Enjoy Your Favorite Nerd Hangout… While You Still Can
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In the first novel I ever wrote, I set a number of scenes in a store. Said store was packed with anything my nerdy heart could ever desire: comic books, rare imported anime DVDs, heck, for enough money you could even buy the very chainsaw Ashley J. Williams wore on his stump in “Army of Darkness”. It was heaven on earth; “Nerdvana”, if you will. It was a place I wanted to walk into and never leave. I wanted to cut a hole in the wall behind the kung fu movie rack and live there.
The closest thing we have to my dream store in reality is Hastings. And, unfortunately, within the next couple of weeks, Hastings will close its doors.
Nerd hangouts are becoming fewer and farther between. And in areas like the Upper Snake River Valley, there weren’t all that many to begin with. And, contrary to popular conception, nerds do get sick of sitting in basements. So, what’s a nerdy guy or gal to do when there’s no place to hang out?
As I see it, there are two main reasons for this extinction of nerd hangouts. The first factor is simply the march of technology. Digital technology is an asteroid, killing media dinosaur. You no longer need to buy discs to collect music, movies or books. Even comics are going the digital route.
I’ve never been a fan of digital media. I know that I’m in the minority, but I love having physical copies of my movies, music and books. For some reason, it feels more permanent to me. On top of that, it’s more fun to show off your collection when you have shelves and shelves of stuff, rather than just a hard drive full of files. But again, I’m as much of a dinosaur these days as a physical CD.
What this all means is that brick-and-mortar businesses that sell physical media aren’t making enough money to stay open. And, if they don’t find a way to adapt and stay profitable, they don’t survive. Call it “Retail Darwinism”. Or something.
The second factor that seems to be driving the closing of so many nerd hangouts is the fact that the internet has made it so you don’t need to leave the house to do, well, anything. Netflix and other streaming services make it so you don’t have to go anywhere to rent a movie. You can download any music you want, eliminating the need to go shopping for it. Downloadable content also seems to be the direction in which the video game industry is headed.
Combine this with advances in home theater technology, and many feel there’s no reason to leave the comfort of the home to go out to see a movie. Movie theaters see fewer customers, so they raise ticket prices to compensate, so fewer people go out to the movies, so theaters raise ticket prices … You get the picture.
There is nothing that can reverse this process. Stores that cater to nerds will continue to close as more and more stay-at-home entertainment options are spawned and as the internet makes things easier to get without leaving the house.
This depresses me. Before too long, younger people won’t know what it’s like to go looking for a cool collectible or a special tee-shirt. They won’t know the rush that comes from walking out of a store after finding exactly what you want.
On a more selfish level, I’m running out of places to go when I want to hang out or when I don’t want to go home. And I’m not relishing the idea of getting used to ordering stuff from Amazon. I worry that the day may come when there are no more movie theaters. Going out to the movies is one of my favorite things in the universe. I hate the idea of never being able to do that anymore.
Thankfully, there are still a few local places nerds can go when the basement gets too much to handle. There are a couple of game shops in the area, if you dig tabletop gaming. I like perusing the models myself. Barnes & Noble is a decent place for bibliophiles to kick it, though it’s not as warm and welcoming as smaller, independently-owned bookstores. There’s still a comic book store in town, where you can go to get your “X-Men” or “Martian Manhunter” fix.
My purpose in writing this is not to whine about the state of nerd-centric retail hangouts, nor is it to curse at forces driving places I love to hang out into extinction. It’s to implore you to appreciate what you have while you still have. Don’t take nerd hangouts for granted. Take some time to support your local nerd hangout, as a way to thank them for all the friendships they’ve helped to spawn and all the good times they’ve fostered.
In the meantime, let’s all be on the lookout for new places for us nerds to congregate. Perhaps local coffee shops can fill the void. If I can find my turtleneck and horn-rimmed glasses, I may even join you.