Many months ago, when I was doing a lot of web and job work, a horrible realization struck me – I was not doing many geeky things I enjoyed. No video games. No new anime. No manga or scanilations. I was busy, stressed, and disconnected from my fun.
I was Undergeeking.
There's something about us geek types, progeeks and yet-to-be, that needs a certain level of geekery. We crave information, stimulation, fun, cool stuff, and connection with our fellow fans. Yet, the traits we rely on – our skills, our focus, or love of what we do – can distract us, and suddenly we're Undergeeking.
This should not be allowed to stand. Our geekery is our edge and the manifestation of our edge – our passion and interest. You can be in a geek nirvana job, illustrating your successful online manga and running the merch business, but if you loose your edge of geekery, will you really be at your best – or even care.
Undergeeking should be treated.
In my case, I sat down and did the following:
*I selected two anime, one recommended by a friend, one I found, and made time to watch one episode of each a week at least. I gave myself some geek time.
*I played some free online games when there was nothing on the consoles or DS interesting me. I saw something fun and just played it – no worries over if it fit my interest, if it was too casual, etc.
* I blew some cash on geek stuff. I also indulged myself and ordered a TON of books I'd wanted with some extra cash (in fact, I'm still going through the pile).
This helped. I got back in touch with my geekery, relaxed more, and even got my creative juices going. Geekery is part of my life.
So, if you find yourself Undergeeking, do yourself a favor, and fix it. You'll be happier.
– Steven Savage