Geek Chic

Gaming can be associated with a lot of things. Be it the proud nerds, the sophisticated geeks, or the obvious technology. But there is another area of popular culture that the gaming industry has also infiltrated: fashion.

Yeah okay when you first think about this you may just completely disregard what I say and think I have blasphemed in the presence of gamers. But if I told you to just have a rummage in your bedroom right now and tell me how many gaming items you have, I bet you have at least one.

Bags to t-shirts or shoes to hats, our favourite gaming characters and slogans have now gone beyond the pixelated characters we have grown to love and can now be seen on the chests, heads and sides of their fans. I have my own fair share of t-shirts and bags that I’ve either bought or got for free during my time of working in a game shop; I must admit it’s pretty cool when someone not only notices what I’m wearing but also recognises the reference.

To think there was a time that such fashion was only available on a small scale and had to be brought from ‘specialist’ websites and shops. Now when I’m trawling through town, I have started to notice that the geek chic is becoming that little bit easier to get your hands on and it is all thanks to the nice high street stores that stock these items. So we all know what this means, geek chic is becoming more acceptable and is being seen beyond its quirky origins as something fashionable.

Now a part of me does think that it’s pretty cool that my geeky tops are becoming more readily available, allowing everyone else to bask in the gaming greatness. But then another part is slightly worried that what I wear to show my love for my game may one day become unpalatable and just plain icky all because something random happens and it is being taken over, altered and misunderstood by the masses. Basically, if you think about what Gwen Stefani has done to harajuku girls, that is what the future of the geek chic could be (no offence to Ms. Stefani, but you know what you’ve done!).

My dear Ready Uppers, next time you wear your piece of geek chic out and about, make sure you wear it with pride. Educate those who do not understand where the cool picture or logo comes from and let them see how versatile and chic your t-shirt/bag/hat really is; keep your fingers crossed that the day the masses descend on our geek chic doesn’t happen anytime soon.