Modern Geek References

The references to the geek Genre in this novel were very interesting and amusing to me. When the first reference appeared on the page I, for whatever reason, was amused and happy. While the references are, I think, a means to shape Oscar as a charcter, I think they are also used to make the novel more realistic. For instance, Diaz could have made up fake movies or geek Genres, instead he uses ones that would, likely, be recognizable to readers. Not only do these references make the lives in the novel seem more real, but they just down right make the novel amusing. I am a bit of a nerd myself , and fantasy and such fascinates me especially when I read it in such an important novel like "Oscar Wao." However, even though I am interested by these references I can see how they may be distracting, especially for those that are not familiar with them. Therefore, I want to put these questions to you: do you think that Diaz could have created the same character Oscar is with out these references? Are these references distracting if you don't understand them? Do you think that understanding these references is important to understanding Oscar and the novel?