Nerdom Power Rankings

What group is able to call themselves king of the nerds?

Here at the Fastball Special, we were debating levels and types of nerd-dom.  Combined we discovered that we're basically one 20 sided dice and some homemade Konoha headbands from becoming Pokemon masters of Nerd-dom: having collected all the varieties.  This naturally led to a heated debate to the age old question: what type of nerd is best?  We figured that we're uniquely qualified to take it upon ourselves to sort through all of the different types of nerd-dom, and to crown the best type of nerd- once and for all.

The groundrules: The best nerd has to be separate from mainstream, but not completely socially isolated.  It also should involve an aura of intellectual superiority over the masses.  This is our ranking of how we view people who would refer to themselves as “nerds.” It’s not about how the outside world views us, or how they view themselves.

We're going to start from the bottom.  Things that, while certainly in the realm of nerd-dom, are a little more main stream and we’ll work our way up, each adding to the list until we are left with the ultimate nerd-dom at the top.

Nerd-Lite

14. Juv Fantasy (Harry Potter/Twilight/Hunger Games/Maze Runner/Divergent)

• Like I said earlier, I consider these to be gateway nerd-dom.  Similar to candy cigarettes, their job is to get people in the door by being accessible, and by allowing you to see how acting like a nerd makes you feel.  Ultimately though, even though there are thousands of teen girls who think they are super nerds for wearing a scarlet and gold scarf, I’m not impressed, and I’m quite confident I could crush you in Harry Potter trivia without having to look up from the game of Magic: The Gathering I’m playing.

13. Comics TV/Movies (Marvel/DC)

• I waffled for a while on this one, I think the gap between 14 and 13 is pretty significant in this list.  However, the ubiquitous nature of comic book movies these days made it hard for me to push it any higher.  In the current world, I view comic book movies as a prerequisite for nerd-dom.  I love comic book movies, enough that even the “bad” comic book movies (Green Lantern, Superman Returns, etc) are movies I own and have watched multiple times, but the fact of the matter is, as I look down our list, I think every category of nerd that is left, will also be up on their comic book movies.

12.  Fantasy TV/Movies (LOTR/ Harry Potter/GOT)

• I feel like I’m being especially hard on the things that I love, but again, I think Fantasy TV and Movies are hurt a little bit by their own popularity.  While many people who watch GOT and LOTR and HP would refer to themselves as nerds, there are still a large number of people (possibly over 50%?) who have watched every movie and episode of all three and still wouldn’t consider themselves nerds.

11. Classic Gaming (Chess/Arcade/Cards)

o   Although less mainstream than others on this list, the fandom, by and large, isn’t as passionate.  Much of the classic gaming crowd straddles the border between hobbyists and nerds, and with that level of devotion, it’s hard to place them much higher on this list.

Basement Nerds
10. MMORPG (Warcraft/Starcraft/League of Legends)

o   The complete opposite end of the spectrum.  These fan bases are among the most passionate on the list.  Lives have LITERALLY been lost in devotion to these games.  This group conjures the image of the slightly overweight late-20s male playing online in lieu of a job in his parent's basement.  Admirable dedication to the guild, but perhaps a bit too extreme for real consideration for top nerd.

9. Live RPG (Dungeons & Dragons/LARP)

o   These nerds clearly have dedication to their craft even over many categories higher up on this list- which puts them in the top 10.  Admirable passion, and meeting together provides an in person level of social behavior that MMORPGs can’t replicate.  Still, all the dedication spent to play-acting fantasy worlds, tends towards more awkward interactions in the real world.  Society has come a long way on embracing nerdom, but this category still has something of an awkward reputation attached.

 Nerd is the Word
8. Art (Comic Covers/Art/Music/fan-fiction)

o   Similar to classic gaming, Art is broad category that covers a number of areas, but has a less passionate fan base that also crosses over with non-nerds.  Despite that, art gets this high because of the level of dedication and because it creates.  It’s one thing to watch or read or play something someone else made, it’s another category entirely to devote your time to creating nerdy items yourself.

7. Sci-Fi TV/Movies (Star Wars/Star Trek/Firefly)

o   And with that, we have moved into the Heart of Nerd-dom on Earth.   If I was on family feud and Steve Harvey asked me what nerds like, I would expect Star Wars/Trek to be the top answer with 94 points.  And they would list it that way, because Family Feud is old and out of touch and still thinks nerds are lame.

6.  Anime (Naruto/One Piece/Bleach/Kenshin)

o   I really wanted to put this one higher, but I don’t think Anime has gotten as much of a bump from the “Nerds are cool” crowd as the rest of nerdom has.  That being said, Anime is an entire category to itself, and in terms of output and followers, it is massive.  It has its own controversies and debates (Sub vs Dub) and its own art and movies and literature.  It truly is a behemoth.

5. Cosplay (Conventions/ Costumes)

o   The convention crowd, especially with the emphasis on costumes may have seemed weird several years ago, but it’s not as far out as it used to be.  These nerds pull elements from all throughout all of these groups, and are dedicated enough to plan vacations to dress up in character in the hopes of meeting their favorite characters.  Your comic-con nerd is oh-so-very close to the pinnacle of nerd-dom.  The only thing separating it from the top is a still lingering sentiment from years past that adults dressing up like its Halloween in July is somehow odd.  That and this.

Nerd Rushmore
4. Technology/ Engineering (computers/ gadgets/ RadioShack)

o   As much of Nerd culture becomes more mainstream, this category of nerd is becoming less.  20-30 years ago, this category likely reigned supreme as the pinnacle of nerdery.  Classic movies like ‘Revenge of the Nerds’ glorify the geeky computer type.  Even today, ‘Big Bang Theory’ ties the STEM subjects right into other, more modern aspects of comic/fantasy/sci-fi nerdom.  Glasses and suspenders, ala Urkle are still associated with what it means to be a nerd, but this element is definitely post-peak.  This category has the feeling of intellectual superiority over the masses, but it’s fallen off a bit from when being a nerd meant you probably built a computer from component parts in your garage.

3. Fantasy Literature (LOTR/Wheel of Time/GOT)

o   I’m a little surprised Fantasy Literature made it this high with how mainstream it has become.  Thanks to Game of Thrones and the Juv Lit books, sitting down in class with an 800 page book with a dragon on the cover doesn’t have quite the same stigma it used to have. When you really dig into it though, it’s pretty simple.  In the same way that we both rate speedsters as more powerful than people give them credit for, we also highly value reading.  Reading takes more effort, it takes a level of dedication that eliminates casual fans and, perhaps most importantly, it goes deeper.  When I made my screen name Ecthelion113 back in high school a few people quoted Boromir’s lines about the White Tower of Ecthelion gleaming in the morning sun to me.  And that was nice.  It showed they had watched and remembered the movies.  But when someone asked me if I liked the Unfinished Tales version of Ecthelion, Lord of the Fountain, Warden of 7^th gate (who was the namesake of the steward who was the namesake of the tower that Boromir mentions) and his battle with Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs or if I like the version published in the Simarilion, then I knew I was talking to a real fan.  

2.  Sci-Fi Lit (Star Wars/Star Trek/Asimov/Verne/Herbert)

o   Very similar to fantasy literature in that appreciating the literature takes more time, and dedication than watching (even admittedly long) movies.  The argument for sci-fi literature is that in addition to being amazing, it remains a little less mainstream than its fantasy counterpart.  All the literature groups look down on their dumbed- down movie counterparts, maintaining that the books were better.  But those in the sci- fi crowd have the additional comfort of knowing that their source material remains a little more obscure, and tends not to make best-seller lists or Oprah.  What’s great about sci-fi literature is that at its core it isn’t sci-fi.  Real sci-fi fans understand that great sci-fi is just human stories in fantastic settings.  A lot of people don’t get past the laser guns and spaceships to unwrap the wonders within, while those within hold the wonderful secret that even stories about robots often just ultimately reveal what it’s like to be human.  If someone knows the 3 laws of robotics, has a good understanding of psychohistory, and can discuss the real forces behind the political environment of Arrakis, you know that person is a first-class nerd.  Still, one category of nerd surpasses even this.

King of the Nerd-dom
1.  Comic Book Literature (Comics)

o   Which leaves us with Comic Book Literature, the undisputed heavy weight champion of the Nerd World.  Comics combine a VAST amount of source material, a nearly impossible maze of retcons and character evolutions, legendary writers, artists, inkers, with material that can make you laugh, cry, or anywhere in between.  Comics are fantastic and otherworldly, while reflecting what's deepest in the human heart.  Comic nerds understand all of that, all while  mentioning (off hand) that while Superman’s given date of birth is February 29^th (the day his ship landed) and Clark Kent’s is listed as June 18^th, on the Kryptonian calendar, Kal-El was actually born on the 35^th of Eorx in the year 9998.  When you run into one of these nerds you should stop talking and just learn at the feet of nerd royalty.   Now even within Comic book literature there are a few categories. Those who have read every comic book known to man over those who have just read certain comic books and those who have just read certain comic books over those who have gained most of their knowledge from Wikipedia pages.  But regardless of how the knowledge was gained, a deep understanding of comic literature is essential if you want to reach the top rung of Nerdom.