Two cartoon characters sit on a couch playing a console game
Ethan and Lucas from Ctrl+Alt+Del playing video games on their couch

Many webcomics have been influenced by video games and video game culture.

Background

Webcomics frequently poke fun at video game logic, the video game industry, and stereotypical behavior of gamers. The earliest video game webcomic was Polymer City Chronicles, which started in 1995. However, 1998's PvP is seen as the origin of the genre, influencing various webcomics following it.[1] Low-quality video game webcomics were particularly common in the mid-2000s, often featuring author stand-ins with poor dialogue and unrealistic relationships.[2] A common trope in video game webcomics is to have the main characters sit on a couch, talking about the game they are playing.

It is common for webcomics to exclusively use in-game art and speech bubbles, such as in sprite comics. The term gamics has been proposed by Nathan Ciprick in 2004 to refer to webcomics that consist entirely of video game graphics. Despite the fact that video game graphics are generally copyrighted, owners of the intellectual properties used have traditionally been tolerant.[3]

Webcomics set in a video game world

Title Creator Run Video game world Sources
8-Bit Theater Brian Clevinger 2001–2010 Various Nintendo Entertainment System games, including Final Fantasy, Metroid and River City Ransom. [1][4]
Awkward Zombie Katie Tiedrich 2006– Various, most notably Super Smash Bros. [4]
Bob and George David Anez 2000–2007 Mega Man
Brawl in the Family Matthew Taranto 2008–2014 Super Smash Bros.
Concerned Christopher C. Livingston 2005–2006 Half-Life 2 [3]
Dueling Analogs Steve Napierski 2005–2018 Various [4][5]
Super Effective Scott Ramsoomair 2008–2018 Pokémon

Webcomics about video games

Title Creator Run Style Sources
Ctrl+Alt+Del Tim Buckley 2002– "Gamer on a couch" comic [1][4]
GU Comics Woody Hearn 2000– [4]
Megatokyo Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston 2000– Follows the adventures of a manga and video game fan in Tokyo, Japan. [6]
Penny Arcade Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik 1998– "Gamer on a couch" comic [1][4]
Polymer City Chronicles Chris Morrison 1995–2007 [1]
PvP Scott Kurtz 1998– Follows a fictional video game magazine company and its employees. [1][4]
VG Cats Scott Ramsoomair 2001– "Gamer on a couch" comic in which the characters frequently take on the role of their player character. [1][4]

Webcomics inspired by video games

Title Creator Run Inspiration Sources
Cucumber Quest Gigi D.G. 2011– Adventure webcomic influenced by Kirby and Paper Mario. [7]
MS Paint Adventures Andrew Hussie 2007– Webcomics on MSPaintAdventures are inspired by interactive fiction and role-playing video games, having started out as a "mock adventure game". The latest webcomic, Homestuck, follows a group of four kids playing a reality-changing video game. [8][9]

Other

ShiftyLook moved on to cartoons in 2012, with animated web series based on Bravoman and Mappy.[10]

ShiftyLook, a former subsidiary of Namco Bandai, focused on reviving various Namco video game franchises between 2011 and 2014. The company originally did this through English language webcomics.[11] ShiftyLook has released webcomics based on Dig Dug,[12] Dragon Spirit, Klonoa, and various other video games.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Maragos, Nick (2005-11-07). "Will Strip for Games". 1UP. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  2. ^ Hathaway, Jay (2017-06-29). "Terrible mid-2000 gaming comics are being revived on Twitter". The Daily Dot.
  3. ^ a b Sapieha, Chad (2006-04-04). "Games + Comics = Gamics". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2006-06-15.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Good, Owen (2009-07-19). "Sunday Comics". Kotaku.
  5. ^ Aziz, Hamza (2007-01-19). "Friday Comic Intermission: Dueling Analogs". Destructoid.
  6. ^ Hodgman, John (July 18, 2004). "Chronicle Comics; No More Wascally Wabbits". The New York Times. Retrieved April 11, 2006.
  7. ^ Davis, Lauren (2016-06-10). "First Second Is Publishing the Hilarious and Stunning Webcomic Epic Cucumber Quest". io9.
  8. ^ Weiler, Lance (January 25, 2009). "How Problem Sleuth Turns a Comic Into a Game". Culture Hacker. WorkBook Project. Archived from the original on November 30, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  9. ^ Lauren Rae Orsini (August 2, 2012). "Inside the strange, brave new world of Homestuck". The Daily Dot. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  10. ^ a b Johnston, Rich (2012-07-14). "ShiftyLook Moves Into Cartoons – Bravoman, Jim Zub, Scott Kurtz And More". Bleeding Cool.
  11. ^ Gera, Emily (2014-03-10). "Namco High studio ShiftyLook is shutting its doors". Polygon.
  12. ^ Goellner, Caleb (2012-05-09). "Shiftylook Celebrating 30 Years of 'Dig Dug' With Anniversary Webcomic Collaboration". ComicsAlliance. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08.
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