It’s Father’s Day and we at Girl Gamer Galaxy have decided to write a blog dedicated to the nerdy and geeky gamer dads out there. We have discussed endlessly about all the things that make us smile when we think about geeky gamer dads. Yes, say what you will about these guys. They can be immature or childish at times. Sometimes they even seem to forget that they are a parent. But today we wanted to share all the positive sides to having a gamer as a father or partner.
Amazing gifts incoming!
Now to most kids dad’s a hero. He chases away the monsters under your bed. He fixes your toys when they are broken. And chances are you will get what you want from them, even though mom (or other dad) said no. But here’s one of the best things of having a geeky gamer dad: They buy you cool gifts. Yes, we admit it. Sometimes that Nintendo Switch is just as much for them as it is for you (even though he might pretend he bought it just for you) but who cares? Remember that a gamer dad had to give up playing all the cool new (online) games to take care of the kids.
And while your friends are getting sweaters and socks for their birthdays, you still get to have the coolest action figures and games in your house. Geeky gamer dads don’t need an excuse to buy you that Wonder Woman back pack or that Batman pyjama onesie. They understand fandom like nobody else and are in touch with their inner child. And if both your parents are geeks or gamers, then… Oh boy, you are in for a treat! You can read what that’s like in this blog written by a geek mom to be.
Caregiving made fun.
Now, some of us gamers have the whole Peter Pan syndrome going on. We just don’t seem to want to become adults. It’s true. But gamer dads somehow manage to transition from being the disciplinairian to being your buddy. They can send the kids to bed at 9 p.m. sharp and drag them out of bed just in time for school. At the same time they can turn a simple car trip to school into a make-believe spaceship or maybe even the Bat Mobile. And if they don’t have the energy to use their imagination, then you can still bet your sweet patootie that they have some awesome gaming apps on their tablet or phone. Just a warning tho. They tend to get a bit fussy when you start beating their high scores. But know that somewhere deep inside they are also really proud of you.
Creative names and nerdy jokes.
Ok, not every gamer dad chooses to give his children creative or geeky names. But if dad is a huge nerd, then there is a possibility that his unborn child will be named Zelda or Logan. Or maybe your gamer dad named you Lara or Luke. Mainly because now he gets to make bad Tomb Raider jokes or quote Darth Vader till the end of all time. (Sigh) But don’t worry. That will only be embarrassing for… like… the first 30 years of your life. You will get used to it eventually. And believe me, after being in a class full of Lindas, Erics and Toms you will be thanking your lucky stars that you aren’t referred to as Linda 2 or Tom S. You might also have to accept that he will try to use you as part of his cosplay till you are too big to carry around.
Cartoons and movies are serious business in your house.
Ok. So..all cartoons are fun. Right? Wrong! If brought up in a house with a gamer dad you will, from a pretty early age, learn to distinguish the differences between the lame and awesome cartoons. Yes, ofcourse. You will still be allowed to watch all sorts of cartoons. But there are ‘meh, I am just killing time’ type of cartoons and ‘I got pulled out of class to go to the cinema with my dad’ type of cartoons. For example, have you ever been to a movie where you saw the dads laughing harder than the kids? That, right there. That is the so called ‘right’ type of cartoons we are talking about. And same goes for movies.
Geeky and gamer dads will take you to PG, PG-13 and if it seems worth getting yelled at at home, maybe even R rated movies. They will tell you all about the back stories, previous cartoons, old comic, all the different time lines and so on and so forth. And that…that is how you know you are dealing with the ‘right’ type of cartoons or movies. And if you are lucky your geeky gamer dad might also turn a blind eye when you decide to raid his dvd collection when you are sick or stuck at home on a rainy day.
Gamer dads are very understanding
We are not saying all gamer dads are the same. But chances are that your geeky gamer dad grew up feeling a bit ‘different’. Maybe he wasn’t good at sports, or maybe he didn’t fit in with the cool kids. Which makes him accept you if you have different interests from the other kids in school. And hey, he is a perfect example of why that doesn’t matter in the end. Because your nerdy dad didn’t need to fit in to become an awesome adult. And he knows that it’s important to cherish your uniqueness.
So if you don’t want to spend your whole summer playing soccer outside with the kids, that’s fine. There are enough retro gaming events he can take you to to show you the games from his youth. Are you an outcast at school or are you not invited to parties? Your gamer dad can make you feel better, because he can make you the hero of any story. And you know, not all super heroes started out as the popular kid in school. So you may roll your eyes from time to time when your geeky gamer dad goes on a rant about something nerdy. But let’s just face it. Your geeky gamer dad is still way cooler than all the other dads.
What do you love about geeky gamer dads? Let us know.
Do you have other reasons why you love (being with or having) a geeky gamer dad? Let us know in the comments below. We would love to read your stories.
