Technobabble: Express your inner geek

Unbranded T-shirts have a way of uncovering other fans of video games, films and more.

By Randy Salas, Star Tribune

Last update: November 3, 2009 - 6:45 AM

I was at the grocery store recently when a worker's eyes lit up as he approached. In passing, he quietly said, "Resident Evil!" -- using the same tone as the opening voice-over of the video game of the same title. We shared a laugh and then went about our business.

The catalyst for the exchange was my T-shirt. It said simply, "Umbrella Corp.," along with a corporate logo -- nothing else. To the average onlooker, I was just promoting some business. To a fellow gamer, though, I virtually screamed "Resident Evil," because Umbrella is the evil entity at the heart of the games and, later, films.

Such unbranded apparel -- often created and sold by fans using custom sites such as Cafe Press (www.cafepress.com) and Zazzle (www.zazzle.com) -- lets gamers express their inner geek, but in a language that only other geeks understand. The bare designs also neatly skirt trademark infringement for fanatical do-it-yourselfers.

They're not just for video games, either. There are, for example, T-shirts for Weyland/Yutani (the corporation in "Alien" films) and "09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0" (the processing key that unlocks DRM-protected content on HD DVDs).

My buddy Eric and I play a lot of "Left 4 Dead" together. So when he wanted to give me a gift recently (I do feed him lots of pizza), he opted for a shirt whose front shows one of the health-preserving pill bottles that dot the game's world. On the back, it just says, "Pills here!" -- which the characters yell out when they find the bottles. That's it. If someone who recognizes the design and expression sees it, you share a knowing moment. If not, you get a quizzical stare.

Of course, I often get quizzical stares no matter what I'm wearing, especially at home.

Randy A. Salas • 612-673-4542