Are videogames the most unifying part of nerd/geek society?

[Gamerforlife]

I would say Sci Fi/Fantasy movies/TV shows are the most unifying part of the nerd/geek society. Stuff like Star Wars, Star Trek, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, etc.

As far as definitions go, in my opinion:

Nerd = highly knowledgeable or skilled at something with little social value i.e. computer nerd, tech wiz or the "research guy" you see in shows like Buffy i.e. Giles. Fitz and Simmons on Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are tech and science nerds, respectively. Felicity on Arrow is a computer nerd.

Geek = HUGE pop culture fan or huge fan of one aspect of it, like a particular show. I'm a Buffy geek and Joss Whedon geek. Xander from Buffy is a geek. He constantly makes comic book references and other things from pop culture. He is not a nerd though, because he does poorly in school and generally shows no intellectual traits. His friend Willow is a nerd. She's a straight A student, obsesses over her academic performance, and tutors other students. She's also a computer genius and later in the show would become highly adept at performing magic, effectively making her the magic nerd because that was more interesting for later stories involving her than computer nerd.

To apply my thoughts to another show, Supernatural's Sam Winchester is a nerd. He's always the one with his head buried in a book or computer doing research and knows lots of Jeopardy style useless trivia. Of the two brothers, he seems the most educated and has a college background. His brother, Dean Winchester is a closet geek. He constantly throws out references to movies, shows, songs, etc. Most of them going over Sam's head. He got all excited about getting a chance to do larping in one episode and did a Braveheart speech while in character. Call Dean a geek though and he'll probably punch you as he works very hard to maintain a cool, masculine, ladies man image. Ironically though, he loves making fun of Sam for being a nerd while he could definitely be made fun of himself for being a closet geek

Then you have Felicia Day's Charlie who is a nerd/geek hybrid. She's a fantasy nut who loves Game of Thrones, Wizard of Oz, larping, Lord of the Rings, etc. to the point of wanting to be in a real life magical world where she can go on a quest. She's also a complete computer genius who can pretty much hack into anything.

[Sano]

I a am NERD! I proclaim this loud and proud!

I play games, watch anime, read manga, and am a computer nerd!

[BoringSupreez]

I can't really say I fit the terms of nerd or geek because nerds and geeks are not socially unaccepted anymore. They've become defined and mainstream. Yes, I play games, but I play games that the average gamer hasn't played, or maybe hasn't even heard of. I watch movies, but not the ones that immediately come to mind as nerdy. I read comics, but not comics most people have heard of. I know how to do anything I want with a computer, but I'm used to OS's that are far less idiot-proof than the ones currently on the market.

If SMB3 is nerdy, what is Snatcher? If Star Trek is nerdy, what is Blade Runner? If Batman is nerdy, what is Megg, Mogg and Owl? If knowing how to install Firefox is nerdy, what does being able to build a fully functioning Win 9X gaming machine from spare parts at the thrift store make me? I think the term that fits people like me is weird, not nerdy. 10-15 years ago I would have been a nerd, but not now.

[J T]

Only a nerd would argue over the definition of the word "nerd".

[oxymoron]

Epic Rap Battle: Nerd vs. Geek