List of video game webcomics

{{Short description|none}} [[File:CtrlAltDel Ethan Lucas.png|thumb|right|alt=Two cartoon characters sit on a couch playing a console game|Ethan and Lucas from ''Ctrl+Alt+Del'' playing video games on their couch]] {{Dynamic list|date=November 2015}}

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

==Background== Webcomics often satirize:

* Video game logic

* Industry practices

* Gamer stereotypes

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.<ref name="1UP">{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/features/strip-games|title=Will Strip for Games|last=Maragos|first=Nick|date=2005-11-07|website=1UP|accessdate=December 24, 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208074942/http://www.1up.com/features/strip-games|archivedate=December 8, 2015}}</ref> Low-quality video game webcomics were particularly common in the mid-2000s, often featuring author stand-ins with poor dialogue and unrealistic relationships.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/video-game-webcomics-2000s-twitter/|work=The Daily Dot|title=Terrible mid-2000 gaming comics are being revived on Twitter|last=Hathaway|first=Jay|date=2017-06-29}}</ref> 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.<ref name=Globeandmail>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060217.gtgamicsfeb17/BNStory/Technology/AtPlay|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|title=Games + Comics = Gamics|last=Sapieha|first=Chad|date=2006-04-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615164439/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060217.gtgamicsfeb17/BNStory/Technology/AtPlay|archive-date=2006-06-15}}</ref>

==Webcomics set in a video game world== {| class="wikitable sortable" width="100%" |- ! scope="col" width = "14%" | Title ! scope="col" width = "14%" | Creator ! scope="col" width = "8%" | Run ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Based on ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{Refh}} |- !scope="row"| ''8-Bit Theater'' | {{sortname|Brian|Clevinger}} | 2001–2010 | Various Nintendo Entertainment System games, including ''Final Fantasy'', ''Metroid'' and ''River City Ransom''. | <ref name=1UP /><ref name=Kotaku>{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/sunday-comics-2-5317186|website=Kotaku|title=Sunday Comics|last=Good|first=Owen|date=2009-07-19}}</ref> |- !scope="row"| ''Awkward Zombie'' | {{sortname|Katie|Tiedrich|nolink=1}} | 2006– | Various, most notably ''Super Smash Bros.'' | <ref name=Kotaku /> |- !scope="row"| ''Bob and George'' | {{sortname|David|Anez|nolink=1}} | 2000–2007 | ''Mega Man'' | |- !scope="row"| ''Brawl in the Family'' | {{sortname|Matthew|Taranto|nolink=1}} |2008–2014 | ''Super Smash Bros.'' | |- !scope="row"| ''Concerned'' | {{sortname|Christopher C.|Livingston|nolink=1}} | 2005–2006 | ''Half-Life 2'' | <ref name=Globeandmail /> |- !scope="row"| ''Dueling Analogs'' | {{sortname|Steve|Napierski|nolink=1}} | 2005–2018 | Various | <ref name=Kotaku /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.destructoid.com/friday-comic-intermission-dueling-analogs-29347.phtml|website=Destructoid|title=Friday Comic Intermission: Dueling Analogs|last=Aziz|first=Hamza|date=2007-01-19}}</ref> |- !scope="row"| ''Little Devil (webcomic)'' | {{sortname|Michael|Armstrong-Ingram|nolink=1}} | 2025– | ''Little Devil'' | <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mipixel.co.uk/little-devil-comic |title=Little Devil Webcomic |website=MI Pixel |access-date=July 15, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/little-devil/list?title_no=1073805 |title=Little Devil on Webtoon |website=Webtoon |access-date=July 15, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mipixel.co.uk/little-devil |title=Little Devil Game Overview |website=MI Pixel |access-date=July 15, 2025}}</ref>

|- !scope="row"| ''Super Effective'' | {{sortname|Scott|Ramsoomair|nolink=1}} | 2008–2018 | ''Pokémon'' | |}

==Webcomics about video games== {| class="wikitable sortable" width="100%" |- ! scope="col" width = "14%" | Title ! scope="col" width = "14%" | Creator ! scope="col" width = "8%" | Run ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Style ! scope="col" class="unsortable" |{{Refh}} |- !scope="row"| ''Ctrl+Alt+Del'' | {{sortname|Tim|Buckley|nolink=1}} | 2002– | "Gamer on a couch" comic | <ref name=1UP /><ref name=Kotaku /> |- !scope="row"| ''GU Comics'' | {{sortname|Woody|Hearn|nolink=1}} | 2000– | | <ref name=Kotaku /> |- !scope="row"| ''Megatokyo'' | {{nowrap|{{sortname|Fred|Gallagher|Fred Gallagher (cartoonist)}}}} and {{nowrap|{{sortname|Rodney|Caston}}}} | 2000– | Follows the adventures of a manga and video game fan in Tokyo, Japan. | <ref name="NYT">{{cite web|last= Hodgman|first= John|author-link=John Hodgman|date= July 18, 2004|work=The New York Times|title= Chronicle Comics; No More Wascally Wabbits | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9805E2DE123BF93BA25754C0A9629C8B63 | accessdate= April 11, 2006 }}</ref> |- !scope="row"| ''Penny Arcade'' | {{nowrap|{{sortname|Jerry|Holkins}}}} and {{nowrap|{{sortname|Mike|Krahulik}}}} | 1998– | "Gamer on a couch" comic | <ref name=1UP /><ref name=Kotaku /> |- !scope="row"| ''Polymer City Chronicles'' | Chris Morrison | 1995–2007 | | <ref name=1UP /> |- !scope="row"| ''PvP'' | {{sortname|Scott|Kurtz}} | 1998– | Follows a fictional video game magazine company and its employees. | <ref name=1UP /><ref name=Kotaku /> |- !scope="row"| ''VG Cats'' | {{sortname|Scott|Ramsoomair|nolink=1}} | 2001– | "Gamer on a couch" comic in which the characters frequently take on the role of their player character. | <ref name=1UP /><ref name=Kotaku /> |}

==Webcomics inspired by video games== {| class="wikitable sortable" width="100%" |- ! scope="col" width = "14%" | Title ! scope="col" width = "14%" | Creator ! scope="col" width = "8%" | Run ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Inspiration ! scope="col" class="unsortable" |{{Refh}} |- !scope="row"| ''Cucumber Quest'' | Gigi D.G. | 2011– | Adventure webcomic influenced by ''Kirby'' and ''Paper Mario''. | <ref>{{cite web|url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/first-second-is-publishing-the-hilarious-and-stunning-w-1787483405|work=io9|title=First Second Is Publishing the Hilarious and Stunning Webcomic Epic ''Cucumber Quest''|last=Davis|first=Lauren|date=2016-06-10}}</ref> |- !scope="row"| MS Paint Adventures | {{sortname|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. |<ref>{{Cite web | last = Weiler | first = Lance | author-link = Lance Weiler | title = How Problem Sleuth Turns a Comic Into a Game | work = Culture Hacker | publisher = WorkBook Project | date = January 25, 2009 | url = http://workbookproject.com/blog/2009/01/25/culture-hacker-how-problem-sleuth-turns-a-comic-into-a-game/ | accessdate = September 24, 2010 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20101130222827/http://workbookproject.com/blog/2009/01/25/culture-hacker-how-problem-sleuth-turns-a-comic-into-a-game/ | archivedate = November 30, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Inside the strange, brave new world of Homestuck |author=Lauren Rae Orsini |url=https://www.dailydot.com/society/inside-webcomic-homestuck-guide-interviews/ |newspaper=The Daily Dot |date=August 2, 2012 |accessdate=January 13, 2013}}</ref> |}

==Other== [[File:Mappy logo.svg|thumb|right|ShiftyLook moved on to cartoons in 2012, with animated web series based on ''Bravoman'' and ''Mappy''.<ref name=Shifty>{{cite web|url=http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/07/14/shiftylook-moves-into-cartoons-bravoman-jim-zub-scott-kurtz-and-more/|publisher=Bleeding Cool|title=ShiftyLook Moves Into Cartoons – Bravoman, Jim Zub, Scott Kurtz And More|last=Johnston|first=Rich|author-link=Rich Johnston|date=2012-07-14}}</ref>]]

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.<ref name=ShiftyLook>{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2014/3/10/5490210/namco-high-studio-shiftylook-is-shutting-its-doors|website=Polygon|title=Namco High studio ShiftyLook is shutting its doors|last=Gera|first=Emily|date=2014-03-10}}</ref> ShiftyLook has released webcomics based on ''Dig Dug'',<ref>{{cite news|url=http://comicsalliance.com/dig-dug-shiftylook-webcomic-project/ |work=ComicsAlliance |title=Shiftylook Celebrating 30 Years of 'Dig Dug' With Anniversary Webcomic Collaboration |last=Goellner |first=Caleb |date=2012-05-09 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208135934/http://comicsalliance.com/dig-dug-shiftylook-webcomic-project/ |archivedate=2015-12-08 }}</ref> ''Dragon Spirit'', ''Klonoa'', and various other video games.<ref name=Shifty />

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Video game webcomics Video games