Geek Hobbies To Build Friendships Over

I'm curious what kinds of geek hobbies you've noticed have led to closer relationships with friends or family. What geek activities, in your experience, seem to lend themselves to, or at least accompany, relationships that grow deeper over time?

Board Games have been particularly useful. (Heroclix in particular). But also comic reading because I make it a habit to go to my local shop once a week and spend some time talking to the guys.

I've also found The Walking Dead (tv) to be useful because soooo many people are talking about it. So even though I'm board with Kirkman stuff right now, I's still watching it for conversation.

I was going to say board games as well. MMO's have been good as well, but I really think board games are even better because the whole experience is social. With MMO's you do some stuff solo and some as a team. And the team stuff is frequently "business" where you need to be talking about the boss fight, etc.

I would say watching movies would be high on my list, especially weird mind-bendy scifi movies like Inception and Source Code where afterward we talk about the theology and themes of the movie (and also just how awesome/lame the movie is.)

I should also add gaming with my younger brother. It is a fun time where we just chill and talk about anything and everything. Nothing very deep normally, just bopping around.

Board gaming mostly for me. Especially competitive but non-nerdy ones, like Scrabble or Ticket to Ride.

Also movies. Either good ones or incredibly bad ones where everyone gets to make fun of it.

Swing Dancing. Seriously, I'm not kidding.

Here in Phoenix, Arizona at least, a large number of swing dancers who stay with it over the years tend to be teachers, engineers, computer techs, artists, writers, and so forth. It's as close as you get to the concept of Geek Nightclub. Understanding of dance etiquette is emphasized effectively, which means that even really shy types (such as myself) feel more comfortable pushing against the usual introvert tendencies. When you get to the point where you can talk and dance at the same time, there's a chance of having some seriously intellectual conversation while your hopping around as if your in that dance scene from Back to the Future (they even play Johnny B. Goode once in a while).

Can't think of any of my geeky hobbies that draws friends or family closer...
Except the occasional movie - although I usually go to see my geekmovies by myself, can't get anyone to come with me (unless it's a non-geek movie)

I'm afraid I have to make do with other, non-geeky stuff when around other people.
So, if anyone knows a stash of Dutch geeks I can befriend, let me know

I think it really depends on the friends I'm with
My former pastor and I both have a love of Big Summer blockbusters movies and we really bonded over talking about and going to see them after church.
My cousin's boyfriend (now husband) really bonded over playing video games so much so that I ended up being the best man at his wedding

I've found light boardgames and standard card games (Sheepshead in my neck of the woods) are great for bonding. Its face to face so there are no digital barriers as in lots of modern interactions and as long as the games are on the lighter side you can have non-game related discussions with ease. And then you have games specially designed to engender interaction and discussion like Say Anything or Dixit which are great for getting to know people.

DrFace wrote:I've found light boardgames and standard card games (Sheepshead in my neck of the woods) are great for bonding. Its face to face so there are no digital barriers as in lots of modern interactions and as long as the games are on the lighter side you can have non-game related discussions with ease. And then you have games specially designed to engender interaction and discussion like Say Anything or Dixit which are great for getting to know people.

I noticed your BGG image for your signature. What is that a list of: games you own? games you've looked at recently? I noticed the Arabian Nights game which is one I've been interested in and wondering if you've played it and how you like it.

DrFace wrote:as long as the games are on the lighter side you can have non-game related discussions with ease.

That's a really good point! I find that I've built some long-lasting, deep friendships over more complex board games with some downtime between turns, but that's usually because of the willingness of players to get off-topic, not a natural side-effect of complex games.

In fact, I'm surprised my buddies haven't gotten frustrated with me yet, as I usually feel like striking up conversation when MY turn is done and they're trying to think! (Or maybe it's my evil strategy to distract them from optimal moves.)

WhiteBoy wrote:

DrFace wrote:I've found light boardgames and standard card games (Sheepshead in my neck of the woods) are great for bonding. Its face to face so there are no digital barriers as in lots of modern interactions and as long as the games are on the lighter side you can have non-game related discussions with ease. And then you have games specially designed to engender interaction and discussion like Say Anything or Dixit which are great for getting to know people.

I noticed your BGG image for your signature. What is that a list of: games you own? games you've looked at recently? I noticed the Arabian Nights game which is one I've been interested in and wondering if you've played it and how you like it.

Its a little web widget from BGG you can find here: boardgamegeek.com SLASH geekwidget.php (I can't post links yet as I am too new!)

Mine lists my top 10 games (from the Top Ten section at the bottom of the Games tab in your profile).

My wife and I LOVE Tales of the Arabian Nights. But you have to be prepared for what it is. There is little strategy; its mostly about wandering around the world of Arabian Nights and seeing what crazy stuff happens to you. The "game" is all about creating a story. One recent game I was Insane, Ensorceled and turned into an ape. If you can find someone who knows it and can teach you it is way better than teaching yourself from the rules.

The only drawback is that it sticks very close to its source material which means your character is often enough seeking the aid and/or praying for Allah's intervention. Depending on who I am playing with and their sensibilities I'd either read it as is or replace it with "God". No big deal and the story doesn't suffer either way.

Great! Thanks for the tip.

And thanks for the feedback on Tales From Arabian Nights. Do you have have any children? I'm wondering how young the game would reach.

WhiteBoy wrote:Great! Thanks for the tip.

And thanks for the feedback on Tales From Arabian Nights. Do you have have any children? I'm wondering how young the game would reach.

My children are 5 and 2 and I don't think either of them will be playing this game for awhile. Many of the situations are quite mature. Example:

One quest you can get says that you have been bragging around Bagdad that you are the best match maker there is. A wealthy and powerful vizier challenges your boast. He commands you to go to a far away slave market and find him a perfect mate from among the slaves. If you fail he will throw you in prison.

When you get to the slave market you indeed find his perfect mate, but you have fallen in love with her. The quest gives you two choices. You can bring her to the vizier as commanded, become wealthy but grief stricken (a very bad status in the game) OR run away and marry her which will make you happy but also cause the vizier to pursue you possibly for the rest of the game and if he catches you, off to prison you go.


An interesting choice (and opportunity to role play) for an adult - a confusing scenario from beginning to end for someone too young (or too immature) to understand such a situation.