How “nerdy” hobbies have become elitist in modern society

Why are people in the internet era so judgemental and elitist when doing hobbies that “in the old days” were deemed “geeky”?

I have noticed a trend in nerdy and geeky hobbies like tabletop role-playing games, anime, doll collecting, gaming, coding… I have noticed that the online communities around certain “nerdy” hobbies have become more elitist than fun. Before we were the nerds who played D&D in peace (somewhat) but now people argue online about whether it’s sad to play solo (instead of in a group) or whatever your character is played wrong according to its stats and traits… Or in the doll community! People are really unwelcoming and rude towards people who can’t afford the fancy branded BJD dolls (as an example). If I’m happy with my cheaper, but nonetheless pretty doll, that’s not enough… apparently.

When I was in grade 6 or 7 (in Sweden that’s 12-13 years old) I still played with my W.I.T.C.H collectible dolls. And I was mocked for it. Now customizing and being imaginative and creative with dolls (as an adult) is somewhat “cool” and people embrace the whimsical childlike wonder of such things! And that is amazing! If it only could stop there… But no, now we compete in artistic skills, we judge which brands of dolls people enjoy, we tear each other down by comparing our collections…

In the gaming community people cannot just agree to disagree but they shout about what games and consoles count as “real” and what a legitimate gamer should have when it comes to game preferences or gear… It’s not enough to play and really enjoy playing on your iOS device, no you must play on an expensive custom-built PC or whatever… And you can certainly not enjoy cozy and slow games, no you have to play fast-paced, often male-approved games to be a “real gamer”.

Even coders are judged for doing too “simple” projects, even if they freakin’ started their creative journey last week! Or just – like me – are slow learners…

People need to correct everything and say exactly what’s on their mind ALL of the time. Becoming a know-it-all has become trendy!

Elitism hurts less privileged people

I think it’s a very privileged take to ciriticize people who cannot afford certain things, especially if it’s official merch or items when the company owning them is huge and earn more than you and me will in a lifetime. I don’t think any BJD doll is worth over 200 US dollars and I’m not sorry about that. I don’t care if it’s an artist and not a company either, because as someone who used to work in art I would never sell art for thousands of dollars. If artists and companies keep holding onto these outrageous prices, then it’s no wonders there will be cheaper copies made. It might be a controversial opinion but I don’t stand by elitist and rich people in this economy. If an artist sell overpriced things I think it’s their own fault if people prefer copies over their art…

If you have the nerve to sell things for outrages prices, you aren’t exactly starving…

I just learned that my BJD dolls (ball-jointed dolls) are actually MJD (mechanical jointed dolls) and they cost me almost 100 dollars. I thought that was a huge amount for anyone, but I learned I’m just poor and people actually pay thousands for a legit BJD. I would rather give that to charity if I ever had the privilege to own that much money. And my dolls are cute. They’re adorable. I still love them. It’s not that deep to me.

These are my BJD (or rather MJD) dolls and I love them! I plan to customize them and create doll clothes for them. That’s the main reason why I even bought them to begin with.

Hobbies should be fun and not absurdly correct

I have been in so many forums and communities about Dungeons & Dragons, specifically. And the most common bullshit is that it’s “depressing to play D&D alone, since it’s a social game”. This is actually a kinda ableist take, and here is why…

If a person has social anxiety or mobility problems so therefore not can participate in a group setting, don’t these people deserve to enjoy role-playing in a certain game engine or system? I know D&D were from the beginning a social game, but things change! Not everyone has the same opportunities.

Individualism and innovation are discouraged in certain hobbies

I prefer hobbies that are kinda lonely. Yes, even tabletop games are preferred to be solo, for me. I enjoy having full control over my experiences in the hobbies I love. That’s also why I rarely play games (like online RPG:s och switch games) with other players either.

For example, if I play a TTRPG like Dungeons & Dragons, or another similar game, I play solo because I enjoy doing things my own way. I like my own unlimited imagination. I love that I can change rules (!) and customize the game for my own benefit. I know, that’s a controversial take in the D&D community, where everyone follows all rules religiously. Just no! Be innovative! Be creative! Why is conforming to prefer when it’s all about having fun?

Everything don’t have to have a “deep meaning” to be fun!

I have a lot of hobbies. I play with LEGO. I sculpt with polymer clay. Not everything needs to have a function to be meaningful. I code useless things like random web apps that aren’t really meaningful in the sense of having a profound purpose. They are more a piece of art, something experimental that I think was fun to create. But they aren’t productive or whatever coding projects need to be.

If you have fun, then it’s valid. If you enjoy what you do, don’t worry about productivity or function. It’s a capitalist idea anyway.

Why I’m not participating in online forums that are too niche anymore (and what I do instead)

I won’t participate in subreddits for my interests or forums like that. I feel it just drags me down further into bitterness and negativity, since so many people just complain and argue with each other. That doesn’t fill my inner child with joy or creativity. It just makes her want to cry. I get a lump in my stomach when I see the negative comments about why I’m not good enough.

So the thing I do instead is sharing about my niche hobbies on my own YouTube channel and on my own websites. I have more control that way and can delete comments that aren’t appropriate, whilst still showing off my hobbies to people who genuinely want to learn more about me.