The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines the word nerd as “an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially: one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits”. That’s only one way of looking at it though. People think that looking or acting like a nerd is unattractive and undesirable. Most people got that idea from when they were in high school where every single student is put into specific social group and they are either praised (jocks, cheerleaders, etc) or ridiculed (nerds). Going back to that definition, do you really think that all nerds are socially inept or are they just taking their time waiting for the right moment? Are we unstylish or are we the ones who invented the style before it became cool? And do you think that all nerds are unattractive or are you just not looking in the right places? I plan to give you, the reader a better understanding and appreciation for us nerds in society and how we’re more alike than you think.

When I was in high school, I was a little ashamed of being a nerd and I wanted people to accept me for who I was. I worked at my school’s radio program and had my own solo show for about three of my four years; I dabbled into electronic music and loved talking about current events. I even had my own solo stage combat routine set to the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song at my schools variety show one year. So yes you could say that I was a nerd, but the question is am I just a nerd because of all that I just mentioned or am I a nerd because society looks at me and selects me to be classified as a nerd?

What most people do not realize is that a nerd is not just someone who might talk about electronics consistently; maybe that person is working or training to work in Information Technology? Maybe something more obvious like what I talk about and write about the most: Video games? When I was younger and I was talking to people about video games, and only the people who played games could understand me and the language that comes with gaming. In this day and age, many more people know about video games enough to join a small conversation, so in a way they are a little nerdy as well.


Nerds are everywhere. There are many different “species” of being a nerd, there’s: movie nerds, cartoon nerds, anime and manga nerds, music nerds, book nerds, science nerds and many more out there. Look at the characters on the show “The Big Bang Theory”, they are in a way making being a nerd cool again. These guys I think show off the best aspects of being a nerd: intelligence, and acceptance of being who they are and proud of it.

So I would like to say this to all my fellow nerds, be proud. Be proud that you want to debate whether Greedo shot first, be proud that you love all the Twilight books and movies (no matter how bad they are). Be proud that you can’t wait for Assassins Creed III to come out! And most importantly, be happy with who you are and don’t be shy about it. Who knows, you might find that one person who has a thing for dorky partners and that person who is bulling you? They might end up working a lowly desk job while you are the CEO.

Hello all,

My name is GrayRaiden, and I am a gamer. I have been playing or talking about video games for as long as I can remember. When I was very little, I used to play very basic point-and-click games like Putt-Putt or Backyard Baseball. Keep in mind that this was in the early 90's and this was before the internet came to be. So I played these kinds of games for a few years, then my parents bought me my very first video game console the Nintendo 64, or N64 if you were cool enough. Mine was the green Donkey Kong 64 edition with a green controller, the expansion pack, and what is considered a game that many people overlooked, DK 64. The many N64 games I remember playing the most were StarFox 64, Banjo-Kazooie,F-Zero X, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2. I also had a Gameboy Advance (or GBA in those days). My absolute favorite GBA game was Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. Then after that it was the Nintendo DS(Dual screen). coincidentally, my favorite game on this system was another Castlevania game, the sequel to the game I just mentioned, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow.

I moved onto the Nintendo GameCube a few years later, the games from that era were Super Smash Bros. Melee, Tales of Symphonia, SSX Tricky, and SSX3. I remember playing Soul Calibur II against my Dad and we always had fun just mashing buttons to see who would win. I remember in 2006 waking up super early with my dad, being about 12th in line to purchase the Nintendo Wii, in the freezing weather.......IT WAS WORTH IT!! Once I got that thing, it seemed like everyone in my family wanted to find out what this thing I have been playing and what all the hoopla was about. Once I made my way to college, I realized that I couldn't really have a game console like the Wii, so I bought an Xbox 360 and I never looked back. I feel in love with the Mass Effect series, and many others.

Why am I telling you all about this? It's because I found my old video game consoles collecting dust, and hopefully they will be refreshed and given to someone who appreciates how far video game have come with each passing generation. I hope to one day be a bigger part of that generation someday. I want to create the worlds that I saw on my computer and TV screen growing up, I want the next generation to have the joy that I feel and have felt whenever I pop in a new game, whether it be from Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo and experience a world like nothing ever seen before.