find interesting if it's relevant to the people around me, and I generally find wargaming to be pretty interesting. There are usually wargamers where one finds wargaming... etc.

Now I'm a computer enthusiast and professional... but that's part of who I am, and doesn't dictate how outward I am about it. If I don't care to tell anyone everything I do, then no one is any less the wiser, and I've saved breath.

I don't deny it, but i never used to go look at me I touch metal men.

I have however found many a friend at work who I have spoken with about it as they have seen my doing army lists etc on my lunch break and it has given me access to lovely hordes of old model gold mines

They know bits of it at work, but after a coworker mercilessly berated and ridiculed me, I'm less than thrilled to share with them what it's all about.

BrookM wrote:They know bits of it at work, but after a coworker mercilessly berated and ridiculed me, I'm less than thrilled to share with them what it's all about.

One of my old freinds used to berate me as well with the geek and sad hobby crap. Then I reminded him that I have a girlfriend, have friends, have a social life and spend less time looked away in the house.

*Has no friends and doesn't speak to anyone at work about non-work related things most of the time*

Solves a lot of problems

Having said that, I post modelling stuff on my facebook, and don't hide it if people ask.

BrookM wrote:They know bits of it at work, but after a coworker mercilessly berated and ridiculed me, I'm less than thrilled to share with them what it's all about.

There always has to be that one person.......

Same type asked me if I wasn't a little too old for that......

Your co - worker obviousily has no respect for whatever people like to do , i'm sure that if he told you about something that he passionatley enjoyed and got the most out of and you ridiculed him he would be very angry with that fact. People like that are no good for you

Onto myself i have been Modelling and painting warhammer 40k for 8 years now and to be honest i just cannot get enough of it , its something i enjoy doing instead of sitting around playing PS3 all day everyday. Also i think that it would be better for me to do this than be walking around the streets at the age of 16 causing trouble which is probably what would end up happening if i did not have warhammer 40k to keep me occupied.

I do not see myself as being a geek or nerd as i do other things as Wargaming , i also ride motocross and have been doing MMA ( mixed martial arts) for 6 years now which are both thing i would not think i would be doing if i was a geek / nerd correct me if im wrong here .

Take care.

~UnDeAd~

The way I see it, everyone is nerdy about something.

I get really annoyed when people who are nerdy about say, celebrity gossip make me listen to their nerdly hobby. I can't stand music nerds who go on and on about obscure bands and sub-genres of sub-genres. And when people start ranting about their favority religion or political party or sports team, I find an excuse to leave the conversation.

So I don't subject people to my nerdly interests, unless they share them. It's not so much shame as it is treating others the way I'd prefer they would treat me.

Like a lot of people, I would never deny it. But I don't really bring it up either. With the people I'm living with, although I don't know my newest housemates that well, I'm perfectly happy to let them see me assembling models in the living room. (in fact I was doing so when they arrived). However, I don't really talk too much about it, except to answer questions - there's nothing more boring than someone chewing your ear off about an activity that you don't know or care about.

Also, I don't like to display warhammer as a first impression, especially to attractive ladies. If I'm off on a date, and I'm possibly bringing someone home later, I clear the warhammer away into a cupboard. If I have a girlfriend, I'll stop concealing the stuff after a few weeks, so she doesn't see me as a weirdo within the first week or two of a relationship, where its easy to put people off by a couple actions.

Im also a old fart but even when I was younger playing my revolutionary zx spectrum, rpg etc I never felt myself "diferent" or nerd... not because it was a common thing around here ( by the contrary it was a rarity) but just because to me my activities are normal.

Normal to the point Im neither ashammed or proud of it... Never gave a rats ass what others think about me or my life, its really their problem not mine I concentrate myself on just living my life.

I'm not the sort of person to walk around with a placard displaying my geek credentials but on the other hand, nor do I deny it. My wife knew about it when we were courting and likewise, I have my own man room full to the rafters with miniatures and all that so it certainly isn't hidden. However, there is a certain stigma associated with wargaming (and it isn't new - I remember feeling guilty about being a geek when I was 12!).

I'm sort of half-way, everyone at school knows that I do warhammer, but have long since given up on trying to take the mickey.
I don't go around with a banner saying that I do warhammer, but I have my models freely visible in my room, and if asked about it I won't deny that I do Warhammer.

I occasionally have the odd bit of banter about it with some of my male freinds, and my female freinds see it as "something my little brother used to do" and so just find it a bit odd that I still do it.

I have to admit i was much more cautious about letting people know about my geeky side when i was younger, however I think as one tends to become more secure with age I have stopped really caring.

So these days I am pretty much ‘out’ as a geek, however it does not normally come up much in conversation as work colleagues and friends tend not to share the interest. So generally if someone asks me directly about it then I talk away, otherwise I tend not to bring it up.

Why hide something you enjoy doing, I usually go around with a car full of gameing things, I spend alot of days at my local game store.

Its kind of funny when most people walk into a local game store they tend to think the stuff is really cool, makes me wonder why we dont have more gamers.

"You laugh because I'm different, I laugh because you're all the same!"

Jeez MGS, why don't you start a parade?

In case you couldn't tell, I don't say gak about my hobby. I MIGHT on occasion tell people I paint models, but I always tell them it's "normal" gak like model cars (which I do have but I don't really paint them that often...I need to though). A co-worker of mine ended up finding out on accident, but that was it.

I'm completely open about it. When asked what it is, however. The only people I know who would consider mocking it spend their spare time staring into their mirrors, getting high, or "taking care of business" whilst watching pr0n.

Other people tell me that they don't like my hobby, but never think of me differently.

Any problems people have with my hobbies are just that, their problems.

I don't bring up my hobbies at work and don't know many hobbies of others. That said, I have shown a few people some of my painted things and recently found out that someone I've known for a few years here actually worked in GW HQ for about 6 or 7 years. So it shows what a small world it can be.

I'm a Doctor Who fan and enthusiast of disused railway stations/lines too and quite open about that, so don't give a monkeys about people's opinions about my other geeky hobbies/interests. I've never had a negative reaction at this workplace though but I've seen it elsewhere. I think that people who ridicule the hobbies of others do so because they don't have any hobbies of their own, they lack the patience or mental capacity to do anything other than slump in front of the TV all day.

I am proud of it! Being a minister it can be kind of hard to explain to people, and I do not spout the Imperial Truth from the pulpit, but it comes up in social situations. My wife is OK with it, in fact she is the one who really supported my entry to the hobby while we were engaged and living 8 hours apart. The only time I even get somewhat judged is when I walk into my game store here in Ohio wearing my clerical collar or one of my kilts. But hey it is all fun! Just be yourself

I don't hide it, although I won't just walk up to people and ask,"Have you head the good word of the Blood God Khorne today?" I have managed to bring a few friends into the fold though.

Kilted_Cleric wrote:I do not spout the Imperial Truth from the pulpit

You should read from the Guardsmen's Uplifting Primer next time you are up there

I don't go out of my way to advertise that I paint toy soldiers, but then again I certainly wouldn't deny it or hide the fact. I am proud of the models I paint and more so of the fact, that unlike going to the pub every night, my hobby leaves me with something to show for the time spent enjoying it.

Most people who I tell about my hobby are genuinely interested, especialy once they see how much skill and dedication it takes to paint a miniature to a high standard. I would hazard a guess though that most people who turn their noses up at it do so with more regard to the gaming aspect than the painting or modeling. This is probably because you can clearly see the skill involved in the painting where as your average games of 40k just seems to involve rolling lots of dice and screaming Waaagh! a lot (just me then? )

I have one good friend who is also into the hobby and into D&D, although the thought of anyone finding out mortifies him to the point where he has hidden his miniatures at a friends house when he has a girl around! He works in a supermarket and quite often i will pop in to have a quick chat, I will never forget the day when I approached as he was chatting to a couple of girls, one I later found out he was really keen on, his faced droped and went a shade of white as he pictured me talking about Elves and Goblins, ruining his image. Instead i just wandered over gave him a slap on the back and said "see you at poker later on mate" and walked off. Needless to say I got bought a couple of pints for that one

Same as SF, in my younger days I did keep it on the QT but with age comes a diminishing of caring what people think/more confidence.

My Facebook page is testament as are the rather humourous conversations when an office full of girls ask "Yeah but how exactly do they move?!" or "You've spent how much on this thing!?".
Infact they seem to have more of a fascination with it then the guys do

Well, I am a recluse by nature, so I would say that no I'm not proud of my hobby around those that don't take part in it (unless I go into "Berzerker mode", in which case I'm too insane to care). However, when I'm with other hobbyists I don't give two gaks who see's me. Safety in numbers y'see.

MeanGreenStompa wrote:optimism of getting laid...

This will never happen to me. Ever.

Proud of it. I've been into computers since I was a kid. I've always loved Sci-fi and Fantasy books films and tv shows and I don't care who knows it. I wear t-shirts with slogans and images that only people like me get, and I don't mind explaining them if I'm asked by those who don't. I often have my 40k books on my desk at work and answer questions if asked without a problem.

I'm nearly 40 years old and I'm glad I haven't changed. Being an individual all that matters.

No shame, however I can only display painted models. At least that's the current rules at the house.

I am in the army. and one of the first things in the army that you learn is that someone will make fun of you for something... typically no one says 2 things about miniatures wargaming (at least in my unit, who until recently was over 50% full of WoW "gamers" )

but then again, when you shave your legs as a male for another hobby, cycling in my case, you kind of give another crate of ammo.

and i am married to a gamer wife, and mostly hang out with real gamer friends..none of that WoW crap. In fact, the missus just recently drug me into a game of D&D (not that it was really 'dragging' per se), and has allowed me to get a "few" reaper minis and paint them up for said D&D campaign.

Arctik_Firangi wrote:+1 for Captain Beefheart, Vlads... I just turned avatars back on.

That's relevant, but I wouldn't just tell anyone I think Trout Mask Replica was great. I don't mind pointing out things things I find interesting if it's relevant to the people around me, and I generally find wargaming to be pretty interesting. There are usually wargamers where one finds wargaming... etc.

Thank you!

As for the bolded, that's exactly, that's how I see it.

I will bring up Captain Beefheart or the like if Frank Zappa is mentioned (personally I enjoy the ol' Captain over Zappa) but otherwise there's no real point in doing so. Same with wargaming. I got a text from a friend the other day asking what I was doing, I told her that I got some models for a game I play in the mail. Which was true, I did just get some models in the mail the other day. But I wouldn't bring it up without good reason.

Also I'm sorry to hear that some people get made fun of for it but it's all relative in the end.

I don't shout it out, but hell, you ask, I'll be glad to explain.

Like you said, I don't give a feth if I'm "weird" or any of that bullgak. Everybody's got a hobby, and this is mine.

My friends jibe me for it, but it's all good-natured. 2 of 'em play anyway, so it doesn't matter really.

When I was playing years ago in high school, I had no shame about it. Some people there gave me a bit of grief about it here or there, but that didn't stop me from bringing white dwarf to read. Some people took an interest in it, others thought it was weird. In the end what others thought didn't matter to me. I kinda left the game for a while near the end of high school.

Fast forward 10 years, a group of friends of my girlfriend were talking about it. I mentioned that I had a pile of SM hiding in boxes somewhere, and they demanded I pull them out and have some games. Now I regularly play again, even getting my childhood friend and frequent opponent back into the game. I've been back in 40k for about 1.5 years now, and love playing.

Of course, my girlfriend and I, along with most of our friends play various pen and paper RPGs. I play chess competitively too. Nothing to hide. If someone brings up hobbies in conversation I might mention it in passing, but I'm always careful to not get into deep conversations about it unless the person is genuinely interested and not just being polite. Normally its something like "I paint and fight battles with model soldiers".

I don't really care to know anyone who would belittle someone else's hobbies. Its all just a way of enjoying our time.

If you can't live without yourself, you probably don't need to live at all.

I hide nothing about my gaming life. You want to look down on me for engaging in mentally stimulating group activities, then I would guess I am not the weird one.

Half and Half as i'm in high school and there are turds who complain about your nerdiness.
But otherwise to non-classmates I am proud. But why is it when you are found out to be playing Runescape its worse than nuclear kooties?


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Dracos wrote:I play chess competitively too.

So do I! What's your FIDE rating?

All my friends know I play and honestly don't seem to care all that much. In fact I did my high school senior project on warhammer and my class loved it. they were amazed that people were this skilled at painting such intricate details

Natorum wrote:Being an individual all that matters.

That's a proposition that could be quite vigorously debated.

When I was a teenager I was "proud" of being a geek and made it well known with geeky accessories and geeky behavior. After reading a bit about developmental psychology I think it fits pretty well with the idea that young adults have a deep need to form an identity that is independent from their family, and so they form cliques and clubs and such in order to establish that separation. But now that I've been out of the house for over a decade, I just don't feel that need any more. I'm confident that I'm a unique individual- I don't need to bludgeon everyone around me with my hobbies to convince myself of that. In fact, I'd rather not be thought of as the sum of my hobbies. I like my hobbies, but they aren't the total of who I am. I have achievements and a personality that I would rather be known for than what I do for an hour after supper and a while on weekends.

How exactly can someone be "proud" of their hobby, anyway? I'm quite proud of my beastmen naturally, because they are an achievement for me. They are my first models with any significant converting, they are my first attempt at green stuffing beyond gap-fills, and the bestigors are my first attempt at NMM. I won't be winning any awards, but I'm proud of them. And to anyone who can appreciate miniature painting, I'll happily shove those models right in front of them. But to be proud because I like miniatures? What's the achievement in that?

A few years ago when I had stopped buying GW figures because they were too expensive, I often instead spent my Saturday nights at a local dance club. I was quite fond of sitting back in the posh sofa sipping a nice glass of Cuban rum on the rocks and watching the ladies "drop it like it's hot". That's a past-time that's way more popular than adults playing with army men, but I wasn't a better or worse person back then. It was just a hobby. It wasn't me.

"what are these little pieces of plastic on your desk??"

"NOTHING!!!"

"whats in that cupboard??"

"....BOOKS!!"

"can i se"

"NO, LETS GO HAVE A SNACK"

"...oookkk"

Seriously i don't mind though its just a hobby like video games or sporrts.

When I was a teenager and worried about what chicks think, I was shy about my hobby, but that was long before geek chic made it cool to be nerdy. Bad years, that early adolescent stage. Kids nowadays have it lucky. Nowadays I proudly wear my House Kurita patch on my sleeve along with my C:\DOS\RUN Tee-shirt and I just dont give a feth. I won't say I'm 'proud' exactly to be a gamer-geek, just that nowadays I am tough enough, witty enough, and smarter than anyone who wants to talk crap about it that I don't really care, they can pass judgement on my nerdiness I guess, but more often they are curious and interested in it. The duality of playing in a band and also playing with little army men may seem strange to some, but to me it is perfectly natural. WE PLAY!

dumber people can geek out on Madden football or Halo or whatever... but if they want and hold judgement over the nerds, they are just playing too, just dumber simpler games.

They just don't have the minds to comprehend such a vast and depthy hobby. Stick to your Xbox and watching your kids little league games, dumb guy. Nobody challenges me about my hobby and I wouldn't challenge them about theirs either. I haven't felt the need to conceal my passion for little army men, lists, math, painting, etc from anyone for years... pretty much since high school. If anything it makes me more confident because I know I'm a geek and I'm proud of it, and most people who see my stuff say "Wow that's cool" and then we get around to having a beer or something.

Im still at high school, all my close freinds play 40k, although 1 of my close friends has decided to stop playing cause he thinks it will reduce his chances of hooking up with a chick, thats not going to happen because he can't talk to girls.

Many people know i play 40k, many know i play DoW, I made the mistake of doing a speach on it, got baged out by all the jerks aka people who are "normal". But I just ignore these comments, it dosn't bother me.

i am quiet open about the hobby and proud of it but i don't talk about it all day.

My freinds who are girls know i play and they don't care, when i have non-40k friends over i leave my IG laying arround, im just lazy, I have a 40k poster on my wall (stompa poster from WD), i don't hide it when i have guests

I have been known to scream BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!! when i see a fight. But i had the reputation of being strange before 40k

I love being strange, Im proud of it and my geekyness, I shall always be a geek

I've put it on my CV

Ill be honest, in all my years of Junior High and High School, I denied and kept it a major secret that I played warhammer... Even when people came over to my house and saw all my models I would go as far to say that it was from elementry school and that I was selling them :( .

But as of late I have said skrew it and I dont hide anything anymore. Hellz yeah I paint expensive little toys, and hell yeah I pay 15 a month to play WoW!

Feels much better and has alot less pressure than it does to hide it all away!

most of my friends are the sort of people who poke fun at each other and even insult eachother for a joke (its all friendly stuf)
and i (somehow) never give any of them any fodder and they struggle to insult me even though they all know that i play warhammer
so personnally think it cant be that big of a thing.

This shouldn't be a 'shame' thread. It should be a 'pride' thread, and so far it pretty much has been. 'Ere we go, 'ere we go...

Tabletop Wargames
Video Games
Role Playing Games
Board Games
Card Games (collectible and traditional)
Medieval reenactment
Amateur Drama and Film
Electronics
IT Enthusiast (I've recently stopped being an 'IT professional' so I could work in the field of...)
Music Journalism
Musician (not much nerdier than being the keyboardist either)
Literature
War and Horror Films
Martial Arts
Gardening and Aquaculture
Cooking
Library Science (used to study + meticulously catergorise things... maybe I just have CDO)

That's MY shortlist... I could break it into categories but I don't have enough time, what with all this nerdy crap I need to get back to.

I've only recently discovered my inner geek.

When I first showed interest in models I kept it very very quiet, this was about 8 years ago when I started uni. I then abandoned the whole thing due to knowing nobody who was even slightly interested in it, and I never spoke to people in the shop or anything like that.

However having grown up a little I can’t say such things bother me anymore, the turning point was starting to collect amazing Spiderman comics a couple of years ago.

I got into war gaming last August when space hulk came out, I've got a thing for anything limited edition as having played this as a kid I leapt at the chance, it was also days after receiving a pay out from losing my job.

I almost never expected to even play it, just have the minis on the shelf, however I mentioned it to a couple of people and the whole thing snowballed.

Now I don’t hind it from my close friends and to be honest I don’t hide it from anyone, aren’t bothered if someone see's me in GW, however, as I used to be a music promoter in York and have DJ'd in many of the cities clubs I tend not to make much reference to it on facebook but that’s about it, I did only set up a facebook account to help with promoting my events.

Anyone who comes to my gaff will see how much I’m now into the hobby, and after a few beers a can sit and chat 40k for hours.

Basically I won’t deny it, but as I put in a another thread recently I properly would avoid advertising it on facebook due to my alter ego. Got to keep up appearances with the dubstep kids, ha-ha!

edit, sheesh, terrible spelling, all fixed now!

I'm in the camp of 'I won't bring it up' but I seem to travel in circles that bring it up. A lot. But then again I am white and nerdy. Anime, DnD, etc.

Most of my co-workers at work know if only because of "Hey, whatever gets you through the day" mentality. And it's the gun enthusiast I get along with the most.

I freely discuss the topic if it comes up. Some of my friends at work do toy trains, play FPS, or ride motorcycles. If we get on about hobbies I am quite happy to share about my toy soldiers (and my motorcycles).

I'm old and crotchety and have come to the age that I can't be bothered with what others think about me. Don't get me wrong, I don't aim to offend and bathe regularly, etc. but I don't dress, play or speak in a manner designed to elicit approval from those around me. I'm my own person and if we happen to get along, great. If not oh well... different strokes for different folks.

I like the idea of a pride thread posted up earlier...

When I was 6 I played my first game of Dungeons and Dragons. 6 year olds don't really have enough abstract thought to feel things like shame anyways. It was just those awkward adolescent years where I felt an urge to hide it because it wasn't 'cool'. I was never cool in those days whether or not I was a gamer geek... I was smaller than all the other kids, younger, weaker, easily picked on... so it was kind of an incentive to not give dumb bullies any ammunition. The less people know about me the better sort of mentality.

I grew up. I'm not really proud of that, as it sort of just happens with time. I'm still short and little, but the amount of things I know, create, and work on all kind of stem to my initial introduction to gaming. My mom hated it when me and my brother sat inside playing D&D or writing adventure games instead of playing outside with the other kids. My dad (the scientist) liked it because he saw how much math skills we got out of it.

I read Douglas Adams and Joseph Campbell for book reports when the other kids were reading Judy Bloom. I brought Time Bandits to school, ran a library of choose-your-own-adventure books that all the kids in 4th grade started to like once they became available. I have taught 3 girlfriends how to paint miniatures and they have all come out excellent.

There is a strong corellation between being an interesting person with multi-faceted tastes in entertainment... and gaming. Ask most musicians and I bet you'll find many of them were geeks as kids. I know Kirk Hammet (metallica), Kurt Cobain, Thurston Moore, Bob Mould, all had dorky childhoods. Gaming (not the console types, actual table games) is just an abstractification of mathematics with a backdrop of imagination to make it fun. The amount your mind expands by combining mathematics with probability with story telling with art is nothing to be ashamed of.

I program computers, I play several instruments, I write songs, I play on stages, I do sound engineering, I paint murals, I write stories, I geek on video games and sites like dakka... Alll of this is interrelated. As a kid I was kind of embarrassed because I didn't know how to play baseball like all the other boys, but instead knew how to roll up a D&D character or program an adventure game on an Apple II+... Who turned out cooler in the long run though?

So later in life, I can list a billion things I am proud of being/doing that all stemmed from that awkward little kid who was scared that the bigger kids would make fun of him.

I have always shared and not hidden who I am.

When i took off work for a D&D weekend thing at the gameing shop everyone at work knew why.

Everyone at work knows i play warhammer ( I paint during my breaks).

My family and friends know (the in laws dont care for it honestly)...

I once screamed "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!" in the local pub while watching Rypien fight during a Canucks v Oilers game.
I often yell it out while watching UFC fights as well.

My buddies and I often comment that "Red wunz go fasta'" when talking about cars with people.

"Heresy!" is something I commonly proclaim in regards to opinions I disagree with.

When asked to do something, "For the Emperor!" or "His Will Be Done!" will sometimes be the reply.

Unlike TGG, I'm not old. Like TGG, I -am- crotchety (Giggedy). I don't really care what other folks think about myself or my interests. I make 40K Referances whenever I wish, and damn the folks that don't like it. I even put it on my Resumé when I put in for the army. Suprisingly, they were impressed and pleased by the thought of a strategic tabletop wargame. Point for this guy.

When I first met my GF it took a month or 2 for me to mention my gamery hobbies. I was scared she would think i was a nerd and run away screaming. But, when I finally told her about it she thought it was cool that I had a creative hobby and all that stuff, even though she wouldn't ever be into it too. I think she's just happy I don't throw my money away on booze & strip clubs like "normal" guys...

I think most of them just go over people's heads. proclaiming "HERESY!" or "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD" might just be construed as humorous drunkenness (which it is) but I doubt if many people will catch the reference.

Ah well I must admit I am in the minority in that what I do stays firmly with my me and my family.

I have no intention of admitting what I do, and I can't see it happening in the next few years. Almost all the people I know are extremely judgemental and being someone wo doesn't really fit in means that giving them more things to throw at me is a bad idea. Being quite insecure doesn't realy help either.

Luckily I play at a club out of town and don't ever have people visit means that it isn't very difficult to keep it a secret. All I have to do is claim to sit around and watch television and no one asks more questions.

Guitardian wrote:I think most of them just go over people's heads. proclaiming "HERESY!" or "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD" might just be construed as humorous drunkenness (which it is) but I doubt if many people will catch the reference.

That's all good and well...

If I was drunk when I said that stuff. I mean, I am sometimes. Okay... Often. Canadian and all...

The point is, I get wierd looks. I get them a lot. And my answer to said gazes is to mimic the expression, and stare back at the person (or people) until they look away. Works very, very well.

SHAME!!!

To be honest everyone who knows me knows am a Sci-fi/fantasy, Computer(well console, I don't and won't play WOW), comic book, movie, science and math geek.

But for some reason I just can't find a way to tell my mates that since Christmas just gone I have got back into and spent more then a few hundred quid on little plastic men. Admittedly the topic hasn't come up and I won't deny or hide it when it does.

So not really shame, just a reserved cautiousness

Well, wait until this Christmas coming. On christmas day, just call each of them up and say "I just want to wish you a merry Christmas, and always remember what this day means. It's important that we never forget the Emperor's terrible sacrifice for the good of humanity."

...and it's because of the Emprah's sacrifice that santa keeps the redshirts having a job... the true meaning of christmas...

metallifan wrote:

Guitardian wrote:I think most of them just go over people's heads. proclaiming "HERESY!" or "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD" might just be construed as humorous drunkenness (which it is) but I doubt if many people will catch the reference.

That's all good and well...

If I was drunk when I said that stuff. I mean, I am sometimes. Okay... Often. Canadian and all...

The point is, I get wierd looks. I get them a lot. And my answer to said gazes is to mimic the expression, and stare back at the person (or people) until they look away. Works very, very well.

This is a fare representation of Canada right

Emperors sacrifice at Xmas, that's awesome! I'm going to start writing that on my Christmas cards to my friends this Xmas...I've never sent Xmas cards before, but now I will just for that joke!

Im pretty out with my wargaming, I mean my avatar on Steam is the artwork from the DE reference sheet page in the 5th Ed. book and I explain it in a way that doesn't totally nerd it out.

Ex; "I paint plastic soldiers and play games with them"

And the best part is (maybe just from the way I present it) girls don't actually give a feth. It surprised me quite a lot.

People seem to almost forget that when you get out of high-school no one really gives a feth about how nerdy you are. Sure, you might bear the brunt of some serious ribbing through that period but after that it's smooth sailing. Considering the only people I ever see EVER are 13 nerds, 1 female and my parents, the circle of people obviously are quite accepting.
And most people really lie about their true geekiness, considering the vast hordes of people geeking out on WoW/MW2/H3/GOW2/SC2 every day. Don't be ashamed because really it's almost becoming cool to be a keyboard/paintbrush warrior.

being a geek is cool now. nothing to hide or be ashamed of.

most of my friends are geeks, and most of us are pretty f*cking cool.

we all make decent livings, we all are successful with the opposite sex, and we all are generally decent people.

my attitude is if people don't get why i play 40k or wow or like Bach, or shoot guns, or read atwood or work out, well f*ck them. people are more than one thing. but i can tell you this: nobody has called me a geek to my face for 15 years.

aint it nice growing up?

'tis indeed.

youbedead wrote:

metallifan wrote:

Guitardian wrote:I think most of them just go over people's heads. proclaiming "HERESY!" or "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD" might just be construed as humorous drunkenness (which it is) but I doubt if many people will catch the reference.

That's all good and well...

If I was drunk when I said that stuff. I mean, I am sometimes. Okay... Often. Canadian and all...

The point is, I get wierd looks. I get them a lot. And my answer to said gazes is to mimic the expression, and stare back at the person (or people) until they look away. Works very, very well.

This is a fare representation of Canada right

Broken picture is broken.

Makes me a Saaaaaad Canadian

Yeah when my Girlfriend now wife found out about it she went " Wow your a huge nerd, thats so cute"...

I didnt hide it but it never came up in conversation. She knew i was a gamer, and played lots of console and PC games. When we got engaged and moved in together it came up when i was packing up my army boxes and what not.

She likes to paint them also!!!

As Bill Gates says, "Be nice to nerds, you will probably end up working for one".

All things in moderation. Just because you have a hobby or interests that are "geeky" doesn't mean the rest of your life is consumed with those interests. The social misfit gamer dorks are the ones that give the regular gamers a bad name. If you like a game or hobby, you don't need to (and shouldn't) do it 24/7 to the exclusion of relationships, gainful employment, excercise, etc. Like I said, ALL things in moderation... being obsessive about anything is unhealthy.

I keep my work life and personal separate... mainly because I don't want work tainting my personal life... not the other way around. I'm old enough to fall into the "I don't need your approval" category, however when I was younger I just seemed to hang out with folks with interests as varied and off-norm as mine (though they may have had different interests), so it really never mattered. However I didn't start gaming until I was in graduate school, so by that time it was pretty easy to avoid social pressure.

I keep it secret. Because i'm in highschool, I play Football, i wrestle, and i hang out with some fairly popular people. So i think for now i'll keep the wargamming on the down low.

I dont wargame, just hobby, but I don't really advertise either. It's not that I give a crap in particular one way or the other, but I don't feel the urge to talk about it with people I know wouldn't be interested. I have geeky interests but don't really come off as one to most people, and I suppose I am ok with leaving it that way.

Honestly though, kids are cruel, and I wouldn't advise someone in highschool to advertise it as the others will def have a go. Same as above, I wouldn't keep it a dirty little secret either, but just know your audience, don't bring it up with people you know would not be into it whatsoever.

MajorTom11 wrote:
Honestly though, kids are cruel, and I wouldn't advise someone in highschool to advertise it as the others will def have a go.

That's a pretty big generalization. I did it, and the standard response was "Wow! You PAINTED that? Like... With your hands!?"

Yeah I like showing off paint jobs, but there's a line to be drawn...

I worked at a call center for a while and one of the guys I worked with happened to play Magic cards. I had the fortune of running into him at a game at a buddies house (I never really played much, just dabbling beer n pretzels sort of thing so it didn't strike me as a big deal.

Next day at work he would be accosting me constantly with deck ideas and stuff and quite frankly I couldn't give two gaks about the game. Then he started on about D&D. This guy had absolutely no tact, very socially awkward and yeah it got to be kind of embarrassing, especially since I was more interested in my band, and was single at the time, and having this constant geek conversation hovering over my shoulder wasn't exactly helping. I politely told this guy that I really don't like to talk about gaming when I'm working and poof problem solved.

I'll babble all night about warhammer or battletech or painting with other people who are actually interested, but I wouldn't make a big loud conversation in a crowded room, not out of shame, just out of respect that nobody else knows or cares what the hell we are talking about and really don't need to hear it. It makes me seem like a jerk, the awkward guy seem even more like a jerk, and generally just annoys everybody else. Being an annoying geek doesn't leave open many opportunities to get a date when the guy next to you keeps going on and on about Magic Cards or whatever.

When did I say "Go ahead and suck people into discussions about your fancy toy collection"?

I thought I just said don't be afraid to advertise your hobbies. I do, though I also consider myself to be quite awesome on the side so that levels it out.

just a slight aside to the term "geek"... the unit i am in the term "geek" can sometimes be thrown at a person in more of a complimental form than as a ribbing for one's hobby...

the only non-real hobby that anyone gets actually made fun of for is WoW.. but all of us miniatures wargamers, D&Ders, and MTGers are pretty well "safe" in our nerdom. For the most part, in the army, i have found that most people couldnt give 2 gaks what your hobbies are so long as they dont keep you from performing your job (or are illegal, like drunk driving).


Also, I have tattoos... which somehow still puts me into the "fringe" of society, it should be quite obvious what i think about folks opinions (mind you, i have my own rules regarding the placement of my tattoos, as well as the military's)

Right now work is slow, so im on dakka, while painting my lizardmen!!!

I envy your job.

I certainly wasn't open about it in highschool at all, I don't mean wargaming, I mean playing video games and WoW and such.

I'm more open about it now (hell, my fiance got me into wargaming) since I live my own life, and can't really be judged by anyone who knows who I really am.

Hell, I have Pein's piercings in my ears, if that's not being openly nerdy, aside from that they make me intimidating, I'm not sure what is.

I don't advertise, but I don't hide it either. I generally don't talk about it with my friends or coworkers because most of them don't care about it, but I'm not shy about asking some of the people I work with that play if they feel like getting in a game later in the week.

Last time I brought a girl back to my room she was just interested in how I go them to look the way they did. She even sat down and painted a Marine!

Buttlerthepug wrote:Ill be honest, in all my years of Junior High and High School, I denied and kept it a major secret that I played warhammer... Even when people came over to my house and saw all my models I would go as far to say that it was from elementry school and that I was selling them :( .

This is what I do at school at the moment cause the amount of banter i get from all the people who spend their lives on facebook and ps3/xbox360 gets incredibly tedious so it is just easier if they don't know.

I don't think you can compare facebook. Lots of people use that as a way of contacting old friends, it isn't all Farmville and MafiaWars. If anything gamer-geeking is kind of anti-social in most social environments, while facebook is encouraging people to actually be in contact with each other about stuff that doesn't involve statlines and mathhammer and such things that precious few really know or care about. It's just a communication tool.

I'm not one who particularily cares. If someone brings it up, I'll mention it, but otherwise I mostly just keep it to myself.

it's not that I don't like enjoying 40k, far from it. I'm proud of what I've learnt, how I'm working, and my painting, drawing and english skills have all been bettered by it.

asid from that, most of the people I call friends are either into wargaming, or are intruiged by it.

The fact is, it's not the hobby that makes you a geek. by that same play I'm a kewlkewldood. I do alot of extra-ciricular. I do basketball 7 days a week, including a job of refereeing for about 400 ish a week. I also do school, and manage to batchpaint about a squad a week.

I'm definatly an adamant hobbyist, and if people are really not having it, they can suck eggs.

I'm proud to be a geek. Proud!! I have Warhammer stuff at my cubicle at work. When I was on Facebook, I would post my battle reports even though my friends on there don't play.

Why is this not a poll?

I am definitely a closet nerd, force of habit from a lifetime of keeping it under wraps even though I know I should not care what other people think.

Living in Southern California, land of the shallow, isn't all that conducive to geek culture either.

Kudos to those of you who don't try to fake the funk.

Wise words from the Mighty Reecius!

Havn't seen you for a while dude- been on break?

Hello DakkaDakka!

In many ways I am a coward and afraid to really be myself around people. But I am proud to be a gamer though. When I realize that all my friends are gamers, then to be embarrassed about 40K is to be embarrassed about the people I love. Emperor give me strength to be bold and unashamed!

--- Frankie

I'm generally pretty conservative about it. I am by no means trying to hide my hobby, but I understand that it just doesn't pique most people's interests, and so I don't tend to bring it up at all unless I'm hanging out with someone who's interested in tabletop gaming.

Waving your hobby in someone's face when they obviously have no interest is almost as bad as criticising someone for enjoying something. Unless someone specifically expresses interest, I'm not going to involve them in it.

Anyone who knows me know I'm a gamer. I've even brought some of my stuff to work and show it around, getting comments of how good they look and questions about how I can paint in that small of a detail.
I even used miniatures in a job interview that landed me a higher paying training position at work. I trained my interviewers on how to trim, clean, and prep miniatures for painting.
Out of 100 people applying for the job, I was one of 5 that got it based off the strength of the demo I gave.
I made sure my wife knew about my hobby before we even started dating, and after we got married, she helped me paint up a couple of armies.
A lot of times I find that being open about your hobby is a great way to recruit people into it, because a lot of people never really got playing with toy soldiers out of their system.
On the rare occasion I meet someone that wants to be a jerk, I find it's really not very hard to turn the tables on them and make them look like a total fool with the stuff they like to do.

Relapse wrote:
I even used miniatures in a job interview that landed me a higher paying training position at work. I trained my interviewers on how to trim, clean, and prep miniatures for painting.

this story intrigues me. care to share more about the event?

eoinmorgan wrote:

Relapse wrote:
I even used miniatures in a job interview that landed me a higher paying training position at work. I trained my interviewers on how to trim, clean, and prep miniatures for painting.

this story intrigues me. care to share more about the event?

Be glad to. There were 5 job openings for trainers at the place where I work and 100+ applicants. I made it through the first interview and was told to bring something non work related to demonstrate my training skills that I could teach in about 15 minutes time at the second interview .
After going through the options for about a week or so, I decided to take some Warhammer Orcs in on their sprues to demonstrate how to get them ready for painting. Using the EDGE (explain, guide, demonstrate, enable) method, I had the interviewers prepping Orcs for painting. I let them keep the miniatures they prepped and they ended up on the shelves in their office as conversation pieces and I ended up with a job that paid me $2.00 an hour more and the ability to effect how the company ran it's product.

Pride!! But the ninja pride where you don't tell anybody that you are a nerd until they show there Geekness first.

Relapse wrote:

eoinmorgan wrote:

Relapse wrote:
I even used miniatures in a job interview that landed me a higher paying training position at work. I trained my interviewers on how to trim, clean, and prep miniatures for painting.

this story intrigues me. care to share more about the event?

Be glad to. There were 5 job openings for trainers at the place where I work and 100+ applicants. I made it through the first interview and was told to bring something non work related to demonstrate my training skills that I could teach in about 15 minutes time at the second interview .
After going through the options for about a week or so, I decided to take some Warhammer Orcs in on their sprues to demonstrate how to get them ready for painting. Using the EDGE (explain, guide, demonstrate, enable) method, I had the interviewers prepping Orcs for painting. I let them keep the miniatures they prepped and they ended up on the shelves in their office as conversation pieces and I ended up with a job that paid me $2.00 an hour more and the ability to effect how the company ran it's product.

That is truly a beautiful story. Very inspirational. I should try that for my next interview.

Relapse wrote:
Be glad to. There were 5 job openings for trainers at the place where I work and 100+ applicants. I made it through the first interview and was told to bring something non work related to demonstrate my training skills that I could teach in about 15 minutes time at the second interview .
After going through the options for about a week or so, I decided to take some Warhammer Orcs in on their sprues to demonstrate how to get them ready for painting. Using the EDGE (explain, guide, demonstrate, enable) method, I had the interviewers prepping Orcs for painting. I let them keep the miniatures they prepped and they ended up on the shelves in their office as conversation pieces and I ended up with a job that paid me $2.00 an hour more and the ability to effect how the company ran it's product.

That's a really cool story. Definitely one of the few situations where Warhammer-related activities actually put more money in your wallet!

Yeah I don't i'm pretty open about it, if they ask I'll tell.

I don't bother informing the ass hatters of my wargaming hobby as I know it would end in tears, for them.

Other than that let the people judge me how they like I love wargaming and I'm a proud nerd

Pride - happy to bask in me geekness/nerdgasms whatever. Facebook is covered in stuff that marks me out as a gamer.

I'll also happily tell folks I am a gamer, staff at work, strangers I've just met, have even advertised for players in the local store. (Thats local convience store, not a GW.)
Also staff tend to know as I'll often paint or model in work, one of the advantages of slow days in the week when you are a manager at a family store.

Probably helps the wife is as bad as I am, and both boys are going the same way.

ShivanAngel wrote:
As Bill Gates says, "Be nice to nerds, you will probably end up working for one".

so true

i plan on painting my minis in art class this semester

please don't tell me you can get credit for that nowadays... I painted mine all the way through college when I WASN'T in classes learning real stuff...

ugh... no child left behind has turned into one nation undereducated.

Guitardian wrote:

Relapse wrote:

eoinmorgan wrote:

Relapse wrote:
I even used miniatures in a job interview that landed me a higher paying training position at work. I trained my interviewers on how to trim, clean, and prep miniatures for painting.

this story intrigues me. care to share more about the event?

Be glad to. There were 5 job openings for trainers at the place where I work and 100+ applicants. I made it through the first interview and was told to bring something non work related to demonstrate my training skills that I could teach in about 15 minutes time at the second interview .
After going through the options for about a week or so, I decided to take some Warhammer Orcs in on their sprues to demonstrate how to get them ready for painting. Using the EDGE (explain, guide, demonstrate, enable) method, I had the interviewers prepping Orcs for painting. I let them keep the miniatures they prepped and they ended up on the shelves in their office as conversation pieces and I ended up with a job that paid me $2.00 an hour more and the ability to effect how the company ran it's product.

That is truly a beautiful story. Very inspirational. I should try that for my next interview.

Inspirational it may be, but I think you might have a better chance if you brought in your guitar and taught them some chords.

good point, cuz my painting is kind of mediocre

Geek and proud, discussing napolionic history in my interview got me my £40k a year job!

Druidic wrote:Geek and proud, discussing napolionic history in my interview got me my £40k a year job!

That salary is pretty GRIMDARK

I've always used my hobby as a way filter out h o lees ... just sayin! I used to play DnD which was more difficult to talk about but it also was funner to play back in the old days of 2nd ed.
Now I just do table top war gaming and most of my friends don't, but at the very least think it's a neat past time. I also am a huge football and basketball guy so I've got a lot of friends who'd probably never do this sort of thing, but I don't suffer folks who would turn their nose up at it.
I remember when video games were far less mainstream than they are now, that's changed though. I don't play MORPG's so I don't have to explain that. I"m just a console gamer too so that helps.

I think I'm pretty well rounded when it comes to my interests and pass times. Although, gaming is a considerable chunk of my "pass times pie." In the first week of dating my girl friend I pulled out my dark angels and I taught her how to play 40K. She thought it was a joke I was trying to play on her in the beginning and then when she saw that I was serious she was like, wow that's actually pretty cool. I showed her all of the mechanics of the game. I gave her a 10 man tac squad with a heavy weapon and a special weapon and I gave myself a 5 man combat squad with a special weapon. I had a piece of terrain or two and we had a fun little gaming teaching session. Mind you, this was in the first week of dating her. I did this to test the waters of her geekiness. Because, in reality, I didn't really want to go much further if I had to hide my gaming passion in shame. 2 years later everything has turned out just fine, we're still together, and she buys me models and warhammer stuff for my birthdays, Christmas, etc. And she totally supports me and encourages me to play. She thinks I'm cute because I'm a geek.

I also talk about it pretty freely with co-workers and my boss. I gave one of my airmen a White Dwarf because he was interested in starting 40K. He now wants to play Orks or Space Marines lol.

And I've talked a lot about it with my boss, especially since she knows I carry a book with me every where I go. Which is usually a Black Library book. So, I've showed her some pictures of models.

My grandpa, a Navy WWII vet, encourages me to play war games as well. He says it's a good hobby for a military officer. hehe

I think the thing that keeps people from thinking I'm some crazy, which I wouldn't care anyway, is that I have a lot of other hobbies and interests.

DarkAngelHopeful

I used to be ashamed of the hobby in middle school. Now, I'm at the point where I don't care. Most people see an in-shape, 200 pound man and not some fanboy who never wanted to grow up. I've taken my girlfriend to several shops and even let her paint some models. She thinks its adorable.


What gets most people isn't the hobby itself, but rather the cost. When I tell someone that this little Space Marine cost 15 bucks, then I get funny looks.

I love being a total geek. We shall inherit the earth!

chromedog wrote:Out and proud.

I don't associate with many 'norms' anyway.

They can have their meaningless hum-drum existence and thug-ball games. I'll stick with my mandollies, thanks.

I like thug-ball, I even play the American variety (my God, a brit who both likes and plays American Football!?!). But im also completely open about my hobby. My friends jeered me a bit at first, but now I think they dont mind. Its something I enjoy, and they accept that. It even happened to come up one night when out with the team, and I discovered another member of the team plays, but just hadn't mentioned it out of embarrassment.
So yeah, im not ashamed of it at all, ill talk about it if im aksed, but I understand some people dont want this hobby or a conversation about it forced on them, and I respect that.

I'm in year 9 in secondary school and I'm a mixture. Since it is a very space demanding hobby when friends come over they want to know what's in those two ominous cases!
I believe everything you do in life there will always be one idiot, some one who rains on your parade. However no matter what gets said I just smile back beacuse you cant let some one get you down. I have received abuse, comments such as have fun at your dolly party (Gamesday), and I just smiled and said I will. I don't try and convert people to Warhammer but if they ask about I'm not afraid to tell.

Lols once again at work, molding green stuff for a conversion of a WLC bazooka toting Rat ogre...

My co-workers are actually watching in interest!

i am now out and out proud of my hobbie and tell anyone who says otherwise to shove it



i have already tried bieng bashfull and it didnt work so now ive converted to miniature geek and it seems to have worked :]

I'm almost too proud to be a nerd! people don't think i'd be quite so nerdy when they meet me but when they see my T-shirt then they know...oh yes, they know. i'll try and work out how to put a pic up

I definatly get the impression that sometimes I'm viewed as a 'mature young man' (24) but that the geekage (dnd warhammer) is an 'anomoly'. That said I keep coming back to science and 'geekage' as they are the only things that hold my interest.

Warhammer stuff - mathematical skills, artistic skills (that I lack and have helped me develop), manual skills, creative, tactical and social skills.

DnD - Leadership skills, (DMing/organising groups), writing, maths, balancing..

Seriously these games should be marketed this way a LOT more..

In this day and age there is no such thing as an average person anymore due to the huge amont of diversity when it comes to hobbies and interests.

As a relative old fart (40) I find a bit of both sides, some people are keen to offer some kind of retort about being sad etc but other people just say OK.

I am trying to set up a club where I live and work and in a few days, when the posters go out, a captive population of about 2000 people will know my name and the fact that I play wargames!!

What Phototoxin said... I used to work construction, and due to playing 40k so much, I got pretty good at eyeballin distances. Kinda irked my boss when I started spotting the centers while building a stud wall, but hey, I was only off by 1/4" at the most! So thank you nerdy game played with little plastic men, thank you.

Person: "Hi, my name is ____"
Me: "Good to meet you. You wouldn't happen to play 40k would you?"

I am in no way subtle about wargamming. If I don't know you, I ask if you play. If I do know you, I make references to the game while you sit there wondering what I'm talking about (until you get to the point where I've referenced so much that you now know what I'm talking about. My dad is close to this).

Not living a lie, but I find that my geek world tends to stay separate from my non geek pursuits. This separation began back in middle school (6 grade) where I had a foot in a couple of cliques, the jock crowd (big into sports, especially football) and the geek crowd (comics, games, sci-fi, etc.) My interests and involvement in each "side" would wax and wane based on the time of year and such (and interest in the fair sex). This has carried over into my adult life, but with new variables that influence this seemingly enduring separation between my geek persona and my other interests and obligations (being a husband and a father for one, work being another, church and volunteering yet another). Again, things seem to wax and wane with the seasons. Right now my geek interests are waning significantly, but if the pattern holds will wax again once December comes along and carry over through April when I put up my football coaches whistle for the season.

The people I most closely associate with in my varied activities are generally ignorant of my varied pursuits, not because of any deception on my part, but more due to their legitimate disinterest. I am not going to engage my football coaching friends in a debate about True LOS and pre-measuring when by mutual consent we would be much more interested discussing the pros and cons of teaching kids zone blocking.

Im not really up for announcing that I paint tiny bell-bottomed spacemen as a hobby to everyone I meet. When people ask about hobbies Il usually say "Yeah, I do a bit of painting now and then" and try and leave it at that. If they probe further Il admit to painting miniatures and go no further. In my social circles, the name "warhammer" encourages mild derision and light embarrassment on my part. I dont play anyway so Im not technically lying...

not got anyone on my facebook to talk to really but i would say im sorta proud

akira5665 wrote:Wise words from the Mighty Reecius!

Havn't seen you for a while dude- been on break?

Hey dude.

Yeah, I have been busy as hell with work and what not. I haven't even been gaming, which bugs me.

How you been, man?

PRIDE! Whenever I know I'll have a period or two off at school beforehand, I'm bringing my paints and minis. So far it has gained a lot of positive attention.

I usually bring paper, pen and my codex (now just paper and pen. Codex is unneeded). But maybe I'll do what you do now that I'll be in college...

College bring a laptop with army builder on it!!!!

I'll bring a lap top with microsoft word/excel.

yeah im a geek im hoping that i will be one day respected for my gift but for now ill keep it from the more radical and popular people in my year and my scocial circles but the people i like and know wont mind or possibly like them

i am out and pround, i think that a person shouldnt be judged by their hobbies or interest.

Let's not dredge up threads more than a month old, please?