Geek Gift Ideas; What's A Geek Exactly?
What exactly are geek gifts? What exactly is a 'geek' for that matter? Once a term coined that definitely had an air of insult to it, of recent years being a geek has almost become aspirational.
According to Wikipedia, geek is a slang word originally used to describe someone who is eccentric or non mainstream in their habits or thinking. In current use it also refers to someone who is an expert, enthusiast, or obssessive even in their intellectual pursuit or hobby.
I believe that nowadays the allure of being a 'geek' and it slowly sliding into complimentary terms rather than an insult is it's association with being eccentric and non conformist; ie you're different and so you're cool. Sadly many people misdiagonise themselves with the afflication as it were, and are tantamountto people who call themselves 'crazy'; "I'm crazy I am."
In the past geekdom was associated with being socially awkward or unfashionable, however given that the Internet has allowed them to join forces and show their sheer numbers, the rest of the world has had to concede that they're less 'strange' and alone than originally perceived.
In addition popular TV comedy hit The Big Bang Theory has also been instrumental in taking the perception of geeks from crap to cool.
Given that geeks take many forms, because their particular obsession or area of expertise could be just about anything, it makes geek gift giving more varied than you may imagine. You don't buy a science fiction geek a The Hobbit book or DVD for instance, that's a fantasy gift not a science fiction gift.
Despite the many ways in which 'geek' can express itself, it's not as complex as it seems, you just need to get to know your geek properly before you buy them a gift - what exactly are they into?
The biggest areas of geekdom are spread across the following segments but this list is not even remotely exhaustive. You also get your train geeks, bird watching geeks and more.
Use this list to narrow down your search for the sort of gift YOUR brand of geek may well appreciate. Do take care though, for example; even though they're both science fiction geeks, Star Wars fans aren't always Star Trek fans (and I said this geek thing wasn't complicated).
Science Fiction Geeks - Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Zombies (though some will argue that zombies are horror or fantasy). Often has a bit of a cross over with Comic Book Geekdom.
Fantasy Geeks - Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, live action roll play, Dungeons and Dragons.
Gamer Geeks - Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft, Minecraft, Super Mario, Sonic, Pokemon, Prisoner of Zelda.
Comic Book Geek - Marvel, DC, and some even like small press such as Jamie Smarts comic The Phoenix. Can find themselves angry at some of the movie adaptions of comics.
Cosplay Geek - Can fit into any of the popular genres such as Gamer Geek, Comic Book Geek and Science Fiction Geek, but their main joy is in dressing up as comic book, movie and/or gaming characters and attending events in full and often very detailed costume.
Film Geek - Absorbs movies near daily. Tends to have a particular affection for cult classics and so you can impress a film geek with a rare and unique movie viewing or DVD for their collection. Can also be an avid collector of movie memorabilia and trinkets such as our The Lost Boys movie mug.
