There have been moments or people, but overall, I don't have a problem with it. However, I have to admit to feeling really awkward in the past to have a collection when people came over. Although for me it is the 5 long boxes of X-Men comics (I've been reading for 16 years and used to always hit the 25 cent box as a kid).
But I lucked out in being in situations where nerdy pop-culture hobbies have always been ok. I went to a nerdy college and then an even nerdier graduate school, studied mathematics, rowed for crew, etc. It was a very nerd-positive atmosphere in Boulder and Palo Alto. I always pictured Portland being the same. But I never have made it out to Portland. Is it just uber hipsterish where any hobby is passe? But I found that my bookshelf full of math texts overshadows everything else. People tend to breathe a sigh of relief when they see the games and comics. It's weird.
I also have found a lot goes into attitude. If you are feeling self-conscious about it, chances are things will happen to make you even more self-conscious about it. This has been my experience. I would suggest adding something else to your life. Do something active. This helps relieve stress and creates a nice balance. Someone who is an avid cyclist and video game enthusiast is cool. Someone who only plays video games might be just as cool, but it can create a wrong first impression.
Embrace being different and who you are. It can be tough. I am going through similar struggles living in Tulsa and trying to go without a car (partly I really dislike driving, I like the exercise). There are times where I feel like a complete outcast or get hassled on the road. Oklahomans just aren't used to people walking or biking. I'm actually planning a move back west in late May early June and I can't say that feeling doesn't factor in my decision. So, I do know how you feel to an extent.
But I do have to say, talking to you on this forum, you're a cool guy. Be yourself.
My experience has sort of changed over time, I suppose. When I was younger, I had very few friends, but we all hung out in the computer lab or library at school, played a lot of AD&Dand Magic, that sort of thing.
Portland's an odd town, particularly to people who've never been here, because much of the local culture is a complete 180 from the rest of the country, but it's tough to describe. Very broadly speaking, it's basically populated entirely by project-oriented hipsters, hippies, and anarchists - just about everyone makes music, brews beer, makes jewelry, or some other kind of project that sucks up a lot of their time. It's probably a byproduct of the grey, rainy atmosphere of the place.
On the other hand, it's very social and collaborative here, and people tend to scatter into certain niches, and that includes video games. There are a lot of retro gamers (we still have several arcades, and Ground Kontrol, which is a full-blown retrocade) and Nintendo fans, for example, but since most of them are hipsters, everything's pretty half-assed. So while it's easy to find people who think Super Meat Boy and Katamari Damacy are awesome, it's a bit more difficult to find common ground if you're particularly hardcore about video games.
I'm also very much the reclusive, "needle away at things that interest me in dim lighting with a cup of coffee" sort of person, so since I'm not engaged in any single scene 24/7, it can be difficult to meet new people. I go out once in awhile, and I know a ton of people, but I met most of them through the industrial music scene, which is small, incestuous, and not particularly diverse. I'm pretty much the guy in the group who "likes all that weird Japanese shit."
Appreciate the vote of confidence, though. I have no problem being myself really, I just get frustrated by how people react to my interests sometimes, and I'm too direct with people to actually prevent myself from talking about things like video games or anime once in awhile, which is probably part of the problem.
