Trekkies > Gamers
The discussion by Narine and Grimes on stereotypes and fears about gamers doesn’t quite line up with the stereotypes that were introduced about fans in Trekkies. Where trekkies were seen as very geeky and obsessed, gamers were portrayed as violent and addicted. These two negative sides are rather different in their portrayals, but the positive sides aren’t much different; trekkies were shown as intelligent and tech savvy and gamers were shown in a similar light, with the only real source of positive outlook being with computers, but the representation of the tech savviness of gamers was shown in delinquency, unlike the that of trekkies who were shown to work in stable, technical jobs. The portrayals of the two groups have similarities, but are different.
The negative aspects of the portrayals of trekkies and gamers are different. In Trekkies, fans are seen as geeks. This is shown in their goofy nature, and appearance in some cases, and their social awkwardness. The fans are shown mostly in their cosplay attire, and one fan is highlighted for his acute detail in his uniform which is explained in length to the viewer, down to padding and stitching techniques. Throughout the documentary, fans are interviewed and discuss their love for the show and characters, but the obsessive side of the fandom is also shown. There are a number of fans that don’t just wear their cosplay attire to shows, but in standard walks of life. One such fan is referred to by “Commander,” as her favored persona is that of the show’s ship commanders. This portrayal differs from that of gamers. Gamers have been portrayed as violent and addicted to playing games. Arcade games were often found in locales that weren’t suited for children, at the start, but even after they’d moved to more suitable locations, a negative stigma blighted them. Once these games became more common in socially acceptable areas, they were targeted again as violence inducing activities based on the subject matter of the games, or even just by their title. Narine and Grimes noted the concerns and fears of parents and the media as games became more violent. One of the filmographic portrayals of gamers was done by Emilio Estevez as J. J. Cooney in Nightmares (1983). In the movie, J. J. becomes extremely addicted to a video game called Nightmares; to the point that he ends up sneaking out and breaking into the arcade to play. This scene also highlights the addicting portion of the portrayal of games and the afflicted gamers. These differences are pretty stark with the geeky obsessions of fans and the violent addictions of gamers.
The similarities between the more positive aspects of these two groups are closer, but still contrast. Trekkies and gamers are both shown as intelligent and tech savvy in the Trekkies film and Narine and Grimes’ works, but the difference in the depictions of these two groups grows from there. Trekkies are shown to be productive and stable in their jobs as engineers, technicians, dentists, and so on. Opposite that, are gamers; whose portrayal is of delinquents that use their technical skills for somewhat nefarious purposes, e.g. using a computer to hack an ATM and steal money that would be used to play arcade games. While the more positive side of the portrayal of these two groups is similar in that they are shown as technically capable, their uses of those skills are shown as polar opposites.
The portrayals of fans and gamers differ in the contexts of Trekkies and Narine and Grimes’ work. Fans are shown as geeky and obsessive, but still contributing members of society. Gamers are shown in a deleterious light, as their violent addictions drive them to commit crimes to perpetuate their addiction. These groups are similar but their representations in these two texts challenges that.