VGCulture - Art - Mass Effect M8 Avenger Assault Rifle

This guy got props: http://volpinprops.blogspot.com/

Source: http://volpinprops.blogspot.com/2010/08/mass-effect-m8-avenger-assault-rifle.html

What I mean is, this graphics designer from Atlanta has amazing skill in creating replica models of props from movies and games.  He's created things from Portal, Claymore (I think it's a manga/animé), and Mass Effect with the lights and gleam of the actual items from the game/shows/movies.  On his blog, it shows step by step on how he created the assault rifle and what materials were used.  This particular one in the picture above was created mostly of what he already had from other props he created and took a total of only $28 to complete.  The rights to creating a Mass Effect movie has already been sold.  So if they ever plan on making the movie for it, they really should look for someone with his expertise to create the props.

VGCulture - The Trenches

If you haven't heard, the creators of PVPonline.com and Penny-Arcade.com (both webcomics that started in 1997 and 1998 respectively) have joined forces to bring you their new webcomic "The Trenches".  It tells an on-going story of a guy getting a job as a game tester and his life in the industry.

Source: http://trenchescomic.com/comic/post/once-more-unto-the-trench

I just finished my last day at the company I worked at this week and now am looking for a job once more (though I have been for the past year since it was a temporary job to begin with).  Looking at this strip got me to laugh a bit because it is very relevant to our modern day employment.  What does "Over-Qualified" really mean?  It means you have the credentials to get paid well for the job you do and that the company doesn't want to pay that much.  They rather have someone without a degree with the same amount of skill that could do the same job for a lesser pay.  A lot of companies have outsourced their work to oversea workers where they pay dirt cheap for a position they would have to pay much more, even if it was minimum wage.  It seems that the game industry is starting to outsource their jobs in art, programming and game testing to oversea workers as well now.  The recession in our economy only makes it more tempting for company CEOs to make the decision to outsource their positions, so it gets harder for those trying to look for a job here.  I think I'll like this webcomic as it will be relevant to what I'm doing/want to do (game testing/game development).  You can check out the webcomic and the other ones the creators have been working on for over a decade here:

-The Trenches: http://trenchescomic.com/
-Penny Arcade: http://www.penny-arcade.com/
-PvPOnline: http://www.pvponline.com/ 

GameOn - Web Comics - VG Cats

Official Site: Videogame Cats - Scott Ramsoomair

Yay, it's Friday and I really need rest from the weekend after this crazy week.  So I tried to choose a strip from VGCats that didn't require too much knowledge of the game it's parodying, but I guess the ending does require a bit of knowing to get the joke.  Anyways, I found out about VGCats on Youtube when Super Smash Bros. Brawl was releasing information about the game and someone took one of Scott's comics and turned it into a video.  I looked VGCats up and really liked the comics and started to follow it.  Once I caught up, I realized that it took Scott to add a new comic between each one.  I really don't blame him as comic artists take a LOT of time and effort to produce even one strip.  What's great about VG Cats is that a lot of the jokes are general and don't focus on specific game references.  This makes it more welcoming for many in the gaming community.  I also like the two main characters Leo (Grey cat) and Aeris (Pink Cat).  They usually take the role of a character from a game when referencing one, but there are also times where they're themselves.  Despite that, their personalities are pretty distinct and is reflected even when taking the role of another character.  Scott started another comic called "Adventure Log" which had to do with Final Fantasy XI Online but gave up after a while.  He also started a comic called "Super Effective" which follows the stories and jokes of Pokémon.  He generally updates "Super Effective" more often now, but still takes a while before updating it.  Reviewing all these web comics has inspired me to get back into drawing, and so I am working hard to improve myself and draw more.  Well that's it for this week's GameOn, have a good weekend.

GameOn - Web Comics - Penny Arcade

Official Site: Penny Arcade - Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins

I thought it'd be appropriate to post the strip that related back to yesterday's topic on MegaTokyo.  In fact, it was Penny Arcade that linked MegaTokyo's first 2 strips that generated a lot of attention to MT comics and thus resulting the continuation of it.  I'm not sure what their relationship is between Penny Arcade and MegaTokyo, but they've mentioned each other a few times in their comic.

Source: http://megatokyo.com/strips/0057.gif

I've known about Penny Arcade forever but never bothered reading their comics.  It's a good thing too until just recently this past year when I did start reading it.  Their comics are heavily intertwined with references to games, the industry, and the community.  I started learning more about the industry and started reading game news (ones that affect real life and economy) just these past 2-3 years and so I wouldn't have been able to understand a lot of their jokes and satire when mentioning a public figure such as Sony's CEO or co-founder of Valve Gabe Newell, things like that.  The comic has changed from when it first started and has delved far deep into the many aspects of game culture rather than make obvious jokes of games themselves.  Despite the directed audience of hard core gamers, they're very successful and has since brought their success to organizing charities such as "Child's Play" which donates money to medical fundings of sick children.  Their jokes are provocative and their content is rather mature, so it may not be to everyone's liking.

GameOn - Web Comics - Awkward Zombie

GameOn with a week of videogame based Web Comics.  Today, we're going to take a look at Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich.
Official Site: Awkward Zombie - Katie Tiedrich

Not all of Katie's comics are exclusively on a specific game.  There are times where she would make a strip based on real life events with references to videogames.  I enjoy a lot of her quirky jokes that she makes that reference a game's actual gameplay, story, or character.  Most comics are based off of Nintendo games with Super Smash Bros. Melee and Pokémon being more of her well known references to games.  Her art style is simplistic, but effective in what it wants to achieve.  The Awkward Zombie site does experience problems loading and I can only hope that it's because a lot of people read her comics.  She is currently up to strip #193 from when she first started back in September 2006.