Michelle Castaline
Robert Stephens
2/25/14
9:30 Section
To “Nerdom,” and Beyond: An Analysis of Nerds In The Big Bang Theory
	The show The Big Bang Theory has recently brought to attention the iconic nerd, uncovering the reasoning behind many nerdy tendencies, specifically the playing of games. The Big Bang Theory touches on every end of the nerd spectrum through the characters, Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter.  Sheldon Cooper  “lacks empathy, is unable to discern sarcasm, doesn't like change, and has an inflated ego. He does not understand social norms” (Sheldon Cooper, 4).  Leonard is the type of nerd often portrayed in movies, possessing many of the typical characteristics that society uses to classify nerds from his glasses, to his love of comics. He is however, the most aware of the discrepancy between nerd and everyday individual and he most wants to shed his label.  The Big Bang Theory moves past the physical appearance of a nerd and delves into the psyche of the characters. On the show, the games played seem to have a certain hold over the characters. The games they play appear to inhibit their social, and societal relationships.  The show itself features many games such as Three Dimensional Chess from the Star Wars movie and Rock, Paper, Lizard, Scissors, Spock which was invented by “Samm Kass and Karen Bryla” (Kang Yibin, Pan Qiuhui, Wang Xueting, He Mingfeng, 1). Sheldon and Leonard have formed strong relationships with these games, because they allow them to take control of the areas in their life in which they feel they lack power. For Sheldon, his relationship with games is centered around the lack of confidence that he possesses in social conventions. Leonard’s relationship with the games comes from his uncertainty in himself as a person and in the work that he does. Essentially their mastery of board games helps them compensate for the disappointment and dislike they find in themselves as a result of their nerd label.
	Being graced with a nerd label is a phenomenon that often occurs in the early years of schooling. Some may grow out of it and others may become enveloped by the label for life. “Nerds and geeks are, by definition, not jocks. Jocks are self- conscious, socially skilled, attractive, popular, and, of course, athletic, and nerds and geeks are none of these things” (Anderegg 27). Essentially, a nerd is “an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits” (Merriam Webster). Based upon these ideas of what a nerd is, it can be seen that Sheldon and Leonard fit the bill. They are socially inept, unattractive, unpopular, unathlettic etc. Following the general trend, like other nerds, both Sheldon and Leonard became enveloped by the label at an early age. For example, Sheldon wrote his first scientific paper at the age of five, and began college at the age of 11. 	Despite Sheldons early start, research shows that it usually is not until middle school that the label of nerd begins to surface. According to the article, Being Labeled Nerd: Factors That Influence the Social Acceptance of High- Achieving Students, “exclusion on the basis of outstanding achievement is especially likely at this age” ( Rentzch, Schutz, Schroer-Abe 149). This research is reflected in the character Leonard who followed a more conservative path. He completed school at a less accelerated rate, obtaining his PhD around the age of 24. Leonard’s mother tells plenty of stories of Leonard's troubled childhood, and in one episode he is forced to face his childhood bully. It becomes clear that his problems with social acceptance began around the middle school age which coincides with the research. Most importantly, the nerd label stuck with both Sheldon and Leonard as they continued to achieve academically and struggle with social awkwardness.  
	Once an individual has been called a nerd they begin to lose self confidence, become more introverted, and often, “students are reluctant to attribute their successes to effort in front of their peers” (Rentzch, Schutz, Schroer-Abe 160). For nerds like Sheldon and Leonard whose achievement and success began at a young age and has since only escalated, it is clear where their tendencies to doubt their success comes from. In the case of Sheldon there have been many instances where his success has been shot down. At the age of 13 Sheldon attempted to power his whole neighborhood by building a nuclear reactor, unfortunately the government didn't share his enthusiasm. Taking a look at his adult life, the episode “The Romance Resonance” can be referenced. In this episode Sheldon finds that he misread a chart causing him to accidentally stumble upon information that the science community went crazy over. Despite his success, the way in which he came about the information causes him to doubt himself. Leonard did not find his work being shot down, but rather himself as a person. Leonard's mother is a famous child psychologist and Leonard is the subject of her books and speeches. She views Leonard as a disappointment and consistently analyzes him. She is the main source of the disappointment and dislike he feels for himself. Aside from his mother, Leonard also had a bully, Speckerman who makes an appearance in the episode, “The Speckerman Recurrence.”  These things, along with other occurrences throughout Leonard’s life lead to his self consciousness. These chains of events that amplified their nerd labels are what formed the strong bond that these men have with board games. 
	What needs to be understood is that Leonard and Sheldon's relationship with games is not the only relationship that nerds form in order to compensate for the aspects of their life that they feel they lack in.  For example, in the paper, “Race, Sex and Nerds,” Ron Englash brings up Turkle who describes undergraduate men at MIT. Attending MIT is an honor in itself and something these undergrads should be proud of, yet Turkle states, “in interviews they describe themselves as losers and loners” (207). Turkle then continues to draw the conclusion that, “this physical self-loathing is compensated for by technological mastery”(207). In this particular respect, Turkle is referring to technological mastery in the form of computers. This mastery can however stem to countless areas within a nerd's life such as the playing of board games as they compensate for the self-loathing our society has provoked.  In terms of The Big Bang Theory, while the characters do often feel criticized and as a result have a lack of self confidence that leads to their compensation with board games, they don't appear to participate in “physical self-loathing” as the MIT men do. It is not the way in which the nerd doubts themselves, but the fact that they doubt themselves that begins their fall down the social ladder of acceptance to “Nerdom.”
	In television the land of “Nerdom,” is characterized by introverted, socially inept, un-athletic traits and is often exaggerated to provide comedic relief. On the Big Bang Theory, the characters exaggerated nerdy tendencies are largely portrayed through the use of board games. Board games are often seen as a casual endeavor, but the show takes it to a new level. There are many occasions where the “nerds” choose to play games rather than uphold their responsibilities. For example in the episode, “The Weekend Vortex,” instead of accompanying the character Amy, his girlfriend, to a family function, Sheldon Cooper stays for his friends 48 hour Star Wars gaming marathon . Sheldon doesn't go with Amy simply because he didn't want to, or because he felt that the 48 hour Star Wars gaming marathon was a once in a life time opportunity. He chose games over Amy because of his lack of confidence in the area of social conventions. Sheldon is comfortable in the world of games as it allows him to enter a different type of social convention in which he feels confident in his ability to execute any and all interactions.  Rather than go out Sheldon and Leonard find they feel safe participating in social activities among their friends who also find comfort in the world of board games.
	Interestingly, even though games, are where they go to escape their flaws, their flaws are still exemplified during play. When the characters play the game Settlers of Catan, the writers are poking fun at Sheldon's inability to recognize the double meaning that words and phrases often carry. As he continues to say things such as, “I am erecting my settlement,” and “Do you have any wood,” the other characters are in awe that Sheldon is completely missing the sexual innuendos that his words could be mistaken for. Sheldon thinks that he is being proficient even though he is missing the social cues that he plays games to take a break from. This says a lot about nerds and the relationships that they form to compensate for their deficiencies. In everyday interactions, nerds are constantly aware of the problems that they struggle with, whether it be problems communicating, or problems with self image. When a nerd is participating in the activity that allows them to be 100% confident in their actions, their guard is completely down. They become unaware of their flaws, just as Sheldon is unaware of the possibility that he may be missing something. We see this again when Sheldon and Leonard play the game Talisman. Leonard's success with the game gives him confidence that he doesn't usually posses. His confidence in the game transfers to real life and Leonard ends up suggesting that they go on a real quest to get Penny's money back from her ex-boyfriend. Taking a risk like this to confront someone who is considerably bigger than you is not something that Leonard would have had the confidence to do, had he made it outside of the safe haven that Talisman was providing him.  However, Leonard's urging dies show his desire to break away from his inner nerd, away from the board games that the others would rather play and into the real world. Overall, his quest fails and as a result so does his quest towards shedding his nerdy label. It is a constant fight for both Sheldon and Leonard to remove themselves from the comforting realm of games where they can let their guards down, and feel confident that they posses the power to be successful.
	If an individual, or even Sheldon and Leonard were to be asked why they are playing a game, their response will most likely be something along the lines of, “because its fun.” What many overlook is the general traits that games continuously reiterate. In the book, A Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster he finds some of these traits to include, “Blind obedience to leaders, rigid hierarchies, binary thinking, and the use of force to resolve problems” (Koster 68). Essentially games allow players like Sheldon and Leonard to assert authority, win battles and ultimately reign victorious, things they don't have the opportunity to do in the “real world.” In other words, Sheldon is given the opportunity to know that he can sit down, play a game and not have to worry about what others might do that may go over his head, or be misunderstood. He can take authority and be sure that his actions will more than likely lead him to victory, in a social setting not unlike the ones he encounters on an everyday basis. Leonard can forget about his self image issues and find the courage that he suppresses, something we saw when he played Talismen.
	It is not just the ability to let their guards down that cause Leonard and Sheldon, or rather nerds in general to form relationships that provide them the opportunity to escape the uncertainty that they have in themselves. Games in particular “present us with models of real things” (Koster 76). The games “train us to be better caveman,” “we have fun mostly to improve our life skills” (Koster 60). Basically what Koster is saying is that the games are mimicking real life situations and by playing these games we are simultaneously having fun and on some level, learning the basic skills of life. Taking this into account, nerds like Sheldon and Leonard benefit greatly from the play of these games. As already concluded, nerds lack some of the basic life skills, especially those that pertain to social interactions so these games allow them to observe these skills in a fun, but new light. Sheldon, in particular, clearly treats the way that he assess life like a game. He believes that there is a solution or in other words a way to win in every situation. For example, when someone is upset, Sheldon believes that it is proper etiquette to offer them a hot beverage. It is his way of consoling people. When someone does not accept the beverage he has a hard time understanding that this is not the solution, much like in a game where a player thinks they have the solution to solve the puzzle, but in the long run they come in second. The most obvious example of how games can teach basic skills on the show is shown in the episode where the characters attempt to teach Sheldon how to drive. Essentially they create a game. They begin with a simple structure where Sheldon sits in a chair in his living room and pretends to drive while the others act as distractions, instructors and even air bags for when Sheldon crashes. In a way it resembles a role playing game, as Sheldon assumes the role of driver. As they continue to try and teach Sheldon to drive, the simulation escalates and eventually becomes an interactive and computerized, essentially resembling a video game. The relationship that Leonard and Sheldon have with games comes from the need to be able to let their guards down, as well as the desire to become more akin to the rest of society. 
	Before the word nerd is even heard by young individuals, games are used by instructors to teach basic life skills, such as how to share, recognize different colors and do math. As these individuals grow older, games are generally played for the entertainment value. However, even as an adult, playing games can still teach general everyday skills.  Nerds like Sheldon who are socially inept and Leonard who possess uncertainty in themselves form relationships with these games to compensate for the doubt caused by their nerd label. These relationships that nerds form not only give them a place to relax, but to strengthen the skills in which they lack. Both Sheldon and Leonard learn from board games and experience roles they aren’t privy to in everyday life. Above all, for nerds like Leonard they can better envision themselves in other roles in life, fueling their desire to be viewed differently by society and in turn by themselves. For nerds like Sheldon, they are able to reassure themselves of their intelligence. Nerds as a whole are able to find a confidence that is often replaced by uncertainty in everyday life. They are able to be sure of their success without the concern that they will be proved wrong. Like life, games have rules, structures and patterns, all things that help give nerds like Sheldon and Leonard the power to believe in themselves, and have the desire to grow.