Is Lego nerdy?

[NovaStar]

I dont think Lego is any more nerdy than games consoles or online mmo games, but its probably a little more unusual for girls to play with both. That said, i infinitely prefer spending my money on Lego than many other things and I take some pride in being a self confessed girlgeek

(Pinky and I 'met' in Eve Online...)

[Niku]

As I said once to a friend.

"We are all crazies, it´s just a matter of degrees"

So be cool, you have passion and are different from others.

We AFOL´s Rock

Edited January 6, 2011 by Niku

[Ricecracker]

We're geeks, not nerds.

[Peppermint_M]

I think I am going to go with: "Urr Duh" (lit: Yes)

Lets see: 22, Female. Shelfload of Final Fantasy Action figures, trading figures and other random anime figures. Shelf above: Lots and lots of robot animal model kits. Shelf under: Many a comic TPB and a collection of 30 year old SF books... Alongside a large selection of anime plush toys. Favourite accessory: Aviator Goggles. Mode of dress, I buy a lot of my clothes from Blue Banana, plenty of band T-Shirst from gigs and comic book related tees (I have a bit of a wonder woman tee collection by accident), jeans, leather jackets and large boots topped off with odd hats. I have a rather large Lego collection. I buy Lego regularly. My default function seems to be reading SF paperbacks. When I was 10, I neatly kept my Beano issues in date order inside a box... Yes, I am a Nerd, a Geek (I do not agree with "dork" due to it's first meaning) I am not of the normals.

I think I transitioned from "mosher-geek" in my younger years to nerdy-gothy-punky me. Of course I wear jeans and a blouse to work, but outside I'm, as someone put it, "a bit punk rock" I see no negative connotations to the terms "nerd" and "geek" I see it as the mundanes who worship the great god conformity feeling a little threatened by those who do not match their norms.

There is no reason to be ashamed, really, just live your life without regrets and remember that ne mundys have a much more boring time of it, or have equally "nerdy" persuits (my brother collects football (soccer) statistics from newspapers, tv and the internet... Yet I am the nerdy one...). It is all a matter of opinion in the end.

[SpiderSpaceman]

"drums" really?

----

To stay in the topic, can't we say there are nerd lego-users and non-nerd lego-users?

I think "sex and drums and rock and roll" is actually a lyric

Yeah, nerd blame is always on the person. There are always respected macho men who can say, for example, "yeah I like hello kitty goes to mars, what's it to you?"

You get a funny look but people overlook it when you're a John McClane grade BA.

I'm a nerd LEGO fan. Nerdiness is something I strive to outgrow, Lego could never be. Everybody gets flak for what they like, the difference is what they act like.

But I have to admit, every time I want to start a local LUG, I am terrified that my fellows will have unpleasant personalities or disgusting hygiene, and I know I should have more faith in my fellow AFOLs. That or stop thinking I'm any better

[Erdbeereis]

I think it can be nerdy if all you do is collect the sets, and play with them all day (which is also perfectly fine. ), but if you take the bricks and build your own MOCs, make videos, etc. then you're just really creative, no different than a painter.

For example, although I love LEGO, I also play a lot of sports, I like to travel, play music, etc. I don't think liking LEGO has to mean you are a stereotypical "nerd".

I would say there's a little nerd in everyone, whether you're a wine connoisseur, car collector, RPG player, whatever.

[vexorian]

I find it hard to think of a famous painter who wasn't a geek.

[The Crazy One]

I find it hard to think of a famous painter who wasn't a geek.

I wouldn't really refer to any of them as geeks.

[Captain Blockbeard]

Lego is nerdy in the best of ways.

[LegoDad42]

I remember somewhat a hierarchy of nerdom. Least nerdy at the top...like Sci-Fi book readers on top, comic book/art collectors, Star Wars Fans, Star Trek fans, etc, etc...and people into the degenerate furry's scraping the bottom of the nerd tower.

Not sure where to put Lego but I've heard Beckham and Brad Pitt have built some Lego, so go figure.

[RileyC]

I remember somewhat a hierarchy of nerdom. Least nerdy at the top...like Sci-Fi book readers on top, comic book/art collectors, Star Wars Fans, Star Trek fans, etc, etc...and people into the degenerate furry's scraping the bottom of the nerd tower.

You put Star Wars Fans infront of Star Trek fans? Ive never heard of anyone learning the Wookiee language, Shyriiwook.

But I would say its Geeky not nerdy because geeky can mean a lot of things. But I dont really care, what's mine is mine and I love lego so if they dont like it then screw 'em!

[sebby]

I'm a 35yo married father of 4 and up until about 4 years ago I done the normal thinks a dad does with his kids. Then one night at work I started to get real bad pains in my right foot. Six months later I could hardly move my right leg got medically dismisses from work and that was it for me. All the things I did with my kids came to a end as I could hardly move let alone play football or anything else.

I had a lot of Lego as a kid but never really played with any since I was 16. MY kids have always had some Lego to play with but one day, one of my kids got stuck building a model (7998 I think) so the wife got a old wooden shelf out of the shed and put it across my legs and me and my son sat there and built it together. Since then it has become a big thing between myself and 3 my kids (the other is 17). They receive town sets as presents and I buy the trains and the other sets they don't get. We spent 3 hours yesterday building the Emerald night train and it was great there was me my kids sat around the dinner table all looking for parts and putting it all together.

Is Lego nerdy, I don't really care.

Do people think I a nerd or anything else because I buy, build and play with Lego, Again if I am I don't care.

[Henchmen4Hire]

Your definition looks right to me. It's true star wars doubles the nerdyness of the bricks

Yar! And I almost because super nerdy myself recently, there's just no way to get Aayla Secura cheaply!

[Shieldwolf]

I mean, yes, it is a bit geeky, but so is anything else, isn't it? We can have "sports geeks" and "fitness geeks", "car geeks" and "Lego geeks", and all sorts of things. Yes, some interests are less respected than others, but it's what you like, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Honestly, I have my fair share of nerdy interests, including Lego, and those who do share some of those interests come from all walks of life, and it's really cool to know those people, because there's always such variety that brings people together, and also expose you to totally new things.

[The Legonater]

Nerdyness is determined from your 'certains points of views.' If you like it, that's fine. You do what you love, and if you shift that because of people says it's wierd, clearly you didn't like it as much as you thought. People can think what they want, but if they bug you ignore them. There's a song that says 'Who are you to tell me that I'm less than what I should be?" It's a great line you should remember if someone descriminates your because of your love for LEGO.

Besides, there's worse things. My friend got a walkman for christmas this year and was totally psyced about it

[Brickdoctor]

Let's see...

I've got LEGO sorted into more drawers than most people have for nuts and bolts.

The table in the center of my LEGO room is outfitted for optimum LEGO usage.

I have a room devoted to LEGO.

I can easily switch to fluent LEGO-speak when I go to a LEGO store and am surrounded by kiddie half-fans who have no idea what's what. BURP-this! 1.5 LDraw unit-that!

Yeah, I'd say LEGO is nerdy for me. Now add in Star Wars:

Said LEGO room contains a bookshelf holding every first-edition hardcover version of The Art Of Star Wars books for the saga, including concept drawings and blueprints to draw on while MOCing.

I've memorized and therefore can easily read and write in the Aurebesh language.

And if Encyclopedia Brown is a walking encyclopedia, I'm a walking Wookieepedia.

So I'd say LEGO is nerdy when you get to a certain point. For the majority of kids, it's a toy to impress friends and then put in the attic when it becomes 'uncool' to play LEGO. But for most AFOLs, TFOLs, and other devoted FOLs, yes, it is nerdy. Not that I could really care if non-FOLs think that or not.

[vexorian]

I wouldn't really refer to any of them as geeks.

Depends on your definition of geek.

If we go by "any person who pursues a passionate interest in anything regardless of genre, is creative, and individualistic", then ... But of course if we go with the old , obsolette definition of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to be overly intellectual" then not at all, except for maybe Leonardo. But language is meant to change and the new definition will last for more time...

[Gryphon Ink]

Wait, what?

Let's check off some basic attributes of the hobby:

• Takes place indoors
  
• Involves building things
  
• Involves children's toys
  
• Involves science fiction and fantasy franchises
  
• Involves small fiddly parts
  
• Requires some knowledge of engineering and design sense
  
• Has a jargon of its own (BURPs, SNOT, etc.)
  
• Requires lots and lots of time and patience
  

And let's check off some things that it is NOT:

• A sport
  
• Social
  
• Related to celebrities
  
• A good thing to do while drunk
  
• Likely to impress the girls in the pub
  
• Porn
  
• Fast-paced
  
• Loud
  
• Dangerous
  
• A TV show
  

Clearly, the things that Lego IS are all somewhere on the nerdiness spectrum, while it does NOT possess any of the attributes of pastimes that are common and "cool". Yes, yes, I know, Age of the Nerd, "the Geek shall inherit the Earth", it's cool to be uncool, yadda yadda yadda. Stop it. You are not fooling anyone with that. Bill Gates might be one of the richest guys in the world, but nobody ever stopped calling him a geek. The fact is, this is a quite nerdy hobby.

But, but, but David Beckham! Brad Pitt! Will.i.am! Surely they all count for SOMETHING!! you cry. Well, no, not really. They don't count because they are known WEIRDOS. David Beckham, while surely one of the greatest symbols of awesomeness in the soccer-loving part of the planet, who married Posh Spice and has young girls all over the world drooling over his slo-mo replays, also paints his nails and waxes his chest. He has children named Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz. He has been called "the ultimate metrosexual" and has converted to Buddhism. All of these things are weird. He gets away with them because he's David Effing Beckham and has scored in the World Cup more times than you've seen Star Wars. And being weird is part of his mystique. Will.i.am is, if anything, even weirder than David Beckham, but he rocks out with people like Fergie, Nikki Minaj, Akon and Mary J. Blige, and he's got seven Grammies. You can do stuff like wearing a Lego hat when you've got seven Grammies. The fans don't expect Will to come on stage wearing bunny slippers and a Simpsons T-shirt. They expect him to act weird. That doesn't mean that those very same fans won't laugh at you or me if we step onto the bus wearing that very same Lego hat. They will. They really, really will. You know what they say, don't try this at home.

On the other hand, being a nerd or a geek these days is definitely not as much of a social crime as it was when I was a kid. The fact is, even though I'm quite geeky, I have something that resembles a social life, I occasionally go to cool parties, and I don't have to hide my SF books on the bus any more. The kind of movies I like are now the most popular movies around. It's a pretty tolerant time for geekiness today. And in some parts of society, this really is the Age of the Geek.

The real question is, do you really care if Lego is nerdy? Does that make it any less fun? Is it better to veg out in front of the boob tube or get puking drunk with your mates in a sports bar every Friday? Must I stop reading science fiction because it's geeky? Hell no! I love being a geek. I am the one that everyone calls when they have computer problems. I am the one they ask for spelling help. I know why polar bears don't eat penguins and why it gets colder in the winter. I know the names of Mars' moons and most of the Greek, Roman and Egyptian gods. I can beat you at Scrabble, and I can crochet you a hat with any video game character you'd like. I have a vast collection of science fiction books, movies and games, I played Dungeons and Dragons way before that stupid Tom Hanks movie, and I'd rather build a Lego Klingon battlecruiser than watch the Superbowl. The geeks may not inherit the Earth after all, but I'm quite happy to be one.

And no, I don't wear trousers 3 inches below my nipples or have a combover. I generally wear some ripped-up jeans and an Ecko hoodie, and my hair is about 3 millimeters long.

[Omicron]

And let's check off some things that it is NOT:

• Social
  
• A good thing to do while drunk
  

Clearly you never been to a Lego convention. ;)

-Omi

[desultor]

I think there's definitely still a stigma against our hobby since it's based on toys. But that stigma has gotten pretty thin thanks to the mainstreaming and adultification of other toy hobbies like video games, action figures, comic books, and fantasy novels. This reminds me of this recent Wired article (which I barely understand, actually).

To minimize any trauma inflicted by the mainstream on us "LEGO geeks" though, we should foster:

• hygiene
  
• social skills
  
• confidence & pride
  

[lightningtiger]

Define nerd......someone who DOESN'T DRINK BOOZE, look at someone nerdy....they ever drunk hmmmm ?

I like wine and scotch, but love building MOC's and spending time on this and other related websites.....but (yep, another but) I not up to speed on computers which computers are the stuff of nerd's - right or wrong !

Someone said if they just collect the sets....maybe nerdy, I consider myself more an artist....a brick/Lego artist not a nerd.....I'll think get myself a scotch and dry now !

Brick On Everyone !

[Vindice]

MY kids have always had some Lego to play with but one day, one of my kids got stuck building a model (7998 I think) so the wife got a old wooden shelf out of the shed and put it across my legs and me and my son sat there and built it together. Since then it has become a big thing between myself and 3 my kids (the other is 17). They receive town sets as presents and I buy the trains and the other sets they don't get. We spent 3 hours yesterday building the Emerald night train and it was great there was me my kids sat around the dinner table all looking for parts and putting it all together.

love this post Sebby, I'm in a similar boat I've got 2 kids although one is only 4 months old! But my older boy and me love building stuff together out of his (my!) Lego. It's real quality time. My brother does fantastic stop motion lego videos and I do audio recording so we're tryign to teach him some of these things too so that one day he will have skills that we never got close to learning at school.

is it nerdy? Maybe but i don't really care I'd rather drop £50 on a lego set that my whole family can enjoy then spending out £40 to £50 a week getting drunk at a club and going home alone to vommit in my bed.

[Zoidy]

It might be "nerdy" but then, isn't every hobby? I know guys who fly remote control planes, take cars to bits and rebuild them, amongst other things... All of which I think are very similar in essence.

I echo the "I don't care" sentiments. Building (and let's face it, playing with!!!) Lego makes me happy and spending £50 on a Lego set is far preferable to getting so drunk that I don't remember anything, which I've done plenty of times!

The worst I get is being called "an utter child" but in a bizarre way it makes me proud to be!

[Cecilie]

Now this was a weird topic in an AFOL-forum... I'd say of course beeing an AFOL is nerdy. Every hobby that makes the people around you give you a weird look when you tell them about it would be considered nerdy. I've gotten more than one weird look from colleagues, family and friends when telling them about my hobby. But do I care? No, I actually want to be a geek/nerd. And I was a geek long before I came out of my dark ages. I work in a geek environment (I'm a computer programmer), and even amongst the other geeks in my office, I'm considered geeky (as in more geeky than the rest of them), probably because of my passionate way of talking about my nerdy hobbies and interests (such as LEGO, Linux, Nintendo, manga/anime...). Would you think I was a geek if you saw me on the street and didn't know me? Maybe, but that's only because I'm a girl who doesn't really dress like a girl. I wear jeans, t-shirts (well, often geeky t-shirts, so that might be a give-away ), hoodies and sneakers. Every day. All the time (except at formal parties where there's a dress code). But it's who I am. I'm a proud geek who happens to be a girl. And I'm going to keep talking passionately about my hobbies even if people give med weird looks and laughs a bit about it. If people can't accept me for who I am, then it's their problem, not mine.

[Captain Becker]

For me Lego is not nerdy at all. But ofcourse others can think at it is nerdy, but for me its not. Its my hobby and i dont shame it, i dont care what others might think about my hobby and if they say at its nerdy i can always say: Im Legoholic and proud of it!

Captain Becker