Jimquisition: Fake Nerd Girls
- Thread starter Jimothy Sterling
- Start date
I'm gonna chip in here and say that the annoyance I have with the "fake nerd girl" has nothing to do with a pretty girl talking about games. It's just that it simply echoes the mainstream media's failing attempts at covering a subject they know nothing of apart from the stereotypical.
Add to that the fact that the gaming community is very protective of itself due to being ridiculed for years, and the stigma of the "horny nerd", and you can understand there might be some wariness.
Add to that the fact that the gaming community is very protective of itself due to being ridiculed for years, and the stigma of the "horny nerd", and you can understand there might be some wariness.
hey jim, don't mess with firefly
and i generally don't get the issue with "fake nerd girls" if they are same people who bullied you ten years ago for liking video games, why don't you dig up your superiority complex and think about how how you set on the winning horse and they have to attach themselves to something they don't even like to get attention.
and that is if you even consider this a thing, i really can't see what is wrong with hot women dressing as characters from videogames, even if they just like dressing up or the craft involved in making costumes or even if it's just for the attention, how does that hurt you?
and i generally don't get the issue with "fake nerd girls" if they are same people who bullied you ten years ago for liking video games, why don't you dig up your superiority complex and think about how how you set on the winning horse and they have to attach themselves to something they don't even like to get attention.
and that is if you even consider this a thing, i really can't see what is wrong with hot women dressing as characters from videogames, even if they just like dressing up or the craft involved in making costumes or even if it's just for the attention, how does that hurt you?
Poseurs exist in every subculture - be it cinephile or fine art. They don't get nearly as much vitriol as I've seen on gaming forums and gaming conventions.Smilomaniac said:
When someone shows interest in a thing, even if they're feigning some of it, it's a time to educate that person in that thing. It's a time to accept them and help them along their way. When someone willfully turns that person away, it's called elitism.
Sorry I didn't mean the exact same people but the same groups of people who only like something because it's popular and gets them attention.jmarquiso said:
So basically this episode was about attention seekers.
I don't really play video games often so "gam3r grrls" don't bother me, Scene Kids and Weeaboos really piss me off though. These people mentioned do everything for attention and cling onto the most mundane shit, I shit you not this is an actual post from Facebook awhile back...
"Listening to BVB so hardcore LMAO x"
Why the hell do you need to say something like that other than to get attention?! People that claim to be something they are not just screams that they have no personality themselves. It bothers me because I get grouped in with these crowds because I watch anime and listen to metal, yet I cannot have a decent conversation with either group about these subjects.
I know Jim used Jessica Nigri as a video example, but from what I have seen of her she seems to know what she is talking about when it comes to nerd culture.
I don't really play video games often so "gam3r grrls" don't bother me, Scene Kids and Weeaboos really piss me off though. These people mentioned do everything for attention and cling onto the most mundane shit, I shit you not this is an actual post from Facebook awhile back...
"Listening to BVB so hardcore LMAO x"
Why the hell do you need to say something like that other than to get attention?! People that claim to be something they are not just screams that they have no personality themselves. It bothers me because I get grouped in with these crowds because I watch anime and listen to metal, yet I cannot have a decent conversation with either group about these subjects.
I know Jim used Jessica Nigri as a video example, but from what I have seen of her she seems to know what she is talking about when it comes to nerd culture.
Yes, I've seen it tons of times before. Example 1- girl on the bus shows off Pikachu t-shirt, can't name one main character from the show or another one of them.Mordekaien said:
Example 2- girl pretending to play DS, turns out she's just scrolling around in the menu. Original DS, mind.
Example 3- girl flaunting her knowledge of video games, lists Farmville, Cityville, Call of Duty, and Pet Society. She can't think of any more.
Example 4- girl saying that she loves video games, can't name a single console other than PS3.
I have tons more of these experiences. I don't get bothered by it, but I know someone who is, and I need to show him this ASAP.
Just listing some examples because it really does fucking happen, people
Well in music people will dress the part for a certain group for the sake of making friends or fitting in. I suppose gaming is no exception though to ridicule that person is cruel and benifits noone however misguided they may be. At the same time it does noone any good to pretend such a person does not exist.
So you're saying that something that wasn't popular 10 years ago, but is now, is a bad thing?getoffmycloud said:
You realize that what this means is that the people bullying outliers for beginning to like games now are treating them the way gamers were treated 10 years ago, too, right?
Yes, I've seen it tons of times before. Example 1- girl on the bus shows off Pikachu t-shirt, can't name one main character from the show or another one of them.Duvi0 said:
Example 2- girl pretending to play DS, turns out she's just scrolling around in the menu. Original DS, mind.
Example 3- girl flaunting her knowledge of video games, lists Farmville, Cityville, Call of Duty, and Pet Society. She can't think of any more.
Example 4- girl saying that she loves video games, can't name a single console other than PS3.[/quote]
Just want to say I've met guy gamers who do the same thing, and they don't get nearly the same third degree.
Jim briefly touched on the reason, but then flew past it 
"Nerd girls" DO steal a ton of attention, go to Youtube right now and you'll find videos of "nerd girls" getting SHITLOADS more views than say...a guy of equal intelligence talking about the exact same subject.
If the girl is hot AND showing a cleavage you can hide a christmas tree in (thanks Yahtzee) then multiply those views by a factor of 10,000. I wish I was exaggerating.
It doesn't bother me because I rarely click on such videos, but I can see why it can bother some other people who upload tons of videos or have a career revolving around getting views.
"Nerd girls" DO steal a ton of attention, go to Youtube right now and you'll find videos of "nerd girls" getting SHITLOADS more views than say...a guy of equal intelligence talking about the exact same subject.
If the girl is hot AND showing a cleavage you can hide a christmas tree in (thanks Yahtzee) then multiply those views by a factor of 10,000. I wish I was exaggerating.
It doesn't bother me because I rarely click on such videos, but I can see why it can bother some other people who upload tons of videos or have a career revolving around getting views.
I was aware of this problem. I heard about it last rearing its ugly head in Mass Effect 3.
If I might lend my analysis: the Internet has been great for turbocharging the large multi-armed thing that constitutes 'viewer entitlement' that's been known about since long before there was an Internet. The idea that everything out there is 'for me.' For a brief explanation: look at the trend of making fun of the TWILIGHT series of books/films. Most of the people making fun of it are NOT the target audience -- not women with a specific set of fetishes. What doesn't occur to these people is that TWILIGHT is not for them, it's for the target audience. They should not be offended that it didn't meet their expectations, they should learn to do some research so that they don't see movies that they won't like. But the viewer entitlement is there, deleting the 'I should do research' command line and replacing it with 'Be a hate-spewing spigot of ignorance and contempt.'
What does this have to do with 'fake nerd girls?' Well, people are starting to become aware of viewer entitlement as a concept, and once they know it drives advertising dollars, it shakes them out of the experience. Finding someone who shares your interests is a great joy, and if you might some day theoretically reach a level of intimacy with them beyond mutual interest, that's great, too. But one thing I know no human being on the world has patience for is wasting time and looking a fool doing it. The fear, and the word 'fear' is very important in this context, is that these fake nerd girls are wasting the 'true gamer's' time with false hope and insincere implications. Not unlike the 'booth babe' problem mentioned some weeks ago.
People are okay with being deceived, but it must be done with some effort and style. As Lewis Black said, 'You've got to lie to me better than that.' A product or service is nothing if not a reflection of the person who uses/experiences it. I expect some deception and pandering in anything I consume -- they must compete, free market and all that -- but too much and I get angry. Some people (the problem causers of this discussion, they who persecute and scrutinize women in this medium) are so afraid of being made to feel a fool that they will take their claws out if they even suspect perfidy. And that's the problem -- knee-jerk hate reactions instead of careful scrutiny.
Jim, as usual, cuts to the heart of the matter quickly -- if you don't like it, stop looking at it. The attention-grubbers you fear wilt if not fed, and you are feeding them almost constantly with your shotgun approach of painting all women with the same brush. It's unfair, counterproductive, and makes both of us look stupid.
What I don't understand is people who keep on being assholes after they find a woman has the chops to back up her claims. Why is the response not then delight? It took me a while, but I think I've sussed out the answer: it's still a perceived insult, because they were wrong about something. And no one likes being wrong. Could ya be more selfish? You bluffed and were called, deal with it. The world doesn't need to conform to your bruised ego.
If I might lend my analysis: the Internet has been great for turbocharging the large multi-armed thing that constitutes 'viewer entitlement' that's been known about since long before there was an Internet. The idea that everything out there is 'for me.' For a brief explanation: look at the trend of making fun of the TWILIGHT series of books/films. Most of the people making fun of it are NOT the target audience -- not women with a specific set of fetishes. What doesn't occur to these people is that TWILIGHT is not for them, it's for the target audience. They should not be offended that it didn't meet their expectations, they should learn to do some research so that they don't see movies that they won't like. But the viewer entitlement is there, deleting the 'I should do research' command line and replacing it with 'Be a hate-spewing spigot of ignorance and contempt.'
What does this have to do with 'fake nerd girls?' Well, people are starting to become aware of viewer entitlement as a concept, and once they know it drives advertising dollars, it shakes them out of the experience. Finding someone who shares your interests is a great joy, and if you might some day theoretically reach a level of intimacy with them beyond mutual interest, that's great, too. But one thing I know no human being on the world has patience for is wasting time and looking a fool doing it. The fear, and the word 'fear' is very important in this context, is that these fake nerd girls are wasting the 'true gamer's' time with false hope and insincere implications. Not unlike the 'booth babe' problem mentioned some weeks ago.
People are okay with being deceived, but it must be done with some effort and style. As Lewis Black said, 'You've got to lie to me better than that.' A product or service is nothing if not a reflection of the person who uses/experiences it. I expect some deception and pandering in anything I consume -- they must compete, free market and all that -- but too much and I get angry. Some people (the problem causers of this discussion, they who persecute and scrutinize women in this medium) are so afraid of being made to feel a fool that they will take their claws out if they even suspect perfidy. And that's the problem -- knee-jerk hate reactions instead of careful scrutiny.
Jim, as usual, cuts to the heart of the matter quickly -- if you don't like it, stop looking at it. The attention-grubbers you fear wilt if not fed, and you are feeding them almost constantly with your shotgun approach of painting all women with the same brush. It's unfair, counterproductive, and makes both of us look stupid.
What I don't understand is people who keep on being assholes after they find a woman has the chops to back up her claims. Why is the response not then delight? It took me a while, but I think I've sussed out the answer: it's still a perceived insult, because they were wrong about something. And no one likes being wrong. Could ya be more selfish? You bluffed and were called, deal with it. The world doesn't need to conform to your bruised ego.
I think the whole anger about this doesn't stem from gender but stems from the whole jumping on the bandwagon. These same people who say "I LOVE VIDEO GAMES! I'M SUCH A NERD XD" are the same people who ridiculed people for playing games back in the day.
It's the hypocrisy that gets us mad, not the people.
It's the hypocrisy that gets us mad, not the people.
I don't actively hate and scream at the thought of fake nerd girls used in advertising, but they do annoy me a fair bit when I see them... although I think that's more to do with the fact that I get annoyed when advertised to at all. Some ways much more so than others.
And with the ones who just do it for attention, attention-seekers in general just piss me off.
Edit: Aaron Sylvester pretty much summed it up.
And with the ones who just do it for attention, attention-seekers in general just piss me off.
Edit: Aaron Sylvester pretty much summed it up.
Attractiveness always breeds resentment almost as much as... well, attraction. If you can't be her or be in her league then you have to create a flaw to make yourself feel better.
However plenty of examples out there that really are whoring for attention. A few even are "real gamers" yet only half of what they do is gaming related, the other half is a sexy cam show (talking about ones that are blatantly obvious because they are trying too hard). And it should not be a surprise why that inspires disrespect.
Just like booth babes are not respected because of the same kind of logic. Maybe they shouldn't but that's the way it is.
However plenty of examples out there that really are whoring for attention. A few even are "real gamers" yet only half of what they do is gaming related, the other half is a sexy cam show (talking about ones that are blatantly obvious because they are trying too hard). And it should not be a surprise why that inspires disrespect.
Just like booth babes are not respected because of the same kind of logic. Maybe they shouldn't but that's the way it is.