That one part of Geek culture you never got into

[Twintix]

Game of Thrones.

I just can't bring myself to care. The first book bored me to tears, and I have zero interest in watching the show. I guess it's probably because I read too much Discworld and have come to prefer a fantasy universe that doesn't take itself so seriously (Oh GOD, did that feel like a pretentious sentence. I am SO sorry!), or maybe it's something else. But whatever it is, I just have no interest in it.

I guess I'm not that into comic books and comic book-based movies either. At least not of the super hero variety. Or, well, I'm into manga, which should count as comics. And if they make one based on the new Big Hero 6 movie, I might take an interest.

And I've been eyeing Archie Comic's Sonic The Hedgehog series, despite not being a huge Sonic fan. Is it any good, or have I just seen the best bits and pieces of it?

 

[Slitzkin]

Asia.

For some reason everybody loves Asia/Japan/Korea/Manga/Anime/whatever but I really couldn't care less

Japan and Korea are very small parts of Asia. Don't forget Syria and Iraq are in Asia, I don't think they are too popular amongst geek culture.

 

[Eleuthera]

Asia.

For some reason everybody loves Asia/Japan/Korea/Manga/Anime/whatever but I really couldn't care less

Japan and Korea are very small parts of Asia. Don't forget Syria and Iraq are in Asia, I don't think they are too popular amongst geek culture.

You're right, let me edit that to far east cultures.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Not even as a kid though?

Oh sure, I was really into Pokémon stuff when I was 7 or 8. I had the Pokédex, some other Pokéball game, cards (even though I never learned how to play the game properly) and stickers but other than that, nothing really stands out. I mean, I was also collecting Beanie Babies at the time.


I had posters and badges when I was in my early teens but that was mostly music related.

I don't mean that I don't like merchandise, it's just never really been a "thing" for me.

Does that make sense?

It probably doesn't.

Well, it's that as a kid you're more prone to indulge in fan activities, as well as being way more susceptible to buying merchandise. Something I don't think any child is immune to, unless they're raised in an extremely strict environment.

As a kid I bought tons posters and action figures, but as I grew up all that crap all over my walls and shelves just started to distract me from my actual geek activities, like watching movies and playing games. I'd be watching The Thing or something and then in the corner of my eye there'd be some goofy cartoon character on my book shelf pulling me out of the movie.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Harry Potter.

I have zero interest in that series, but that might be in part because I really don't care for wizards. Outside of Gandolf, of course, because he's awesome.

The other reason might be when Harry Potter first came out I was just starting to read The Lord of the Rings series, and I was way more into that.

 

[Kenbo Slice]

Does MLP count? Because I could not get into it at all and for the life of me can't see the big deal.

 

[Mezahmay]

Tabletop gaming. It seems like something I could learn to like but I've never had a like minded group to get me started. There is a gaming group on campus but I only learned about them fairly recently, they're a pretty tight group, and it's my last year so fuck it. Some other time maybe.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

There are a few things that I think I can just encapsulate under the header of Western Nerd TV...I watched the Eccelston episodes and a special or two after (mostly from the Smith episodes) but never really got into Dr. Who before or after that. I enjoyed the first 5 or so seasons of ST:TNG but I never cared to watch the original Star Trek, Deep Space 9, Voyager, or any of the movies except for Wrath of Khan and the first JJ Abrams one. I have never watched Red Dwarf or Firefly and don't really care to. I enjoyed the first 4 or 5 episodes of Arrow but haven't watched much beyond that. I haven't watched any of Flash despite the temptation of crossover episodes and, the coming of Gorilla Grodd. I don't care at all to watch Gotham, I probably won't watch any of the Marvel Netflix originals, I probably won't watch Legend of Zelda: Tales from the Netflix and I haven't watched a single episode of Agent Carter or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I do watch the animated series of various things though and I may watch the upcoming Titans series that's currently being cast but that's about the extent of it. If I'm doing anything using my TV it's gaming.

I never got into tabletop gaming...I like board games but I care more about Warhammer on the PS3 than collecting/painting miniatures. I'm slightly interested and I could do that in my later years because I'm not interested by model trains or golf or other standard old-man things...

 

[Foehunter82]

Oh, I think I have it- Warhammer.

I have never understood or seen the appeal of Warhammer. My ex was into it, but I really... don't get it.

I enjoyed the idea of 40K mostly, even though the setting is seriously fucked up. Everyone's fighting each other, including the "Imperium" factions. It's pretty screwball. It being grimdark medieval-style sci-fi is fascinating, though. Getting into tabletop is too much of an investment, though, and after a while, the grimdark nature of it goes from being a morbid curiosity to just being a drain.

I never really got into Cosplay. Nothing against it, it's just not for me. Not one for memorabilia, either.

I used to be a big Star Wars fan, but after a while that became ridiculous, too. Especially a lot of the Expanded Universe (I know it's no longer canon) content, all of which appears to be just repetitions of the same things from the films over and over again. After a while, it just seemed like those involved in making the Expanded Universe stuff were just retelling the original trilogy with different characters.

 

[jademunky]

Manga

Never liked the art style (I find it "lazy"), always found the action scenes disjointed and confusing. I love comic books, i even like some anime but never found manga interesting which means I will sadly go to my grave never finding out how Berserk ends.

 

[Darks63]

Dr. Who and Red dwarf.

With the former maybe it is more because it is a very expansive series and from the few episodes of season 13 I saw I'm not sure if it would be worth it to try to get into it. The fandom is Also a little scary too which can push me away from things as well.

With the latter I found the humor was just too British for me. I can enjoy Brit comedies, for example I loved Black Adder and Monty Python, but with this show it just didn't click with me at all.

 

[Therumancer]

Game of Thrones.

I just can't bring myself to care. The first book bored me to tears, and I have zero interest in watching the show. I guess it's probably because I read too much Discworld and have come to prefer a fantasy universe that doesn't take itself so seriously (Oh GOD, did that feel like a pretentious sentence. I am SO sorry!), or maybe it's something else. But whatever it is, I just have no interest in it.

I guess I'm not that into comic books and comic book-based movies either. At least not of the super hero variety. Or, well, I'm into manga, which should count as comics. And if they make one based on the new Big Hero 6 movie, I might take an interest.

And I've been eyeing Archie Comic's Sonic The Hedgehog series, despite not being a huge Sonic fan. Is it any good, or have I just seen the best bits and pieces of it?

Actually "Big Hero Six" was based on a short lived Marvel comic/concept:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Hero_6

Whether the movie's relative success sees a return of "Big Hero Six" to the world of comics remains to be seen (if they have already, I haven't noticed it).

-

Otherwise as a general response it's a bit sad on a lot of levels but I'm into, or have been into, pretty much everything associated with geekdom at one time or another. Wargames, complicated board games, PnP RPGs, video games, Manga, Anime, Comic Books, sci-fi/fantasy TV shows, horror, etc... my interest is pretty broad and waffles at times with increased or reduced interest in specific things. Perhaps the thing I appreciate least is Manga, it can be okay, but I tend to prefer Western comics, of course a big part of that is the reasons a lot of others don't like them, complex, evolving, universes yet ones where certain things remain constant such as a lot of the characters.

For all my criticisms of his politics, one of the reasons I respected MovieBob as a fellow geek was he was one of the few people I've run into who knows as much, or more, than I do, across an equally wide range of geekly topics as arrogant as that sounds.

As far as people being intimidated by Western comics it's surprisingly easy to catch up on, as comics continuity has been exhaustively chronicles in a number of places (heck even Wikipedia can be a decent source to brush up on things). That said I admit that industry, especially Marvel, has gotten a bit too greedy in recent years due to their movie successes doubtlessly.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

The people who think comics should be kept bagged and toys should be kept in the box. Maybe I just don't get the appeal...

 

[Zontar]

Dungeons and Dragons. My friends enjoy it but I could never really get into it myself, I always just used whoever has a character the didn't mind me messing with and just went along with whatever was going on. I like my tabletop games to be more, I don't know, there. Like when I'm playing one of the dozen variations of Risk I have, or Twilight Imperium.

Also, I don't much care for fantasy novels that are set in the middle ages, or most of the games that are set there either. I like the otherworldly fantasy that doesn't make you even think of Europe's past.

 

[Vault101]

Anime- wasn't really accessible at the time...closest was Avatar the Last Air bender (yes which I KNOW is a western show) but I never got to watch to cause I had to play "sport" instead...*pssh*

I read a comic for a while a couple of years ago, and I keep looking for an excuse to get back into comics but I can't seem to find it. That and the fact that I cannot stop myself from reading comics in William Shatner's voice, which once it stops being funny is kind of distracting.
.

why don't you try Saga?

Comics and anime for me as well. The tropes in both just do not suite me at all. It kills any sort of dramatic tension when characters never die .

Add another one to the comic bunch. I've never even tried them but they just seem, like you said, very convoluted.
.

snip?

Would be comics for me.
.

Western comics . :<

I've often wondered if western comics biggest problem were superheros, if the *entire medium* is seen as one particular (and rather niche) genre then it just kills any accessibility. There are more genres AND more importantly self contained story's

it irritates me but then I realise I was exactly the same, until a couple of years ago. Comics have an image problem (but Image [the publisher] are the solution!..harr harr)

I can recommend some good (complete) comic series

but I can't disagree on the price point, a trade is around $10-$20 and the issues are expensive for what you get, (though there is Comixology for cheaper digital comics)

I don't actually mind that comics are *quick* to get through, with a million books/movies/TV's vying for our attention being able to blaze through something isn't quite a bad thing, plus a trade will still take you maybe just under an hour

Manga

Never liked the art style (I find it "lazy"), always found the action scenes disjointed and confusing. I love comic books, i even like some anime but never found manga interesting which means I will sadly go to my grave never finding out how Berserk ends.

yeah I find it a little...inbred

at least western comics allow for a lot more variation (like if you compare current batman to saga to Chew to Revival and such)

 

[Davroth]

Uhhhm... Geocaching? Never got into Geocaching.

Honestly, though, I can't think of one. For reasons unbeknown to me, I enjoy all things geeky.

 

[Drake Barrow]

Pretty much the recent TV front here. Maybe it's my inclination to dislike things that are excessively popular/pushed on me, but most of the fan favorite 'geek culture' TV shows don't flip my switches. I like some of them well enough, but all of my friends absolutely adore them to a level I have no desire to match. It's like They Live or something - the shows put some subliminal signal into viewers heads that triggers levels of fanaticism typically reserved for religious pogroms.

Anime is the second area. I used to follow some anime, but there's too much out there to keep track of it, and a combination of sheer volume and dislike of a lot of anime storytelling conventions prevents me from getting back into it. I made an exception for Attack on Titan because the concept was so interesting, but it ended way too soon for me.