I learned some new things about gaming and nerds during our time there. First, gaming nerds come in all shapes, sizes, colors and ages, but only one sex - male. I counted approximately 10 women and they were undoubtedly coerced there by a man. Also, nerds are surprisingly unfriendly and often downright condescending. These nerds take their games really seriously. Most importantly, I learned that my husband is not a nerd.
I've always gently teased Allen about some of his hobbies. Particularly, his love of all things Warhammer. He also loves Star Trek and comic books, although those fall pretty low on the nerd scale. Now that I've met some true nerds I can see that Allen just doesn't compare. He may have some nerdy interests but he is definitely not a nerd. I heard a line on a T.V. show the other day that describes the situation pretty well. He just likes to do things that most people consider less than an optimal good time.
Although some of the activities at Tacticon bore me comatose, I did find many of the board games to be interesting. Now if you are picturing Monopoly, Clue and Life when I say board games then you are way off. The games featured here are tactical board games, most of which have complicated rules and tons of pieces. We actually own a few and once you get the hang of it they are pretty fun. In fact, we are thinking of taking a couple of our games to play at the next convention.
That's right! We will be spending President's Day weekend at GenghisCon 2011. Does that mean that Allen has brought me over to the dark side? Maybe, but I don't mind. Gaming may not be something I ever would have discovered on my own, and there are definitely some things I will never partake in, but now that I have been initiated in to this world I think I will stay. It's great to have something else in common with Allen and I can't wait for Samuel to be able to play games with us too!
Rounding out our "nerdy" weekend was an impromptu trip to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. We were happily surprised that they offered a military discount.... free! Samuel had a good time playing in the Discovery Zone where he was able to conduct all kinds of experiments.
His favorite part was the giant fan table. He really enjoyed holding the rainbow ribbon wand and watching the ribbons blow all over. I think he would have stayed all day if we had let him. He is such a fun and silly kid!
