The Evolution of Nerd Culture
I was out on my walk this morning, grabbing my third coffee of the day (I drink a toxic amount of the stuff), and I watched the first episode of season 2 of Star Wars: Andor. If you haven’t seen the show yet, it’s honestly one of the best Star Wars stories out there. It’s got a darker, more serious tone, great acting, and a real sense of tension. It’s an adult’s Star Wars show…
…Anyway, while I was trying to find it on Disney+ (which took way too long, by the way—there are so many Star Wars shows now), it got me thinking about just how far nerd culture has come since I was a kid.
I was born in '81, so I grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Back then, Star Wars was well known, the grocery store had a little comic book carousel, and “Trekkies” were a thing—but being really into that stuff wasn’t exactly something you bragged about. Video games were pretty much something only kids were into. Adults didn’t really play them, at least not openly.
That didn’t start to shift until the late ‘90s or early 2000s, when the generation that grew up with games and comics started getting older, earning money, and shaping pop culture. Now? Nerdy stuff is everywhere. Like, it’s mainstream mainstream.
Think about it:
Most of the biggest movies are based on comic books or fantasy novels.
Video games have bigger launches than movies now…the Game industry is bigger than movies and music COMBINED.
And we’re getting massive, high-budget adaptations of things like Warhammer 40K. I never thought I’d live to see that.
It’s actually kind of wild—we’ve gone from being teased for liking this stuff to living in a world where there might actually be too much of it. I never thought I’d say, “Yeah, I’m a little burned out on Marvel,” but here we are.
And I’ve been wondering—why did this all change?
Is it just because people like me grew up and started calling the shots? Or did something else shift in culture that made these stories click with everyone?
Because now, you see people everywhere rocking Punisher tees, Marvel hoodies, D&D dice tattoos—you name it. These aren’t niche communities anymore. They’re part of everyday life.
So I’m curious—what do you think caused the shift?
Why did stuff like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and the MCU go from “nerdy” to beloved by basically the whole planet?
I’d really love to hear your take on it.
–John, Co-Host - Video Gamers Podcast
