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# The sociology of ‘nerdrage’ is explained through Diablo III.
- URL: https://www.killscreen.com/sociology-nerdrage-explained-through-diablo-iii/
- Published: 2012-07-03T15:30:00.000Z
- Updated: 2015-11-17T14:59:19.000Z
- Description: In an attempt to tackle one of the universe’s greatest mysteries, Jesse Singal has broken down his theory of nerdiness and, more specifically, the ‘nerdrage,’ which I assume is the antonym of nerdgasm: nerdrage: the overwhelming feeling of anger engendered when a nerd is disappointed by that thing
- Author: Jacob Simon
- Tags: News, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-26 09:39

In an attempt to tackle one of the universe’s greatest mysteries, Jesse Singal has broken down [his theory of nerdiness](http://www.theawl.com/2012/06/diablo-3-nerdrage?ref=killscreen.com) and, more specifically, the ‘nerdrage,’ which I assume is the antonym of nerdgasm:

> **nerdrage**: the overwhelming feeling of anger engendered when a nerd is disappointed by that thing he or she cares so deeply and irrationally about—an anger that non-nerds, or different species of nerd, find very hard to take seriously or not scoff at, because of that whole opaque-to-outsiders thing.

Though he acknowledges that nerds come in all shapes and sizes, Singal addresses nerdrage through the lens of Blizzard’s *Diablo III*, whose recent release spawned one of the more dire cases of nerdrage in recent years. He rightly identifies that feeling of being captivated by a bad game, a peculiar Stockholm syndrome that every gamer has experienced.

> It’s a weird disconnect, this idea of being hopelessly addicted to a game that pisses you off in so many ways. There’s something ominous there, a hint that the brutal logic of the slot machine has become fully entrenched in “higher” forms of entertainment. Because sure, at its core Diablo 3 is about killing monsters, but it’s also supposed to be about characters and plot and graphics. At least that’s the story fans tell themselves.