Why are you a nerd?

[Stammer]

I'm sure there are some people on here who aren't nerds, but the majority of you presumably are. So, what made you pick up a game controller rather than a football and stick with it? I'm sure everyone's got some kind of story about why they'd rather nerd-it-up than do anything else.

What's the story? Your parents brought you up to be one? You're socially awkward so you spend your time in front of a computer screen?

It's only fair I tell you guys what made me a nerd. It's weird, actually, I have very sporty parents and even I actually like sports. But I was born with a skin condition that essentially makes me unable to perform athletically. Sitting on a couch playing video games didn't ever pose a threat to me (except Mario Party for the N64 if you can believe it), so that's what I grew towards doing. Thankfully I can still work out if I lower my outer body temperature to near-freezing, though.

 

[F'Angus]

I like sports, I follow football (soccer) but really I'm no good at it. Plus I mainly enjoy being indoors playing games, so do all of my friends.

 

[Innegativeion]

I love fantasy, fiction, science fiction, and what not. I love the concept of creating and immersing oneself in a universe of their own design. Ever since I was four, I knew I wanted to do that for a living, inspired by the simple fun of the mario universe. Make universes to immerse people in and inspire creativity, I knew that's what I'd do with my life.

So, I've simply a evolved an enduring love of all things fantasy and creative. Video games especially.

 

[gabe12301]

Because being "cool" has no place in modern society.

 

[Gabanuka]

Because its fun...

Seriously nothing "cool" is amazingly fun, I'll keep to my videos games and D&D

 

[SaberXIII]

I'm a geek, not a nerd, get it right.
Basically, I never took a liking to any sports, and I love playing video games (amongst other things). There's no real reason I do that, as is the same with other geeks I know, I just tried it and enjoyed it. I still do other things like work out and party, it's not as if 'geek' defines me.

 

[Blackmagic1515]

Because I've always had a love for fantasy and sports bore me. As do make-up, barbies, clothing and general anything that most people would associate with being a 'cool' female. Ergo, I immerse myself in books, anime, games...anything to transport myself to a world of magic and fun times.

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

'Cause i mentally dissect and over-analyze everything. I don't care for activities that provide insufficient mental stimulation. Thus i enjoy listening to music, reading, and playing story-driven games. The only sport i really enjoy is American Football, due to the strategy involved. I don't like getting drunk and "partying". That's not to say i dislike socialization or that i am opposed to alcohol, because i love a good beer and good company; i just like to function properly while doing so.

 

[AnarchyUK]

For the ladies

 

[Arkvoodle]

because normalcy is overrated.

 

[Camaranth]

I tend to classify nerds as being completely fanatical about a specific topic, Geeks on the other hand are a bit more broad spectrum.

OT: I don't know I like it? I moved around a lot (I mean a lot) as a kid, so I turned to books and adventure stories, besides a gameboy and a good fantasy RPG is an excellent way to make long haul travel fly by.

 

[DesiPrinceX09]

Because I'm weird,I love fantasy and sci-fi stuff, I like reading history and science, bad at sports, and I hate parties and anything else "cool" (because it's damn boring). I like video games, chess, kittens, role playing games, etc.

 

[HerbertTheHamster]

We're geeks, not nerds. Nerd implies intellect.

Mathematicians are nerds, Star Trek fans are geeks.

 

[Quaxar]

I like to feel the thrill of living on the edge of society.

Or so some people claim. Mainly those that never read more than the next day's TV schedule.

 

[Eduku]

I don't see why I should be polarised into one or the other. I love both watching and playing football (the one played with...feet), and I enjoy going and socialising etc etc. I also love gaming (RPGs being a particular favourite genre), fantasy movies and anime.

As for why? Because it's fun? I don't really know how else to put it...

 

[Chasing-The-Light]

Personally, I really like nerding it out on video games because, for me, I get a better sense of achievement and victory out of completing a puzzle in a video game, or by simply completing a video game than I do at winning a sports game. Also, I like the feeling of completely immersing myself into a whole other world as I can in a video game.

Oh, and being raised on watching my dad play the old Duke Nukem games probably didn't help much either. xD

 

[Omey]

For the ladies

Award for the most sarcastic comment on this website

 

[loc978]

I prefer the old method of differentiating between "nerd" (excellent student and manager, likes and follows rules), "geek" (excellent worker and producer, likes to make own rules) and "dork" (excellent creative mind, ignores rules)... in which I am firmly grounded as a geek of all trades...

As for the why... that's deeply rooted in the experiences of my childhood, which I prefer to keep off the internet. Let's just say, when I turned 18, I was deeply interested in how technology works, and I've only gone deeper in the 12 years since.

 

[Esotera]

Isaac Asimov got me back when I was 13, leading to a love for science, games, computers. But I'm also quite into sports, and most people I know who could be called nerds also have lots of outside interests. The word gets thrown around a lot these days.