The fact of the matter is that while there are some things that both nerds and geeks share, there are also many key differences Nerd vs Geek that make each type of person so distinct.
To understand just what these differences are, it may help to take a look at the definitions of each term.
Geek vs Nerd
A nerd is someone who is more studious or bookish than most people.
Nerds often have friends who think just like them and talk about similar topics, such as how many points they got on their latest quiz or sports teams whose players really aren’t making good life choices off the field activities.
Geeks are much more likely to be interested in technology and creating things like websites or mobile apps. They aren’t trying to prove themselves by talking about trivia all night long but prefer finding common ground around interests other than schoolwork.
Is a Gamer a Geek or a Nerd?
The short answer is that a gamer is on the geeky side. A nerd will typically have a high intelligence quotient (IQ) and excel at academics. A nerd also according to most definitions is more interested in books or in other terms he or she is bookish.
Meanwhile, a geek is more interested in technology and mostly is on computers. They tend to like competing with others about technology stuff. According to the definition above, it is clear that a gamer is more of a geek than a nerd.
What Makes You a Geek?
A geek is someone who has a passionate interest in a particular topic.
Merriam-Webster defines a geek as an “enthusiast or expert, especially in a technological field”. However, geekery is not limited to technology anymore! The term has evolved over the years, and now it is ubiquitous. Many people have passions in which they spend a lot of time, money and attention. It is the same for people who many label as geeks. You can be a baseball geek, a car geek, a beauty geek, even a cosplay geek.
At the end of the day, there’s really not that much of a difference between nerd and geek. Our worlds are closer than you think! Both describe someone who has an active interest in something – the nuance lies in how these words are perceived by others.