What is Nerd Weekend?
Nerd Weekend is a weekend-long (Friday-Sunday) nerdfest. That means everyone comes over to a set location and plays video games and watches badass films. I've found as I've gotten older that my friends and I don't get the chance to hangout like we used to, with life taking more and more of our time. So I came up with the idea of having a dedicated weekend to revel in being nerds. We all get to hangout like we should on a regular basis, but for some reason, now need a dedicated weekend as an excuse.
We had so much fun over the years having Nerd Weekends that I was encouraged to make a site promoting the idea to other nerds.
What about Comic-Con or LAN parties or... Aren't those Nerd Weekends?
Sure, but they're not A Nerd Weekend. The difference is that those all have lots of distractions and crowds of strangers. A Nerd Weekend is about hanging out with old friends for more than just the usual hour or two.
I heard your Nerd Weekends are guys only? What's the deal?
It all depends on your group of friends really. While some of our wives and girlfriends are nerdy, most wouldn't be up to spending an entire weekend playing round after round of Street Fighter. So we make it guys only and that way get to geek it up like back in the day.
Plus, plenty of guys have poker nights and those things are usually at least once a month. This is like once a year. Lately a bunch of the girls have been getting together during the same time and planning their own spa weekends. Now they are looking forward to when Nerd Weekends come around! It gives them just as much a break.
Nerd highlights from the last few years-
- 16-player Mario Kart Double Dash on 4 networked Gamecubes.
- Crazy DS battles.
- Rock Band around the clock.
- The discovery of Weng Weng!
- T.I.N.N.A. bot (Since my girlfriend at the time was gone, a cardboard robot was made in her place to keep me company).
- And of course... Pissed neighbors.
What to bring:
- Projectors
- Extra controllers
- Extra systems
- DS (even a PSP if you got it)
- Games you want to play
- Movies you want to watch
- Sleeping bag
- What you want to drink and munch on
- Oh and any hubs, routers, or switches you have kicking around.
Try labeling your controllers and gear so you don’t have tons of random stuff getting mixed up or lost. If anyone has one of those Brother labelers (some of you IT guys must!), then bring it and be awesome.
Here's a handy little Wi-Fi information PDF form I whipped up. That way you can print it out and post it around the house so you don't have to answer the “Hey, what's your wifi password?” question fifty times.
So just try to contribute in some way... bring something fun to show off or play. But remember, Nerd Weekend isn’t about buying stuff; it’s about hanging out! The most important thing you can do is show up.
Movies
Everyone has seen Star Wars and Aliens, so try and mix it up with something that will be new and fun. Look for anything that has reviews that contain the words “exploitation,” “trashy,” “sci-fi,” or “God, I can't believe they made this!”
Some of the past gems have been:
- For Y'ur Height Only (Starring Weng Weng)
- Starcrash (Known as not only one of the worst sci-fi movies of the 70's, but of all time... starring David Hasselhoff!)
- Crippled Masters
- Zombie 2 (A zombie fights a real shark underwater while a scared woman swims around topless. Done!)
- Robinson Crusoe on Mars
Tournaments
We've had Mario Kart Crown Matches, where the winner gets to take home the one and only Crown as bragging rights.
Also Street Fighter, Halo and whatever else floats your boat. We've even had certificates printed out for the winners. It's all about bragging rights and talking trash.
So what now?
Do it! Head over to our Forum and use it to plan and organize your own Nerd Weekend.
Spread the word! Get the word out about Nerd Weekend and encourage other people to plan their own shindigs.
If you have any problems with the site or have any suggestions, just drop me a line.
Remember, Nerd Weekend is a marathon. So be prepared for more than a sprint...
