WATERLOO (CUP) — Nerds around the world, rejoice!

The beloved culture made up comic books, sci-fi, video games, science, technology and other activities deemed “nerdy” or “geeky” has made its way into the mainstream and seems to be here to stay.

In the past, parts of the culture have risen in popularity; however it has never been as widely accepted and appreciated as it is in this generation.

“[A nerd is] just someone who is really passionate about something,” explains Charlotte Armstrong of Nerd Nite Kitchener-Waterloo. “It can be anything; you can be a history nerd, video game nerd — everything.”

“I don’t think it’s something you should be ashamed of,” adds video game fan and fourth year Wilfrid Laurier University student, Luke Schultz.

Nerd culture is a brand new experience for many people. To lifelong fans, however, it is just a part of their everyday life.

“As a young child I never really thought of it as different or sci-fi. I never thought of them as a genre; they were just what I did,” says Renee Ward, a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University. The English professor grew up immersed in science fiction, watching Dr. Who, Star Wars, the original Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica. To her, it was not “nerd culture;” it was just something that she enjoyed.

Similarly to Ward, Schultz has been absorbed by nerd culture his whole life.

“I started actually playing games in early grade school, and once I got my first MMO [massively multiplayer online] game, that was the big push. Paying $15 a month to play a video game is a certain degree of dedication,” he said.

More recently, being a nerd or a geek has become much more socially acceptable in mainstream culture; something that was once an ignored or ridiculed counter-culture, has risen up and become its own increasingly admired community.

“For me, it’s always been relevant. It was weird to me that other people were sharing the same interests as me; I thought it was just a coincidence,” explains Paolo Ferrari, former president of Laurier’s Comic Book Association. “But I am learning that it’s become more popular in general, and I think part of it is that it’s almost become cool to be geeky.”

Becoming mainstream

What was once ostracized has become exceedingly mainstream and widely accepted in pop culture today; superhero films, zombie culture, comic books, video games, sci-fi literature and television shows are now highly anticipated and beloved by many.

“It’s kind of developing into something that is more socially acceptable. To talk to your friends about Game of Thrones, that might not have been common ten years ago. It’s cool that it’s gained so much attention,” explains Schultz.

The growing acceptance of the culture has given more recognition to lifelong fans, and has ushered in a whole new generation of nerd culture admirers.

“I think it speaks a lot to the idea of dystopias or utopias, the sense that something is lacking in our own culture or world, so we seek for it elsewhere,” muses Ward. “It’s a type of escapism. We’re dissatisfied.”

Escaping to the fantasy worlds of nerd culture brings solace to fans young and old, newfound and lifelong. Getting lost in the pages of a comic book, a documentary or a video game is now not only acceptable but also widely appealing.  Many factors have contributed to the rising appreciation for what was once an underground counterculture, but two key causes are the continuous revitalizations of franchises and advances in technology.

Revitalizing the classics

Over the past generation, reboots of Star Trek, Superman, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Batman and countless adaptations of comic books and sci-fi novels have reeled in new admirers while at the same time appealing to the original fandom.

However, the original fans are not always easy to please when it comes to reboots of their favourite franchises.

“Some people get really offended because they’re so completely married to the original, and I certainly have those feelings about, say, the Star Wars films,” Ward states. “We cling to these things because of their nostalgic value; they are a part of our past and a part of our childhood, something that we loved so dearly we don’t envision them in any other way.”

Like many fans, Ferrari agrees that original fans could suffer because of the surge in the popularity of nerd culture.

“Unfortunately I do feel as though there will be a saturation that happens, and the quality of the things that are being produced will go down,” he explains. “I think as they start to cater towards general audiences, the parts that the original fans really liked will start to be ignored to try to accommodate those tastes.”

Despite some fears and hesitations from lifelong fans, they cannot deny that there are many positives to reboots as well. Schultz acknowledges that these reboots will never be as good as the originals.

“I think it’s great that they’re rebooting these franchises because it allows people who didn’t get into them when they were younger or didn’t have them around, now they have the opportunity to do that again,” he says.

The culture they love so deeply is finally getting the attention and acceptance it deserves because of these revitalizations. They have encouraged new supporters to look back to the original work and become immersed in them as lifelong fans have done before them.

Technological advances

There is a direct correlation between technological progress and the rising popularity of nerd culture. Technology not only makes it easier to learn more and connect with people with shared interests, but it directly links us to culture as things we read and watch become more realistic.

“Our world is progressing so quickly. The boundaries between man and machine are so crucial to our own culture because we’re ‘plugged in’ in so many ways,” says Ward. “I think a lot of the importance or the attraction to these narratives is our way of coping or exploring what these leaps and bounds in technology may mean, as well as our fears.”

Those who immerse themselves in the culture tend to be intensely curious, according to Armstrong. Consequently, technology is increasingly important as they utilize it to gain information.

“We can access way more information than we could before. Those of us with a curious nature, we can just access all this information at our fingertips, and it makes us want more,” she emphasizes. “It’s almost addictive.”

“Because we’re so connected, it’s easy to find things on the Internet, and to talk to people on message boards who also enjoy the shows or the games,” adds Schultz. “These are different aspects of nerd culture that they might not be able to get in their everyday lives, so I think it’s pretty great that we have this technology where it’s so easy to communicate with people.”

Communicating through online platforms provides fans with a sense of community, which was essential in a time before the culture became mainstream.

A sense of community

“As a kid who necessarily didn’t fit in all the time, to me, these environments were crucial growing up,” reminisces Ward. “It gave you a place where we all wished to feel that we belong and have community in the sense of shared interest.”

Before this generation’s common involvement in nerd culture, those who were a part of it had few people to talk about their interests with. Online communities and comic conventions provided them with the sense of belonging they desired, and allowed them to interact with other fans.

“It’s no longer just about the artifacts themselves, it’s about the commodity culture that goes with it,” she continues. “The fact that you can go out and buy a costume and dress up as your favourite Star Trek character, it’s kind of a participatory culture.”

As the culture grows, so do the communities surrounding it. Nerds and geeks can discuss their interests with just about anyone. Attendance at comic conventions is constantly on the rise. Sci-fi and superhero movies break records at the box office. Society has realized that it is cool to be a nerd.

“It’s really nice to find other people who are really passionate about the same things you are, and you can learn so much off of each other. It feels good to find people who accept that kind of behavior,” smiles Schultz. “It’s definitely gotten a lot easier to talk to people about stuff like that, so it’s nice that we have these opportunities now.”

However, despite the widespread acceptance of the culture, barriers between mainstream society and nerd culture still exist.

Breaking the stigmas

Armstrong emphasizes that people of certain generations still use the word ‘nerd’ as a derogatory term, but that she takes it as a compliment.

“I don’t like feeding the idea that we’re socially awkward, because we’re not, we’re just particular about what we want to do,” she continues. “I think that comparison to The Big Bang Theory is really frustrating.”

Nerd culture still carries stigmas and negative undertones in society, and nerds and geeks alike agree that they need to be put in the past.

“The whole idea of being a gamer still has that negative connotation,” says Schultz. “Normally people think if a guy is a gamer, he lives in his mom’s basement and is non-stop, every day. I’d like to see us move past that.”

Most people can say they have seen and even enjoyed a superhero movie, read a sci-fi novel, been interested in science and technology, and been truly passionate about something. And take it from the nerds themselves; if you are truly passionate about something, you are a nerd.