We Are All Geeks

The following is a passage I found while looking for quotes from my favorite author Drizzt Do'Urden (those of you in the know will say that Drizzt is not an author, but to me he is). Here is the passage:

A scimitar does 1d8 damage with a 2x crit threshold. Assuming +6 damage versus fire-using creatures, this would be 1d8 + 6 + 1 (STR). Let's assume max damage, 25 (as on crits, you only double weapon base damage) times two strokes, and you get 50. This is significantly less hit points than a Balor demon would have, especially an ancient.

Now, when I first read this, I was confused. I style myself a borderline geek and recognized that this passage was describing some role playing scenario, but I didn't know exactly what it was saying and admittedly, even found it a little amusing when imagining it as a counterpoint in an argument. But then something occurred to me: what makes me or anyone else any better or less geeky than the person that wrote this? Take this for instance:

A fast WR with a 4.2 speed threshold does a lot of damage. Assuming 10 catches, 200 yds, 3 TDs versus a cover 2 defense, this would be 3 x (6 + 1). Let's assume no penalties and a rushing attack, 21 (touchdowns being worth 6 + 1 for EP) times 2 for the rushing attack and you get 42. This is significantly more points than an opponent running zone coverage would give up, especially a ranked one.

I copied the same structured paragraph from the one above but just inserted football terms instead of role playing ones. Doesn't that make football seem a little geeky? Quite similar I would say. So why is it okay for someone to obsess and go nuts over their sports team of choice, but someone who chooses to have the same level of passion for something that is a little less "socially acceptable" looked down upon and laughed at?

All I'm trying to say is that we all have a passion for something. For a lot of people, yeah, it is "their" sports team; but it could also be their work, it could be kids, cooking, creating things, art, Dungeons and Dragons...any number of things. Just because guys getting drunk at the bar to drown their sorrows because their team just lost the big game is more socially acceptable by the masses, doesn't make it better than a few friends getting together with some pizza and using their imagination to create a world to step into for awhile.

Insert the words from your own passion into the above paragraph and see what you find. Would it seem a little geeky from the outside looking in, as with the football example? I'm thinking that it probably will, and maybe you'll see that we have more in common than you thought.