I remember when being a geek was synonymous with being underground; there was very little that seemed to cater to our whims, and what little there was we quickly came to cajole. I remember ordering crates of Monster energy drinks from ThinkGeek because back then it was the only way for me to stockpile on such fine caffeinated delicacies. Now-a-days energy drinks can be found on every other street corner; they’ve become mainstream and almost uncool… almost.

It’s always nice to be catered to, but at a certain point, catering turns to pandering. Perhaps a few years back, while in the midst of my teenage years, something like Gamer Grub would have appealed to me. Just like energy drinks, Gamer Grub would have been something cool, made just for us; something only we would get. Friends and family would think we were crazy: we would simply say we were l33t.

Throughout the years, the need to openly identify with something has become more or less important; being a geek has become less of a creed and more of a lifestyle choice. The same can be said with being a “gamer”. I’m not so much a “gamer” anymore as much as I’m someone with a passion for videogames. Part of me feels like something’s been taken away from us, that we’ve been taken advantage of over the years, because in the eyes of big business, we’re just another target market ready to be made into lucrative business. In the end though, what you stand for or what you believe in, whether or not you’re a geek or a gamer, is totally up to you; you should never let big business make that decision for you, nor should you let them define what you are.