If we're spinning empty rhetoric, what evidence is there that "bubble" doesn't exist around those who feel that FRC isn't "cool" enough?
"Geeky" and "nerdy" are trendier than ever. Video games have become a part of mainstream culture. The upcoming Star Wars film directed by JJ Abrams is likely going to be the biggest blockbuster in movie history. Comic Con is now a huge mainstream event, and comic book movies top the box office charts. Star Trek and the X Files are returning to TV. Mediocre reviewed Hobbit films grossed over $3B worldwide. You see members of the audience at NFL games in what can only be described as
cosplay. Neil deGrasse Tyson is a internet demigod. "I F***ing Love Science" is a massive social media presence. It's time to capture the zeitgeist of pop culture geekiness and convert it into honest-to-goodness appreciation for STEM. There are still plenty of "geeks" and "nerds" who appreciate the pop culture and video games, but don't know what goes into them. It's time to take the fans of science fiction and fantasy and make them fans of science. "Normal people" are far more open to the nerdy aspects of culture than you expect.
Do I love "theme games?" No. I don't. But the ridiculous vitriol expressed towards every decision FIRST has without any consideration of the possibility is tiring. There's no reason to think that a theme game will be any worse than a "non-themed" game. We've done sports games and "non-themed" games for decades, I'm open to the possibility of trying something else. I'm open to the possibility that maybe Disney and FIRST HQ might know something about game design and public appeal that I don't. I'm fine that my personal vision of FIRST is not 100% congruent with FIRST HQ's. That doesn't mean I'm "in a bubble."
Cut out the ridiculous vitriol. It's tiresome. Be productive.