Originally founded by a Spanish blogger as Día del Orgullo Friki, Geek Pride Day—May 25th, to coincide with the release date of the original Star Wars—has grown into a worldwide celebration. We’re all about flaunting those nerdy inclinations at PCMag, and having a special day to show them off is kind of magical. This year, make a commitment to let your geek flag fly with one of these 10 suggestions.
1. Have an Open D&D Session
If you’re one of the over 13 million Dungeons & Dragons players in the world, you’re a member of a very special group of fantasy storytellers joining in a tradition that spans over half a century. But have you ever considered opening up your adventuring group to the public for a day? Schedule a gaming session on May 25th in a public or semi-public place, provide snacks and beverages, and let outsiders observe exactly what happens in a D&D campaign. People listen to podcasts of the same thing, so the idea isn't that far-fetched—and you might recruit a few normies to the hobby.
2. Build A Gundam
Constructing extraordinary, complex Japanese Gundam robot models—the hobby known as "Gunpla"—is one of the absolute deepest geek activities. It requires precision, patience and focus, and the end result is something awesome albeit completely inessential. If you’ve never tried it, the rush of endorphins you get when you complete each stage of your detailed little mecha is out of this world. Geek Pride Day is a perfect opportunity to dip a toe into the world of Gunpla, and if you’re already into it, maybe share your builds with others.
3. Play Laser Tag
Back in the 1980s, laser tag was being positioned as the sport of the future—a way to simulate combat without anybody getting hurt. Unfortunately, people getting hurt turned out to be pretty popular, so mixed martial arts ended up being the sport of the future. That said, laser tag, based on a combat training tool developed by the US Army, is still fun. Players enter an indoor or outdoor arena filled with obstacles and various terrains, and attempt to eliminate each other by blasting invisible beams of infrared light. Plenty of laser tag facilities exist in strip malls and old warehouses all over the country, and booking one for Geek Pride Day seems like a no-brainer.
4. Compete in a Gaming Tournament
The rise of esports has been one of the most exciting things to happen to geek culture in decades. Playing video and computer games at a high level in front of stadiums full of cheering fans, and broadcasting the games on Twitch or even ESPN, has made the hobby feel like a lot less of a waste of time. While you might not be ready to play in the big leagues quite yet, chances are your neighborhood arcade or gaming shop is running a “local” sometime soon. Fighting games, MOBAs, shooters, and more all have thriving competitive scenes, and many groups run online tourneys as well.
Popular Esports Games
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4.5 Outstanding $0.00 at Amazon Check Stock (Opens in a new window)5. Marathon a Geek Franchise
If you’re a true geek, you probably have a pretty dope home theater system, so why not put it to good use by hosting a movie marathon featuring a popular nerdy franchise? The Lord of the Rings trilogy is an attainable target, but if you want to get more ambitious, try the four Matrix movies. Really want to push the envelope? Show all nine Star Wars flicks, or speed-run the Marvel Cinematic Universe—one phase at a time.
Home Theater Reviews
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4.0 Excellent $179.99 at Amazon See It (Opens in a new window)6. Go Out and Cosplay
Dressing up as a superhero, sci-fi alien, or other nerd-culture character has been a key part of fandom since the 1960s at least. But it’s only in the last few decades that cosplay has started to get the respect it deserves. The workmanship and creativity that goes into the best costumes are truly spellbinding, and if cosplay is one of your interests, take an outfit out for a spin on May 25th. It’s a way to evangelize for your hobby, show off your hard work, and maybe make a new friend or two in the process. Just keep it PG-13 for the general public, OK?
7. Host a Game Jam
Consuming geek culture is all well and good, but if you really want to level up, it’s time to get creative. One of the most popular ways to do so is by having a game jam. In these informal events, participants work in teams or solo to create a finished game prototype in a fixed amount of time. It’s a great way for artists, designers, coders, and others to craft an idea and bring it to fruition. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but hopefully, it’ll be fun. Some game-jam ideas have flowered into worldwide successes—most notably, Fortnite was conceived in an internal jam at Epic Games, back in 2008.
8. Go Geocaching
Technology lets us experience the world around us in remarkable new ways, and one of the geekiest examples is geocaching. Using the GPS device that lives in every phone, players hunt down hidden caches of messages and other items, adding or removing things such as “trackable” dog tags to create a narrative of the other finders through history. It’s a great way to enjoy a beautiful day outside while testing your powers of observation and critical thinking.
9. Learn a Card Trick
Close-up magic is certainly one of the nerdier things a person can do with their time, but it’s also a fascinating way to mess with people’s perceptions and a great time-filler at parties. There are myriad free YouTube tutorials for learning the basics of sleight of hand and card manipulation. And remember, one of the basic tenets of geek existence is the MacGyver principle: The more things you know how to do, the more prepared you’ll be when the zombie apocalypse arrives. So expanding your skillset is a fine way to spend Geek Pride Day.
10. Have a Comics Swap
Collecting comic books is a timeless geek hobby, but as your stockpile grows, you might come to realize that not everything you own is all that precious to you anymore. A great way to network with other geeks, get rid of your doubles and unwanted back issues, and even pick up some new stuff is to host a comics swap. Invite other fans in your area to pack up a long box of comics they want to get rid of, meet up, and start trading.
That's Unreal!
There's a lot of overlap between "geek" and "gamer." If you're in the combined group, you'll enjoy our recent game-history saga, "25 Years Later: The History of Unreal and an Epic Dynasty."