Geeks Rule the Entertainment Gaming World: Why the “Uncool” Are Actually Cool
“Geeks” have always held a special place in society. Even though they’re often depicted as operating on the periphery, their contributions and creations shape the mainstream. Of course, there’s no better example of this than the dot-com boom of the early noughties. Thanks to innovators such as Jay Walker and his website Priceline.com, the power of the internet became apparent. Going live in 1998, the site was soon selling 1,000 airlines tickets every day. With that, the internet was alive and computer geeks were suddenly multi-millionaire megastars.
Today, those with slightly-nerdy dispositions, but a way with computers, are still making a mark on society. Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are just three geeks that have hit the big time over the last two decades. However, the impact of those that don’t conform to the norm can also be seen outside of the serious. In other words, geeks have influenced something more than social media and desktop computing. One industry that’s benefited the most from nerdy types is entertainment.
Geek Entertainment is Cooler Than You Think
With so much of what we enjoy today coming in a digital form, the need for programming experts has increased dramatically over the last 20 years. For example, when you think about casino games, the first image that probably pops into your head is James Bond. However, in today’s world, the people with the real power in gaming probably aren’t as cool as 007. Because blackjack, roulette and slots are now played online more than inside live casinos, programmers lead the way. For example, at SlottyVegas Casino, the virtual lobbies are filled with over 1,000 creations.
Coming from the minds of developers at software companies such as Yggdrasil and NetEnt, the games feature the very latest in online technology. From the ability to rescale and fit mobile devices to tracking (via cookies) that allows players to complete missions over multiple sessions, it’s all there. In fact, as a nod to the geeky, slots such as Starburst feature sci-fi elements, while the likes of Wild Blood II are a homage to vampires. The same is true in the movie world. Take a modern classic such as Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. How do you think Leia was brought back to life? What about the battle between Rey and Kylo on the pier? These things required tech geeks.
Pull Back the Curtains and It’s Geeks Pulling the Strings
Although major motion pictures still require physical props, much of what we see on screen is computer generated. For the latest Lucasfilm offering, industrial light and magic visual effects supervisor Patrick Tubach said detail was crucial. Speaking to Digital Trends, he explained that a combination of photorealistic graphics were layered to create the ocean battle scene. In addition to layering the images, each one needed to operate autonomously so the team could replicate the choppy conditions of an ocean. Without this level of details, the battle would have lacked any sort of atmosphere and drama.
Of course, we can’t forget about the role of geeks in the music industry. Gone are the days when a microphone and a recorder was enough to make a hit record. Today, piecing together a track requires advanced software as well as an ear for music. In fact, thanks to software programmers, the average shower singer can now record a song like a pro. Using software such as Audacity and MixPad, it’s possible to get quality results with a microphone and a PC.
Put simply, when you peel back the layers of popular culture, it’s geeks that run the show. Even if they appear to be the antithesis of what’s supposedly cool, it’s the programmers and techie types of this world that are actually mainstream heroes.
