Weblog Archives

home

audio blog

photo blog

faq

about

gallery

contact

links

store

appearances

wish


Subscribe in NewsGator Online


Union 
Label

« it never rains under my umbrella | Main | breath of life »

February 18, 2004

the trekkie calls the LARPer geek

Ever wonder where you fall on the Geek Heirarchy?

Find out here!

Posted by wil at February 18, 2004 05:16 PM
Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.wilwheaton.net/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/458

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference the trekkie calls the LARPer geek:

» http://24fridays.com/mt/archives/000567.html from Here Be Dragons
Feel the love of links (not really o'Doom certified sorry) Blackhole rips star apart. This is awsome. How did I... [Read More]

Tracked on February 18, 2004 06:39 PM

» Geek Hierarchy from Dragon/kolibri
Have you ever heard that joke that makes other people laugh but makes you angry? For me that would probably be a tasteless chauvinist joke - but whatever it is, it will probably something that hits too close to home... [Read More]

Tracked on February 19, 2004 03:13 AM

» My Life is Complicated from The Everlasting Phelps
After checking out The Geek Hierarchy, I feel kinda bad. I'm not sure where I am becuase I fall so many places on the chart, and so do the people that I socialize with. I qualify for: Copmic Book Fans... [Read More]

Tracked on February 19, 2004 07:56 AM

» the geek ladder from that ring of confidence
Reading Wil Wheaton's site today instead of leaving on time for a Phoenix editorial meeting, I found that he had linked to this handy geek list. [Read More]

Tracked on February 20, 2004 11:07 AM

» The Geek Hierarchy from Opinion
Ever wonder where you fall in the Geek Heirarchy? — via Wil Wheaton Dot Net... [Read More]

Tracked on February 22, 2004 06:12 PM
Comments

Link didn't work. "sniffles"
First? wow!

Posted by: Eva at February 18, 2004 05:18 PM

There's a "%22" (ASCII: '"') at the end of the link that keeps it from working. Is that part of the ranking or just a mistake?

Posted by: Dylan at February 18, 2004 05:21 PM

Hmm...I guess I'm not that much of a geek...I fall under scifi TV fan. It doesn't really matter...I've been telling my students for years that I am the Big Nerd teaching all them Little Nerds. I'm also an ogre...but that's another story...

Posted by: =^) at February 18, 2004 05:27 PM

Oh for fucks' sake.

I fixed it.

Note to self: Check " in links before you post, dummy.

Posted by: wil at February 18, 2004 05:27 PM

I think that there is a extra character at the end. http://www.brunching.com/geekhierarchy.html" Take out the quote and it will work. But then I'm just geeky enough to try that sort of thing!

Posted by: Tony at February 18, 2004 05:28 PM

Love the geek hierarchy. Just imagine WFS as an ocelot or something :)

Posted by: hobgadling at February 18, 2004 05:41 PM

Wow, I'm apparently right in the center. I'm so special.

Posted by: Astra at February 18, 2004 05:46 PM

Don't worry about the garbage character at the end of the URL. I ran across a scientific collaboration this week that had the same problem on their front page for the link to their 2004 progress report (a very important document).

I must admit that one of the boxes on the third row of the main part of the graph applies to me: Between TOS, TNG and B5, I've read several books based on TV series. Penguicon, here I come!

Posted by: Craig Steffen at February 18, 2004 05:48 PM

It look like having more of Wil's proverbial Geek Points moves one down in the hierarchy. But it doesn't appear to be a Good Thing to be at the bottom either. Blast it, my competitive nature can't figure out what the goal is.

Wil, you found this old thing because Boingboing linked to the newer Pagan Hierarchy thing didn't you? I'm not with it enough to understand most of the Pagan Hierarchy thing though.

Posted by: phriedom at February 18, 2004 05:55 PM

I can't figure out where I fall, since there's no entry for folks who are masochistic enough to try and run SF conventions...

Posted by: Shannon S at February 18, 2004 06:02 PM

Fie. I'm just a Trekkie Who Speaks Klingon (TM). Does it make it any geekier that my dad taught me when I was like, 7? And that for years my bedtime was "after Star Trek"? Yeah. I thought so.

it's my first time commenting here and I have butterflies. best hit the "post" before I wimp out =)

Posted by: Dea at February 18, 2004 06:14 PM

Shannon:

You said you've _tried_ to run a Sci-Fi con; have you tried and succeeded? If so, then I would say there should be another entry beside published sci-fi authors.

Posted by: Craig Steffen at February 18, 2004 06:18 PM

They forgot a row of categories, dealing with those who have "ever played a character in a science fiction TV series". I'd be interested to see where Will *really* fits into that chart ;}

Posted by: WebNuT! at February 18, 2004 06:20 PM

So... where do people who have stared in Sci-Fi TV shows fall Wil?

Posted by: morydd at February 18, 2004 06:22 PM

Oh. My. God.

I committed the ultimate MonkeySin....I put an extra L on Wil's name in my previous post.

*Chants 10 Hail Wheatons to atone for his sinful ways*

Posted by: WebNuT! at February 18, 2004 06:23 PM

Hmmm...where do you lay on the chart if you print it out in 11x14 and immediately place it in a very visible location in your home?

Posted by: Kent V. at February 18, 2004 06:26 PM

um. Yeah. We need a box for "Trekkies who didn't get married in Klingon Garb, but *did* have part of their wedding reception at Quark's Bar in Las Vegas".

Depending on your calculations, that would make me either slightly cooler or slightly less cool than furries.

Either way, argh!

Posted by: Margaret at February 18, 2004 06:34 PM

Wil,

I guess I am just a Trekki who does not speak Klingon. I just finished watching "Final Mission"
where you (Wesley) saved Captain Picard's life
by getting past the guardian of the well and brought him life-saving water. I watch two hours of Star Trek every night and four hours on Fridays. You will always be Wesley; it is hard for me to think of you as Wil.

Sorry!

Freeman in Louisiana

Posted by: Freeman in Louisiana at February 18, 2004 06:39 PM

Let's see...

I started out as a Comic Book fan and collector, moved on to SF/Fantasy novels, got into table-top RPGs, dabbled in video games (they're too addictive: Civilization has control over my life), gotten into Trek and Bab 5, became a Furry, wrote erotic Furry fiction (hey, I'm a male: it's required), gotten published in the Gaming industry, and -well- am not too keen on Anime.

Where on Earth does that put me in the heirarchy? :)

Yours,
Me.

Posted by: Dave at February 18, 2004 07:23 PM

Wil,
This geek thing is really serious, to you, hugh?

FG

Posted by: Fabian at February 18, 2004 09:54 PM

I only fall in the video gamers category, and even with that, I'm not really that hardcore...
It's nice to know however that another geek had decided to create his own caste system to justify his/her geekiness.

Posted by: Lizette at February 18, 2004 11:21 PM

Yeah!! My obbsessive collection of anime let's me be in there somewher. Funny to see the split of otaku who watch subtitle and those who don't really care if it's subbed or in english (I am finally learning japanese this semester so i like watching it subbed now...). Hmmm but i see no section for Cosplay or Con-goers.

Posted by: marcus j. at February 18, 2004 11:46 PM

Whew! As a videogamer and an amateur SF writer, I'm pretty high on the list.

But ... I really, really suck at the video games I play. And, like, the short story I'm trying to pimp has been rejected three times.

Maybe as a videogaming, SF-writing Trekkie *chick* I get a special spot. And I draw puppies on complex Linguistics assignments and wrote a 13-page research paper on Internet Registers of English and ...

I'll just draw my own hierarchy. It'll be a little happy face with "MEEEEEEEE!!" written in silver Sharpie. Yay self-esteem.

Posted by: Dragonblink at February 18, 2004 11:53 PM

But what about those who had the Star Wars theme played at their wedding????

Everyone found it hilarious though, even my mother, which was a bit of a shock. :)

Posted by: Kryten at February 19, 2004 12:44 AM

Hmmm. It appears that I fall under several catagories. I'm an Anime Fan (that doesn't really get picky about subtitles), a Role Playing Gamer, and a FanFic Writer of non-erotic or non-self-insertion nature. So I guess I'm somewhere in the proverbial right-center of Geekdom.

You know, that's kinda sweet. I'm not hardcore geek, but I'm gettk enough to be noticed. Rock!

Posted by: Eric at February 19, 2004 12:51 AM

Does publication of the Star Trek role-playing games count as "published science fiction author"?

Posted by: Jesse Heinig at February 19, 2004 01:13 AM

You might also be amused by the Pagan Hierarchy...

Posted by: jwz at February 19, 2004 01:58 AM

Hm.... Since I'm both a Trekkie (albeit one less obsessed as an adult than I was as an adolescent) and a LARPer (although I haven't been at a game in over a year), does that make me even lower than other geeks? Do techie librarians fit somewhere in the geek hierarchy?

Posted by: Anna at February 19, 2004 05:52 AM

Hey, a Brunching link. Damn, I miss that site...

I fall somewhere in the neighborhood of SciFi TV fan / video gamer / anime fan.

Posted by: Mia at February 19, 2004 06:03 AM

Oh dear. I'm 30 and I like Pokémon quite a lot. I even own two Pokémon plushies and a Pokémon poster. Might as well pick up that Klingon garb for the wedding.

Posted by: Siv at February 19, 2004 06:54 AM

I guess I am either a Trekkie, Amateur SF writer, writer of fan-fiction, reader of star trek novels, or a RenFairy (or whatever they termed it). God Willing I will be at the top of the hierarchy as well someday. Perhaps I should get involved in Fur-dom so I could be on both ends.

Posted by: John at February 19, 2004 07:13 AM

I'm all over the flowchart -- SF fan, non-erotic fanfic writer (of fantasy, not SF), and Pokemon fan over the age of 6. Hey, what else am I supposed to play on my GBA with only a half hour commute???

I didn't have a Klingon wedding though; I didn't want to risk getting written out of the will. :)

Posted by: Roberta at February 19, 2004 08:43 AM

Here's another nag to set up the paypal donation thingy.

Posted by: tom at February 19, 2004 08:43 AM

A klingon wedding? People actually have those? And I thought I was begining to get a grasp on the geek world.

Posted by: nodus at February 19, 2004 09:43 AM

I think Lore Sjöberg needs to create a "Proposed to Spouse With a Case Mod" category.

I know this was recently on metafilter, but for those who missed it:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?s=fcef2efed307cdb8a6e95ed720e227c2&threadid=718408

I had to call my wife over to take a look, just to make her appreciate how easily she got off on the geekiness scale (relatively speaking of course).

Lace Doilies, Tule?!?

PLEASE STOP

Thank You,
Reuben

Posted by: Reuben at February 19, 2004 11:52 AM

Wow I'm reading this and watching how far I've come!

From lowly comic fan to Published Comic writer and RPG designer/writer.

KING OF THE WORKLD MA!

Posted by: Malcolm Harris at February 19, 2004 12:51 PM

Cool! I'm pretty high in the Geek Heirarchy..

I fall in to actually two levels of it, I'm an anime fan who doesn't care about subtitles, video gamer, role player (AD&D), & trekkie/sci-fi fan.

So..I'm geeky..cool site Wil!!

Posted by: Brandon at February 19, 2004 02:01 PM

OK, how about Trekkies who want to get married in Starfleet uniforms, and are Harry Potter fans over the age of 12?

Hey, being a geek got me on a game show and helped me win the grand prize. :)

Ariel

Posted by: Ariel in the South Bay at February 19, 2004 02:34 PM

Craig:

"You said you've _tried_ to run a Sci-Fi con; have you tried and succeeded? If so, then I would say there should be another entry beside published sci-fi authors."

Well, the con is into its fifth year and we haven't bankrupted ourselves yet...

Posted by: Shannon S at February 20, 2004 06:19 AM

I was a little confused about what furries were, so here's the url for an article about them.

http://pressedfur.coolfreepages.com/press/vanityfair/

I can see why they might be at the top (bottom) of the geek hierarchy. Wow.

Posted by: wilhelm at February 20, 2004 06:24 AM

Don't think of it as a hierarchy - think of it as a checklist.

Posted by: Kevin at February 20, 2004 10:34 AM

The feller who compiled the Hierarchy also does a swell (sometimes PG-17) comic:

http://www.lorebrandcomics.com/

. . . and the usually very funny Book of Ratings:

http://www.bookofratings.com/archive.html

Posted by: Stefan Jones at February 20, 2004 11:37 AM

Did the hierarchy and got the preferred result-I am not a geek and I am NOT one to the extent that I am not even featured on the diagram. I knew this outcome before hand due to the fact that sometimes it is very hard for me to understand certain geeky-technological terms you are so fond of using...I guess that's just 'cause you were a member of Starfleet and have not managed to get it out of your system yet :)

Posted by: Sally at February 20, 2004 11:39 AM

Thank Wil for many things; that I'm an RPG Geek, that it's in the middle but far, far above Erotic Furries and that I'm above them socially.

(I got burned by an erotic furry; am I bitter? Hell yes)

Posted by: Devil Girl at February 21, 2004 04:54 AM

BWA-HAHAHA! I read that when the furries heard about this chart they ranted & raved against it for weeks like it was a vast anti-furry conspiracy to keep them down. They also have a jihad against other sites that occasionally mock furries, like at somethingawful and Fark. Furries have thinner skins than a condom, I tell ya.

Posted by: Michael Hirtes at February 21, 2004 05:55 PM

So where does they wilwheaton.net crowd fall into the hierarchy? Who is geekier than us? I know... People who think wil is wesley crusher! We're less geeky than them!

Posted by: laughingvulcan at February 22, 2004 08:55 PM

Ok, I'm either off the scale, or don't make the geeky cut -- where does "organizer of an international campaign to save a netlet TV series about a vampire with a soul who runs an evil law firm" rank? (Plug: SaveAngel.org)

Yeah, and while I don't write fanfic, I know people who do and they get into fights about it.

Posted by: Simon at February 23, 2004 02:09 PM

Well I'm a literature fan, so that puts me near the top... down two pegs because I'm a trekkie (And yes, trekkie. Trekker is a silly, pretentious word)... which is the same level as renfaire (I still contend that that's an acting job, because I work there, and therefore worth fewer points, but I'm in an SDCA-like group, too, so I still get them). So down two pegs from the top?

Belay that-- I'm a scifi writer and a scifi tv fan, so back up half a step.

...except that I just used the word 'Belay,' which I had to pick up from either TNG or Horatio Hornblower.

...I'm just going to shut up and go finish my balticon hall costume now. I'm too geek for charts.

Posted by: Annalee at February 26, 2004 12:46 PM

I'm not as geeky as I thought. But then again, there are no 'normal' types on that chart, to the mundanes we'd all be geeks. Compared to a mundane I'm still a geek I guess.

www.savingangel.org

Posted by: at at February 26, 2004 01:57 PM

at:

I like how you keep following up all the postings for "SaveAngel.org" with one for "Saving Angel.org." See, there, I just did a free plug for you.

Where do "people who google their own sites" fall on the geek scale? :)

Posted by: Simon at February 26, 2004 06:19 PM

Hi. Just stopping buy to say high! I am new to the internet and I have been surfing all night. I really enjoy your website. :)

Posted by: soma at October 9, 2004 02:53 AM

parliament

Posted by: ponderous at November 17, 2004 09:37 AM

Wow... I think I fall somewhere close to the top in most cases, but I have one thing that drops my average into the basement on the chart...
Sci-fi/Fantasy Fan, Anime fan who insists on Subtitles, Role-playing gamer, Fanfic Writer (occasionally),
Amateur SF/Fantasy Artist, Science Fiction television fan

All fairly close to the top. Seemingly not a problem. The damning piece, however, lies below.
Furry
So I'm wierd!
And to Mr. Hirtes: yeah, I agree: most folk who are into furries are thinner-skinned than a soap bubble.

Posted by: Sammi at December 19, 2004 03:29 PM

I think so.

Posted by: matt at January 12, 2005 03:56 PM
Post a comment

Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)


Remember me?


Read



Just A Geek

Dancing Barefoot

The Professor, The Banker, And The Suicide King

Listen



The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

Green Day: American Idiot

Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Watch



The Simpsons: Season Six

Firefly: The Complete Series

The Incredibles

WWdN Sponsor

Act

|Books For Soldiers|

|Electronic Frontier Foundation|

|Media Matters|

|Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting|

|anti-DMCA.org|

Fear

Terror Alert Level

Look