Heather, 28

Are you in a relationship?
Yes, I have a boyfriend. We've been together for about two and a half years.

How did you meet?
We meet at a Geeky Karaoke night, but a mutual friend introduced us.

What do you think are some of the reasons that your relationship works?
I like that he can put up with my occasional anger issues. I'm not as bad as I used to be, but he deals with me in a way that doesn't cause me to go crazy. That's really important to me. That, and we have stuff in common.

Does it matter to you whether a guy is — and I mean this in a totally geek-positive way — as "geeky" as you are?
It's pretty important. It's good to find someone who you share at least some geeky interest with, because then you can do stuff together. But then it's important to also have your own interests.

Would you say that geeks make better boyfriends?
The only people I dated who weren't geeky weren't as nice, and they didn't treat me as well. So, based on my experience, I'd have to say yes. In high school, I tended to hang out with nerds and geeks in our own spot in the back of the lunch room. I dated a lot of those people — not in spite of their nerdiness, but because of it.

There's a stereotype that gamers are very introverted, and don't ever go out or get laid. But based on this crowd, I'm guessing that's not the case.
I'm more of a geek than a gamer — into sci-fi, fantasy, that sort of thing. But gaming, like sci-fi, etc., is a lot more mainstream now than it used to be. When I was a kid, being a geek was more associated with pasty guys with taped-up glasses, so I didn't think of myself as a geek until later. Now, it's okay to be a sexy, social geek. Events like this, where you get to wear costumes, drink, and hang out, have helped change the image.

Can you regale us with any tales of your geek-related hook-ups?
I once dated someone purely for sexual attraction, and he ended up being really into Magic: The Gathering, which isn't my thing. I would go over to his place to hang out with him, but he and his friends would play Magic all night long, and he would just kind of ignore me.

So, he'd rather play a card game than have sex?
Yeah. That didn't last long.

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