Once, as depicted in classic teen comedies from the 80's, nerds were outcasts -- a special brand of too-smart-for-their-own-good, role-playing, glasses-donning, weak-armed, thin-voiced boys and girls. Then, suddenly, it became cool to be a nerd. Geek chic proliferates, with Ashton Kutcher sporting a buttoned-up plaid shirt, Kirsten Dunst in heavy black glasses; nerd core music, the stylings of Deerhoof and Modest Mouse, is on the radio. How do nerds respond to the co-optation of their once-exclusive domain? This panel cheerfully and irreverently examines the impact that mainstreaming has had on "gamer culture", which is at the forefront of this sort of gentrification, traces theories of how and why it happened, and makes totally unfounded but nevertheless visionary claims about the future. Audience participation greatly encouraged.
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_IAP6767
