I began role-playing back in high school. This is probably the oldest form of “geek” gaming: PnP RPG, Pen and Paper Role-Playing Game.
A couple friends would get together during lunch, study hall, or after school and play D&D (Dungeons and Dragons). I like Elves so 99% of the time I play as an Elf. I’m broadening my experiences and playing something other than an Elf right now: a Half-Elf (baby steps).
The most notable time was when we went to a State Park and were playing on a table in one of the picnic areas. About an hour in a Park Ranger comes up and tells us they had reports that a group of teenagers were plotting to kill people. He got a chuckle out of it when he saw that we were playing D&D and just asked us to be quieter so others around us didn’t hear.