Which Came First? The Nerd, or The Dice?

I spend a lot of time in the nerdier parts of the world. I am myself a nerd. And I have the privilege of associating with and observing many other nerds. Before I dive into my thought, I would like to take a detour to discuss some social stigmas.

As a general rule, people are defined by their activities. This is not an all encompassing rule, but it pretty much holds true. Play sports, you're a jock. Act in a play, you're a thespian. Nerds also are defined by their activities, of which I will list a few: Dungeons and Dragons, any form of online gaming, video games in general, Magic: The Gathering, role-playing of any kind, etc. Engaging in any or all of these activities identifies a person as a nerd. And most of these activities are dubbed by society, anti-social or weird. I do not wish to argue the weirdness of these nerdtivities. I don't care. But I have noticed one thing; all of these activities are escapist. They all allow the participant to be someone or something else.

Often, nerds are single, struggle to make friends, and don't usually follow the standard rules of appearance. In my observations, nerds nerd because they don't have anywhere else to get their feeling of accomplishment. One thought is that nerds nerd because they are single.

And this leads me directly to my question. Do nerds nerd because they are single? Or do they nerd because they are seeking solace. It's a bit of a chicken and egg question, but I still think it warrants a few minutes of our attention. Are nerds participating in these nerdy activities because they are single and are seeking something to fulfill them? Or do the activities themselves assure the continued single status of the nerds who participate? Now, I realize that this is not a foolproof paradigm. I know many people who participate in nerdivities, who are not nerds of the stereotypical variety. But still, that doesn't change the fact that there are so many out there who really are nerds, that I am certain you all know what I am talking about.

So what is the answer? Why are most nerds alonely? Is it because of the nerding? Or do they nerd because of the aloneliness. I don't know that I will ever know the answer. But, considering my current life trajectory, it may well be in my best interests to find out. Soon...