Ricky Di Williams
Published: January 24, 2006
For too long have I been aimlessly rambling on about the world of video games. And I believe I’ve suffered you all long enough.
I feel that I can only take so many more random tangents about the pitfalls of Sony, only so many more hallow praises to the glory that is Nintendo, only so many more commends to Microsoft’s ability to hold strong despite the growing competition before my sanity slips away.
It is also my belief that you, oh so few of you there are, have also grown tired of this unrelenting and confusingly caustic nonsense.
As such, today I shall turn my head to the realm of the pixel and speak about video games no more. No, today I shall talk about webcomics that talk about video games.
Yes, webcomics that talk about video games. Such epic gems as “8-Bit Theatre,” “VG-Cats,” and “Snafu” have entertained thousands of Internet-happy drips for years.
But what of these web-based wonders? Who’s responsible for them? What exactly ARE they?
It’s only suitable to start with what could be called the mother of all game-based webcomics, Brian Clevinger’s “8-Bit Theatre.”
“8-Bit Theatre,” which launched in March of 2001, follows the ongoing story of a group of warriors who face off against a variety of challenges and dangers. The story is set in the world of the U.S. version of “Final Fantasy I.”
The cast is radically diverse, ranging from an angry homicidal, “Black Mage,” to a sarcastic kleptomaniac, “Thief.”
All of the characters are in 8-bit sprite form, the pixilated form seen on old NES cartridges, but that does little to detract from the comic’s outlandish humor.
Game-based comic success wasn’t localized to just “8-Bit Theatre.” In late 2001 Canadian artist Scott Ramsoomair launched the soon-to-be smash hit series “VG-Cats.”
“VG-Cats” takes a different approach to the world of game comics in that the main characters, two anthropomorphic videogame addicted cats, aren’t game characters themselves, but rather fans of the genre.
The male lead, a gray cat named Leo, is a carefree dunce while his female counterpart, the pink Aeris, is bitter, angry, and sometimes violent. The cats, and their many co-stars, are all drawn in full color. That means no sprites.
Instead of focusing on one game in particular, “VG-Cats” parodies the gaming industry as a whole. With each new title comes a new bit of fuel for the proverbial fire.
Another example of a gaming comic that parodies gaming itself is the series “Snafu.” Created in 2002 by gaming enthusiast David Stanworth, “Snafu” is centered around two friends, Dave and Travis, who take a jab at the video gaming industry almost as much as each other.
“Snafu’s” edgy and sometimes racy humor is nothing short of brilliant, and the following the comic has acquired in recent years shows it.
Sure, you could just sit back and take my word for the sheer ‘fantasticality’ of these comics, by what’s the fun in that? It’d be much more fun to try them out for yourselves.
Check out “8-Bit Theatre” at nuklearpower.com, “VG-Cats” at vgcats.com, and “Snafu” at snafu-comics.com.