Let's Talk About Toxic Nerd Culture...

I don’t know how many of you are aware of this, but I’ve been writing for Nintendo Enthusiast since late-May of this year. It’s tough and doesn’t pay well, as most writing tends to be, but it’s been providing me with great experience. I’m not only flexing my editorial muscles, I’m learning to be succinct and adapt my style to SEO’s algorithm. But don’t take my word for it, you can find my profile here.

Unfortunately, I’ve also been reminded of the internet’s nastiness. Let’s face it, it doesn’t matter what I write. I can put out something well thought-out, but if it dares to be out-of-the-box…you know. It’s like I said in a recent Facebook post, the internet won’t hesitate to skewer me. It’s that unforgiving.

It’d be one issue if this were about me. I don’t like ableism or bigotry, but I’m an adult. I know how to laugh off slurs, I’ve been doing it for years. And none of this is new by now. But it’s not only about me. The internet, or nerds in general, are a toxic and vitriolic group of individuals.

This isn’t an original sentiment, either. Nerds being gross, bigoted and mean-spirited to outsiders was made well-known in 2014. It became public knowledge because of GamerGate, despite what its defenders may claim. But I’d argue that this goes back even further. Like Me Too and sexual impropriety, nerds being bigoted to outsiders spans decades. However, for the sake of tangibility, I’ll stick with when I first noticed this behaviour.

The year was 2008. Super Smash Bros. Brawl had recently been released. Despite strong sales and excellent reviews, a certain backlash began to circulate. Gaming nerds, who’d anticipated this game’s release, were unhappy with the final product. Yet instead of voicing their concerns maturely and thoughtfully, they acted petty and yelled down fans. I should know, I was one of those fans.

I can’t find exact quotes anymore, it’s been 11 years, but I remember the in-fighting. I remember the complaints over how Super Smash Bros. Brawl was “for babies”, as well as how The Subspace Emissary was “boring trash”. I couldn’t understand how a piece of programmable plastic could drive so many of my fellow gamers that crazy. Then again, it was already a-year-and-a-half into the Wii’s lifespan. If the reaction to the Wii’s existence was indication, I shouldn’t have been surprised.

Nintendo’s E3 conference that year didn’t help. Gaming nerds were waiting for them to kill it, only to be let-down. They were expecting something, anything, to be thrown their way, but they ended up with Wii Music instead. And sure, Wii Music was probably not the best way to end a gaming exposition, but you’d think the world was ending tomorrow. Nerd culture wouldn’t let it go, something they kept reminding everyone about for a year.

This was around the time I started writing for ScrewAttack as a blogger. Initially, my stuff sucked. But while I’d improve, I noticed that the toxicity within gaming nerd culture wasn’t getting better. If anything, it was getting worse. And I, a guy with special needs, kept experiencing that first-hand.

My first real brush-up with this toxicity came with my first rant on ScrewAttack, which I remade for this blog. In it, I discussed gaming difficulty, how subjective it was, and why demanding a uniform standard was gatekeeping. Looking back, the rant was awful. But the responses I received weren’t helpful either.

The next few years would see me flirt with this issue off and on, until 2014 hit. I was in a bad space at the time, too: it was the Summer of my dad’s heart attack, Israel was at war (again) and I had undiagnosed mental health issues. But once nerd gaming’s toxic elements began merging with mainstream toxicity via GamerGate, I was done with it all. I’d long-since moved away from gaming as a hobby, but I couldn’t escape the daily attacks on “SJW culture”. It should also come as no surprise that GamerGate would become Comicsgate when games were no longer the direct target of outrage.

Which leads to now. Having come back to gaming via my position means that I’m seeing this vitriol all-over. And it’s still really bad, even if I’ve learned to not let it get to me. What’s worse is how nerds have also doubled-down with the rise of Me Too and its direct offenders, many of whom are nerds themselves. It’s as if everything has come full-circle. And I’m tired.

I don’t mean to blast nerds collectively here. I’m a nerd myself. I also think nerd culture has a valuable role in shaping art and entertainment collectively. But shaming people and using ableist language isn’t helpful. It’s reductive, and it makes us look childish.

I also think attacking those who think unconventionally, like myself, isn’t flattering. It doesn’t matter if I don’t like hard video games. It shouldn’t be an issue that I’m against time gimmicks. And it especially shouldn’t be a problem that I think newer Pokémon games lack the streamlined simplicity of older ones. You’re entitled to think differently, but ableism doesn’t help your cause.

It’s not only me, like I said. I’ve seen creators, developers and writers get attacked for expressing themselves unconventionally. I’ve seen marginalized folks be ostracized for simply demanding to be heard. I’ve seen it all, and it stinks. And it doesn’t have to be this way.

Nerd culture is in an exciting time right now. Classic books, games and comics are being adapted for the mainstream, and they’re being adapted well. They’re also getting the awards and recognition that nerds craved for decades. Even portrayals of nerds in media, like in Stranger Things, are becoming much more respectful, instead of the garbage we used to see. Being a nerd, essentially, is cool now! So why are we shutting that out?

It’s like we’re stuck in the 80’s and early-90’s with our mindsets, acting like the bubble is still super-enclosed. True, it sucked being a nerd for a long time. I remember being picked on by other kids, sometimes violently. But that was then, and many of my tormentors have long since extended olive branches. If they’ve made an effort, then why can’t I?

By not recognizing this, nerds are isolating themselves further. By continuing to live in the past, nerds are becoming hostile and toxic. And by continuing to harbour deep resentments, nerds are becoming more dangerous than their original tormentors. This isn’t healthy.

I wouldn’t be saying all this if I didn’t think we could be above pettiness. But we can. Yet we’re not. And it worries me because it’s not helping our public image. It also worries me because it’s causing irreparable harm. And is that what we really want?