| VG Cats | |
| |
| Web Site | http://www.vgcats.com |
| Launch date | September 1, 2001 |
| End date | present |
| Genre | Video game, Parody |
| Related | |
VG Cats (short for Video Game Cats) is a web-comic written and drawn by Scott Ramsoomair. Started on its own website, it features the adventures of a pair of anthropomorphic cats, who often play the roles of characters in popular everyday video games, which that are parodied in the strip. Strips are usually shown in a large format, as well as in full color. Ramsoomair generally sets Mondays as days for updating the comic; he frequently mocks the tardiness in updating in multiple strips due to personal reasons.
The VG Cats website also previously hosted two extra comic series, known as SUPER EFFECTIVE and Adventure Log. Scott updated VG Cats on a near weekly basis but happened to update SUPER EFFECTIVE more than VG Cats. Adventure Log ended in 2008 and SUPER EFFECTIVE ended in 2015.
The comic series often includes video game-based comedy and satire targeting the video-game industry.
History[]
Scott Ramsoomair said he had began the strip due to boredom at work; he created comics during his lunch breaks. The first VG Cats strip was released on September 1, 2001. (Ramsoomair's answer on the FAQ page said it was bad timing, probably in reference to the September 11 attacks that happened that same year) Prior to taking the VGCats.com domain name, the comic was hosted at www.vgcats.cjb.net. For a period of time, VG Cats was affiliated with BuzzComix. During April 1 (April Fool's Day), Ramsoomair would replace the regular home page with fake pages, like a "Krug" page in 2003 or a MySpace for Solid Snake in 2007.
VG Cats' 100th strip became the first and only Flash-animated strip (there is another comic parodying Halo in a .gif format) in the series so far. Coconuts! also features an easter egg featuring Strong Bad of Homestar Runner fame. The 200th strip of VG Cats has yet to be published (although it had started with strip #201).
Characters[]
VG Cats is not a storyline-based comic, although there are several characters that are staples of the comic. Ramsoomair said that all of his characters "relate" to him "at some point".
Joystiq has defined them as "adorable characters who feel most at home with violence, language, and sexual innuendo". Recurring characters in VG Cats include:
Aeris[]
- Main article: Aeris
Leo Leonardo, the Third[]
- Main article: Leo
Pantsman[]
- Main article: PantsMan
Krug, Lord of the Unpleasant[]
- Main article: Krug
Ternaldo[]
- Main article: Ternaldo
Dr. F.G. Hobo[]
- Main article: Dr. Hobo
Johnny Evilguy[]
- Main article: Johnny Evilguy
Major Payne[]
- Main article: Major Payne
Minor Characters[]
Most of these characters are named after video-games consoles, and are darwn to physically resemble an anthropomorphized version of the consoles they represent.
- GameCube, usually very cheery character who is extremely anti-online but good friends with PS2 regardless. He dies "due to lack of original and exclusive releases" in Strip 221, "Operating Buddy". His last words are: "Shiggy...is that you?"
- PlayStation 2, GameCube's more popular but somewhat simple friend; equally cheery.
- PC and Xbox seen once in the comic appearing to be good friends, manage to trigger GameCube's anti-online attitude. An Xbox is shown speaking in "Box only want friend!" without any anthropomorphic traits. In "Open Cheese Night" Xbox and Xbox 360 appear in a comedy routine.
- Nokia N-Gage often goes unnoticed, and later becomes a successful poet.
- Dreamcast, son of Mrs. SNES and Genesis. He is very angry at his father for always criticizing him. He is said to have "dropped out" because the real Dreamcast was taken off the market after only two years.
- Mrs. SNES is the mother of GameCube, Dreamcast and Wii. She still feels hurt by Sega Genesis' liasions with the Sega 32X and the Sega CD.
- Sega Genesis, married to Mrs. SNES and the father of GameCube and Dreamcast. Genesis is extremely disapointed at Dreamcast for "dropping out". He is later seen trying to find some prostitutes around "Jarvis St." and has an awkward encounter with the 'NDS.
- Game Boy Advance & GBA SP are depicted as stereotypical hip-hop street punks.
- Nintendo DS, shown as a pervert with an obsession of having people touch him/her "down there".
- R.O.B. is a doctor who fails to save GameCube's life, due to his low mobility. The R.O.B. is one of the NES robots originally released with the NES.
- PSP is un-wanted and un-used by his owner, Pantsman.
- Game Boy and Game Boy Color are two grouchy old men who always gripe about how their generation of Pokémon (the first 150) are better than the 649 now.
- Mr. Potatamoto, described by Ramsoomair as a "a little tiny potato Shiggy Miyamoto". Potatamoto represents Nintendo in several comics. Potatomoto often tricks the peas into buying his stuff, which often is just useless and very costly. Ramsoomair said that Potatamoto is his favourite character.
- The Pea Brains are a bunch of young peas who represent the market and are always scammed into buying things from Mr. Potatamoto. They are gullible, and in the AWNs, one speaks in an unusually low voice. The others speak in a high pitched voice. They all die of, presumably, thirst, starvation, and probably a broken heart in #258. However, they are seen again in #283.
Awards[]
VG Cats has been nominated for several Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards, winning 2 awards in 2005 and 1 in 2006.
- 2003 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards, 2003: Outstanding Anthropomorphic Comic[1]
- 2004 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards: Outstanding Character (Visual)[2] 2004 Outstanding Use of Color[2] 2004 Outstanding Anthropomorphic Comic [2] 2004 Outstanding Gaming Comic [2]
- 2005 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards 2005: Winner: 2005 Outstanding Use of Color, 2005 Outstanding Comedic Comic, 2005 Outstanding Short Form Comic, Winner: 2005 Outstanding Gaming Comic. Honorable mention: 2005 Character Art & Artist
- 2006 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards: 2006 Outstanding Anthropomorphic Comic, Winner: 2006 Outstanding Gaming Comic
- 2007 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards: 2007 Outstanding Use of Color (finalist),[3] 2007 Outstanding Anthropomorphic Comic (finalist),[4] (finalist).[5]
- 2008 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards: 2003 Outstanding use of the medium (finalist)[6]
References[]
- ↑ ""2003 ceremony of Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards"". http://www.ccawards.com/2003_ceremony.htm. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 ""The 2004 Cartoonists' Choice Awards"". http://www.ccawards.com/2004.htm. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- ↑ ""Outstanding Use of Color"". ryanestrada.com. http://ryanestrada.com/wcca07/ceremony/color.htm. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
- ↑ ""Outstanding Anthropomorphic Comic"". ryanestrada.com. http://ryanestrada.com/wcca07/ceremony/anthropomorphic.htm. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
- ↑ ""Outstanding Gaming Comic"". ryanestrada.com. http://ryanestrada.com/wcca07/ceremony/gaming.htm. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
- ↑ ""The Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards - 2008 Winners & finalists"". http://www.ccawards.com/2008finalists.html. Retrieved May 15, 2008.