Geeking in Public

This week is Speak Out with Your Geek Out!

This post is about being a public geek. Back when I was in Middle School and High School, and even in college, I used to be a bit embarrassed about my hobbies and geeky taste in movies and books. I would only talk about them to people I knew were fellow enthusiasts. With everyone else, I'd pretend to be 'normal.'

I love role-playing games, and fantasy and sci-fi movies and books. These things are a part of my life, and one of the parts where I get the most of fulfillment and enjoyment.

Hiding this is actually a pretty lame way to live. Who wants to feel guilty and ashamed about the things they like? As I got older, graduated and started my working career, I slowly became less and less shy about discussing my hobbies.

At this point, I'm pretty open about gaming with everyone. This isn't to say I bring it up out of the blue or try to force it into conversations on completely unrelated topics. It's just that I mention what I'm doing if people ask about vacations when I'm headed off to a convention, or about what I did over the weekend. I talk about all this with confidence and a lack of shame. Coworkers and other interested parties may not follow your hobbies, but I've never had anyone judge now that I'm an adult.

So, I say read an RPG in public. Play one in public. Don't be afraid to talk about what you like and what you do.