Line #12 SoYouWantTo/WriteAGamingComic


1	Gaming. Is there a more quintessentially nerdy activity? Perhaps, but that certainly hasn't stopped hundreds upon hundreds of cartoonists from creating webcomics based on the activity, many of which have become surprisingly popular.
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3	While the vast majority of gaming webcomics follow the best-known sort of gaming, video gaming, there's nothing to stop you writing a webcomic about TabletopGames or [[TabletopRPG Tabletop [=RPGs=]]] - such comics are comparatively rare though.
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5	The market for gaming comics is perhaps fairly saturated, but then again, an awful lot of the stuff out there is pretty weak, with poor artwork, unfunny jokes and blatant [[FollowTheLeader Leader Following]]. If you think you can do better and buck SturgeonsLaw, then read on!
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9	!'''Necessary Tropes'''
10	The humour of nearly all gaming webcomics comers from the GenreSavvy characters LampshadeHanging all the AcceptableBreaksFromReality that gaming entails - much of the rest is spent riffing on recent news in the world of gaming. {{Seinfeldian Conversation}}s on how VideogameTropes could apply to the real world are a must too: what would life would be like if you could always see a helpful display of how much life you had left, for example?
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12	Many gaming comics take place in a WorldOfWeirdness. The real world is not nearly as exciting as videogames, where anything goes and DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist. As a result, you are more likely than not going to have to jazz things up a bit to make yours stand out from the crowd.
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14	Finally, all gaming webcomics must include at least one TakeThat against Jack Thompson. It is practically the law. It ''might'' be possible to make one that does not, but no-one has ever tried.
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16	!'''Choices, Choices'''
17	You're going to want a character (or two) to act as the gamer: the one who actually plays the games and comments on them. You do however have a choice here: the characters can be sitting around playing the games - the TwoGamersOnACouch approach favoured by ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' and ''Webcomic/CtrlAltDel'' - or they can actually be the game's characters, living inside the game world, either by DeepImmersionGaming (as used by ''Webcomic/VGCats'') or an RPGMechanicsVerse (''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'').
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19	Also, what sort of games do your characters play? Do they play anything that catches their eye, or are they drawn to a particular genre? Are they RPG fans, always joking about inventory limits or wondering why [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]] doesn't just buy his bottles at the shop, rather than going on epic side-quests for them? Or maybe they play {{First Person Shooter}}s, and decorate their home with [[CrateExpectations dozens of plain wooden crates]]. Perhaps they're into retro gaming, ranting about why the 8-bit era was the best or bemoaning that [[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner freakin' duck]]. Or are they into two different genres, which can make for a lot of conflict?
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21	!'''Pitfalls'''
22	Writing a gaming comics means [[WriteWhoYouKnow Writing Who You Know]], and if you're writing a gaming comic, then the gamer you know best will most likely be [[AuthorAvatar you]]. Likewise, your character's best friend will most likely take elements of your best friend, and your LoveInterest will more likely than not be based on your [[AlwaysFemale wife/girlfriend]]/stalkee. There's nothing wrong with this - many great webcomics are just LifeEmbellished - but it can very very very ''very'' fall into MartyStu territory. No matter how awesome you may think you are, a perfect main character who is beloved by all yet completely off the wall stretches the WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief very fast. This is particularly a problem when the character acts like a complete {{Jerkass}} ManChild to all and sundry, and yet is still beloved by all.
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24	Further, gaming webcomics take MostWritersAreMale to its logical extreme: virtually all [[MostGamersAreMale gaming webcomic writers are male]], and usually fairly young, affluent and nerdy at that. Combined with the [[ForumSpeak Great Internet Fuckwad Theory]], many webcomics sink to RefugeInAudacity BlackComedy fast. Scatological humour, gratuitous bloody violence and blatant sexism are unfortunately much too common.
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26	Finally, there is the dreaded CerebusSyndrome to watch out for. While there is nothing wrong with trying to make your comic deeper than just two guys shooting the wind about whatever crosses their minds, trying to do it with crassly-examined rape, abortion, [[Webcomic/CtrlAltDel miscarriage]] or terminal illness is a good way to hemorrhage fans fast.
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28	Oh yes, and look out for that accursed ScheduleSlip too.
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30	The slightly repetitive nature of some of the comics - the same characters sitting on the couch, or doing the same things - can also lead to your comic becoming a CutAndPasteComic if you're not careful. Try and throw in a bit of variance in settings, facial expressions and layout if possible. Or, at least, try and make your standards as interesting and well-drawn as possible.
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32	!'''Potential Subversions'''
33	* The main characters of TwoGamersOnACouch style comics are AlwaysMale. Female characters typically just act as love interests (or sex interests, depending on the level of your comic), and spend all their time just standing around being female. You would think more people would have tried to subvert this one by now.
34	* Most gaming comics are primarily about video games. There are far fewer gaming comics about board games, [[ComicStrip/KnightsOfTheDinnerTable tabletop role-playing-games]], wargames, LARPs, trading card games, standard card games, or [[Manga/HikaruNoGo classic games]].
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36	!'''Writers' Lounge'''
37	!!'''Suggested Themes and {{Aesop}}s'''
38	A popular one is that [[NewMediaAreEvil New Media Are Not Evil]], often in response to the latest [[MurderSimulators "video games cause violence"]] controversy.
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40	Other than that, you can write about just about anything - gaming covers an incredible number of subjects, and there will always be something to interest you.
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42	!'''Departments'''
43	!!'''Set Designer''' / '''Location Scout'''
44	If you're writing a TwoGamersOnACouch comic, your characters will probably live in {{Friends Rent Control}}led StandardizedSitcomHousing. You can subvert this if you want, but bear in mind that either you or the artist will have to draw the backgrounds for this comic, and making it cramped and messy makes the art much harder to draw.
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46	If your comic takes place in an RPGMechanicsVerse, then it will take place in [[TheGoodKingdom Arthurian/Medieval England]] unless specifically stated otherwise.
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48	!!'''Props Department'''
49	Games consoles, handheld consoles and computers, obviously. Being able to draw a {{BFS}} and the StandardFPSGuns will help too.
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51	!'''Costume Designer'''
52	Jeans, t-shirts, messy hair, nothing fancy. Unless your characters are inside the game, in which case you can go crazy, so long as you follow the game's theme.
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54	!'''Extra Credit'''
55	''Note: Opinions vary wildly about the quality of some of these comics. Take with [[strike:a pinch]] lots of salt.''
56	!!'''The Greats'''
57	* ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' - The UrExample of the gaming webcomic, and also the best known. Practically everything that appears on this list is inspired by PA.
58	* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' - The best known RPGMechanicsVerse comic, and an example of how effective even simple artwork can be. An example of comic based on [[TabletopGames Tabletop Gaming]] rather than computer games, and a good example of CerebusSyndrome done well.
59	* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' - The most famous SpriteComic as well as one of the most well-known RPGMechanicsVerse comics alongside ''The Order of the Stick'', it's based on the events of the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI first]] ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' game. While most of the humor is character-driven, featuring insane protagonists and the even more insane situations they find themselves in, it still plays with the usual {{RPG}} tropes occasionally. Also popularized the WebcomicOfTheGame subgenre.
60	* ''Webcomic/VGCats'' - Two cats play games, generally subverting or [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructing]] the premise as they go. Spawned both an RPGMechanicsVerse spinoff ([[http://www.vgcats.com/super/ Super Effective]], a ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' parody) and a DeepImmersionGaming one ([[http://www.vgcats.com/ffxi/ Adventure Log]], based on ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'')
61	* ''[[http://www.castle-vidcons.com/ Castle Vidcons]]'' - A surprisingly original take on the UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars, presenting each of the major consoles as medieval royalty at war with one another, putting a unique spin on the most recent events in the industry.
62	!!'''The Controversial'''
63	* ''Webcomic/CtrlAltDel'' - A somewhat popular comic that nevertheless is accused by the {{Hatedom}} of many of the problems of the genre. WallsOfText, CerebusSyndrome, poor art style and the infamous miscarriage are frequent points brought up by critics.
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65	!!'''The Epic Failures'''
66	* ''[[http://www.drunkduck.com/Powerup_Comics/index.php Powerup Comics]]'' - [[StealthParody A deliberate attempt]] to make the [[Webcomic/PowerUpComics worst gaming webcomic ever]], with shoddy art, flagrant sexism, racism and homophobia, no plot or jokes, and the most intolerably smug MartyStu ever. It works.
67	* It is no match however, for the mess that is ''Webcomic/ShreddedMoose''. Gratuitous and pointless violence to everyone (and we mean ''everyone'') an insane level of misogyny, as every woman who appears winds up naked, dead, or date-raped by our protagonist Brew (not necessarily in that order.) The art is a blatant rip-off of ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'', which they have the gall to mock. Why it is officially classified as a Gaming comic is a bit of a mystery
68	* [[http://z11.invisionfree.com/WOAM/index.php?showforum=30 These Webcomics Are Bad]] are...well...[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin yeah.]] ''Bark Bark Dog and Yell Cat'' parodies pretentious foreign art [[MindScrew (we think)]], while ''Garphuck'' and ''Oakfable'' [[StealthParody try to outdo]] [[RefugeInAudacity the absurdly offensive,]] as well as [[SelfDeprecation mildly exaggerate the creator's own lack of talent.]]
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70	!!'''Further reading'''

Context SoYouWantTo / WriteAGamingComic