About the Author

My name is Ben Hanig, and I'm an English/German student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I'm working in the hopes that my Creative Writing degree can help put me on the course towards a career in game design, a field I've been an avid supporter of for quite a few years, now. I spend most of my time either playing, making, or reading about games of all kinds (pretty much whatever isn't dedicated to school or sleep, and even then things can overlap).
As much as I'd like to throw around phrases like, "I've been a gamer all my life," I can't. I was born in 1990, but I didn't get my first video game until the copy of Pokemon: Blue Version I had to share with my younger brother. I didn't play Dungeons and Dragons until high school. My only history on consoles is with the Super Nintendo, Playstation 2, and my 4-year-old Xbox 360, so I missed out on a lot of the "prime formative years" of my discipline. But, like many of my generation, I've seen what was once a child's hobby blossom into a real art form, and now it looks to sweep into pop culture.
We are living in a world that has become increasingly electronic, where the dreams of my Sci-Fi brethren are becoming realities. Even high school jocks and members of Big 10 college football teams can be found passing time on Angry Birds or talking over highlights and strategies from their Halo and Call of Duty careers. Yet, even as we see nerd culture venture into the mainstream, stigmas exist and parents and employers question the use of our time.
Here at Geek Out!, I look to challenge these ideas. I was lucky enough to have a good friend and teacher in my high school years who sponsored an only-recently-sponsored gaming club. It was a haven for many of us, and eventually I even had the honor of leading it for two years as President. Through my time, I met people of all walks of life. Sure, there were your cut-out ideas of "geeks": kids with thick-rimmed glasses who couldn't help but slur and stutter, or the kind who couldn't have a five minute conversation without dropping into some movie quote or internet meme reference. But there were also brilliant minds at home, there. Young men and women who felt they didn't have a place and were just begging for someone to show a real, vested interest in them so they could open up and show their truest selves.
It was in the spirit of these underdogs I founded this blog. Here, you'll find regular posts from both sides: how the everyday lends itself to the nerdy, and how geek culture and experiences can serve one best in the real world.

It's a meeting of minds, a bridging of worlds... and you're invited for the ride!