Nathan Fillion, Patrick Stewart, Karen Gillan and Kelly Hu at Salt Lake Comic Con FanX 2014
Comic Cons: the football games of the nerd and geek world
There are some people who find it hard to understand what a comic convention is. It isn’t that the actual concept of a convention is difficult; there are car shows, gun shows, outdoor retail shows and others that can be used as one way to explain a comic convention. These shows, however, focus on a product that carries very little meaning beyond the retail part of them. It is the fan aspect that people outside of the nerd and geek worlds don’t understand. For these people, there is a very simple metaphor if they are sports fans.
Comic cons are football games for nerds and geeks. If you have seen the Dog Pound in Cleveland or the Black Hole at Raider games, you have seen the sports equivalent of a comic con. People dress up, they support their team, and they have fun. The fun at a football game may be a little different than at a comic convention, but the principle is the same. Finding like-minded people to enjoy a shared experience with so that the person can feel connected to something greater than the individual. It is the quintessential human quest.
Comic cons are a validation that what one person enjoys, others also enjoy. They offer a social outlet to revel in the chosen fandom. They also offer a safe place where a person can explore who he or she is and who that person wants to be. No one judges the person for dressing weirdly; in fact, it is encouraged and celebrated. Conventions aren’t always perfect because people are people, but they are great for those who want to forget about the real world for a little bit and enjoy worlds of fantasy, science fiction and imagination.
Comic cons are football games for nerds and geeks. If you have seen the Dog Pound in Cleveland or the Black Hole at Raider games, you have seen the sports equivalent of a comic con. People dress up, they support their team, and they have fun. The fun at a football game may be a little different than at a comic convention, but the principle is the same. Finding like-minded people to enjoy a shared experience with so that the person can feel connected to something greater than the individual. It is the quintessential human quest.
Comic cons are a validation that what one person enjoys, others also enjoy. They offer a social outlet to revel in the chosen fandom. They also offer a safe place where a person can explore who he or she is and who that person wants to be. No one judges the person for dressing weirdly; in fact, it is encouraged and celebrated. Conventions aren’t always perfect because people are people, but they are great for those who want to forget about the real world for a little bit and enjoy worlds of fantasy, science fiction and imagination.