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Monday, September 24, 2012

Growing Up Geek: Ben Gilbert

Welcome to Growing Up Geek, a feature where we take a look back at our youth, and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. This week, we have our very own Ben Gilbert! He likes ninja turtles, obviously.

To me, being a "geek" about something -- anything, really -- is being super, super passionate about that subject. It's that passion that drew me to documentaries like Helvetica, or King of Kong. It's that passion, witnessed in speeches and conversations with colleagues, that renews my love of video games every year I attend GDC. It's that passion that endears me to people like Stephen King and Trent Reznor. And it's that passion -- that nerdery -- that I've brought to music, journalism, and the medium of video games.

But that's always something I took for granted. My father's passion for art meant growing up in a house filled with his incredible paintings. Didn't everyone? My mother's passion for learning meant she had three degrees, including a Ph.D., despite having little financial assistance and coming from another country. Totally normal!

My point isn't to brag (though, come on, my parents are basically superheroes), but to say that the concept of being a "geek" was never a foreign one to me. Being an obsessive weirdo was always pretty normal in my family. I mean that in a good way.

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