There are some subjects, common wisdom states, which should not be brought up in polite company. Religion and politics are two of the biggies, but as of late, computer operating systems and gaming platforms seem to be flowing in the same vein. The sheer amount of energy invested in the holy wars over gaming platforms is impressive, and more than a little puzzling to the outsider. Regardless, there seems to be no shortage of webcomics willing to jump into the fray with their BFGs blazing.
Ctrl+Alt+Del, created by Tim Buckley, is one more pixilated soldier trying to wade through the slavering bad guys, hoping to find that Secret Area where the popularity power-ups lie.
The title is an obvious reference to the combination of keystrokes necessary to reboot a Windows-based personal computer, but
Ctrl+Alt+Del covers – and lambastes –
all forms of electronic home gaming, from
the PC, to
the platform, to the handheld. It also lampoons
gaming,
Internet, and
computer culture in general.
Buckley is smart enough to realize that he is hardly breaking new ground with his strip – the
first few strips, in fact, acknowledge this, and parody other
well-known gaming comics. Even with this acknowledgement, however,
Ctrl+Alt+Del still centers around roommates Ethan and Lucas, who spend an inordinate amount of their time sitting on the couch playing video games, insulting one another, and complaining about one game/game company or another. And how much mileage can this device get anymore, really?
Not enough.
At least, not enough for mainstream audiences. A hardcore gamer may know what it means to camp at a spawning point, or what the big deal about a
Radeon 9700 is and why it's bad (And just
what it is. A sound card? A video card? A really tasty sandwich?), or why a gamer may defend to the death
one platform against and above all others, but the general Internet public doesn't. Now, gaming comics are hardly the only webcomic genre to fall into the trap of requiring Secret Knowledge
™ to get the jokes. Hardcore geek strips (technology-, rather than gaming-related) do it; furry strips do it; in fact, any strip that targets a specific Internet demographic runs the danger of doing it. This may work within that given demographic, but makes it difficult for the strip to appeal to potential readers on the outside. As presented in the above examples,
Ctrl+Alt+Del falls into this trap, too.
Which doesn't mean that the audience to which these jokes are directed aren't all ROFLMAOed, just that the appeal may not extend beyond that group.
Ctrl+Alt+Del does much better from a mainstream perspective when it comments on gaming
culture rather than on the games themselves.
These are instances where the strip moves beyond being a series of one-shot gags towards more integrated storylines. Stories such as when
Ethan and Lucas have to find jobs in order to pay the rent, or when
Ethan attempts to woo Lilah (the gamer chick upstairs), add a depth and breadth to both the characters and strip that the single strips can never achieve.
Of these, the best storyline by far occurs when Ethan decides to
develop his own video game, a grand synthesis of
every other type of game, and strong-arms all his friends into slaving on the project for him. Like the game Ethan hopes to create, this story brings together the best elements of the strip: Ethan’s monomania regarding video games, Lucas’ devotion to his friend, and Lilah’s clear-headed outside perspective. It operates not only as satire of the video-game industry, but of industry in general and of the danger of working for your friends, and the whole storyline ends with a
Lord of the Rings parody. Because there is less reliance on jokes specific to a game title or system, which may be dated within a month or two, these "longer" stories are the strongest part of the strip. And while they are more common later in the archives than earlier, they do not yet occupy enough of the total run to counterbalance the volume of the issue-specific strips.
The art of
Ctrl+Alt+Del is generally rendered in the
fat-outlined tradition of the genre, and usually consists of the characters sitting or standing, while they comment on whatever game they happen to be playing.
Ctr+Alt+Del is very definitely a
"talking head" comic. This is understandable, of course, since the strip is about video games, and playing and commenting on them don't require a whole lot of action shots or dramatic camera angles. But a look at one of the
Art Pages that Buckley has included on the site shows that he has the talent and ability to draw more than just talking heads, and by incorporating more varied camera placement might both increase the visual variety of the strip and add a greater element of visual humor.
As a non-hardcore gamer from
way back (my family had a
Pong system, and I remember the
Atari 2600/
Intellivision/
Colecovision feuds), I recognize the appeal of gamer-specific humor – and there
are a
lot of people who play video games. But the willingness of
Ctrl+Alt+Del to narrowly target a particular subset of them, the ones who get worked up into froths (angry or ecstatic) over a few pre-release screenshots, means that the larger potential audience might be rebuffed.
If you fit into the hardcore gamer subset, then you will likely find something that appeals to you (unless you dislike the systems that Buckley champions). If you've only briefly glimpsed the Secret Knowledge
™, or have never even entered the temple, then you might not be able to figure out what the big deal is all about, and may prefer to reboot your way towards something less encryptic.
Comments
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
I can assure you that my reviewers usually read the entire archives before writing their reviews -- that is one of the requirements for reviewing webcomics here at the Comixpedia.
Seeing that many others here were polite and fair with their opinions, no matter how they may have disagreed with this review, it makes me wonder if you yourself are not the one who just couldn't hold the verbal diarrhea in.
http://www.damonk.com/
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
ASDASFDKFDLK!!!!
Did any of the 200 people commenting here read what Mr. Trepal wrote??
At least, not enough for mainstream audiences. A hardcore gamer may know what it means to camp at a spawning point, or what the big deal about a Radeon 9700 is and why it's bad (And just what it is. A sound card? A video card? A really tasty sandwich?), or why a gamer may defend to the death one platform against and above all others, but the general Internet public doesn't. Now, gaming comics are hardly the only webcomic genre to fall into the trap of requiring Secret Knowledge™ to get the jokes. Hardcore geek strips (technology-, rather than gaming-related) do it; furry strips do it; in fact, any strip that targets a specific Internet demographic runs the danger of doing it. This may work within that given demographic, but makes it difficult for the strip to appeal to potential readers on the outside. As presented in the above examples, Ctrl+Alt+Del falls into this trap, too.
First of all, there is a decidedly tongue-in-cheek tone to this paragraph of contention. "Secret gaming knowlegde TM" is a good clue, so is the sandwich aside. He's not being entirely serious here, folks.
Also, he NEVER SAYS THAT NO ONE BUT HARDCORE GAMERS WILL GET THIS COMIC. Nowhere does he say that. He says it will appeal to people who understand what the jokes are about- games, computers- more than people who don't ever come into contact with these things. My parents might like his sense of humor, but they won't invest their time in reading a comic where they don't get a lot of the background information, even if the jokes are funny WITHOUT knowing this stuff. That's a pretty basic assumption for a reviewer to make.
Matt says that having gaming and computers presents a CHALLENGE, it makes it more difficult for the comic to come across to a wide range of people. He didn't say it couldn't happen. Thus all these people who consider themselves non-gamers who enjoy the comic prove that CAD can conquer that challenge, which is a good thing, and THAT'S what people should be writing about, not that the reviewer doesn't know what he's talking about. Does anyone here understand that distinction?? One hand - Reviewer is idiot who doesn't get that comic appeals to people who don't get the background info on some jokes. Or the other hand - Reviewer says it's hard to appeal to people who don't get the info behind some of the jokes, yet fans say Tim overcomes that setback because CAD is awesome. One of these remarks is idiotic and the other is what's actually going on, and what should be said if people weren't so quick to assume the worst.
This is a glowing review. It is not praise from a fan, it's praise from a reviewer, and there is a great difference. I don't care what a fan says about something for the most part, because it does appeal to them and saying "It's the best!" really isn't quite persuavsive, unless I know my tastes are similar. A reviewer is supposed to give a report that ANYONE can read and find out whether the subject would appeal to them. Not just people of similar taste.
...and i'm not afraid to log in and comment. I'm not anonymous.
-Meaghan
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
You may be right, except for one thing: Nowhere does this review belittle the comic in question. As a reader who had heard of, but never seen Ctrl+Alt+Del, I came off with a rather favorable impression of the comic, not negative. If the review was hard on the comic, then I could understand fans leaping to the defense of a favorite comic, whether or not the reviewer is just in presenting flaws. But this is exactly not the case. Most of these commenters have not read the review, but have read COMMENTS about the review.
Let's put it this way. If these people are going to judge a review based on a comment, then they must judge the comic based on the review. No, in both cases you go to the original source to judge for yourself.
In any case, this is a lot of comments!
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
Actually, I disagree. I don't believe myself to be a "hardcore" gamer in anyway, shape, or form... however I think CAD is incredibly funny. I just read it, and fall off my chair... unlike some comics... So there's my two cents.
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
Firstly, why was the art used not the new stuff. Secondly i like games but do not play 24/7 but i think its good. Even if you have never touched a consol you should find it funny.
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
I agree with the guy above, in that I play games - but I'm not a hardcore gamer.
On another note, you should have taken the screenshots from the latest comics on CAD - as Absath even agrees that the art on them is far better.
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
well, i think the comic is amazing, and I go to his site many times a day to see if tim posted anything new on the main page, I've been reading his comic for a long time and i feel that people who arent hardcore gamers can find humor and laugh about this comic. best example, i told me friend to start reading it, now my friend doesnt really play video games (but he does love halo), he find this comic strip very funny.
Tim, i love the comic, keep it up!
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
what about little-gamers? they have a lot of computer/gaming humor and they've been up for 3 years and the comic is still humorous
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
I'm not at all a hardcore gamer. I don't own a gaming system besides my PC, and while I have tried quite a few games over the years, I have always lost interest within a week. But I still check Ctrl+Alt+Del every day. It's one of my favorite webcomics. It is true that I don't get all of the jokes, but I love the art and the dialogue. I also feel like I can relate to the characters. But most importantly, it makes me laugh. Isn't that the whole point? -Rachel
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
Just a few notes: "(unless you dislike the systems that Buckley champions)"... I don't think this is true unless your the kind of person who can't take a joke... I like Linux... I hate windows... I like PS2, the only console that Ethan doesn't own anymore (out of the 3)... and this is now the only comic I read on a regular basis.
Also, If you don't know what a Radeon is... it's a video card... that's sad whether you game or not...
Although there is a big portion of the internet that won't get the comic... I think that's ok... you can't please everyone... The comic is hillarious for some people, where it probably wouldn't be if it was made to please everyone... a decent trade off in my opinion...
Anyway, umm last note, you could hae posted a more recent piece of art, as it has evolved a bit...
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
Nah. CAD rules because its funny. In the same way that seeing a piano fall on a cartoon mouse is hilarious, it doesnt mean we all go around dropping pianos on small rodents.
I havent played a game for about 3 years, but I still love it.
You'll also find that by reading a couple of comics which have one off jokes, you gradually build up a knowledge of the basic gaming world, which does help add a new dimension to the comics you've already read.
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
heh, i like it alot, but i am a hardcore gamer, although, i introduced a female friend of mine to it, who has never played a console or pc game, and she enjoys almost as much as me, so i think its appeal is broader than you think.
it def has most broad appeal than pa. ;)
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
I don't understand why you have to be a "hardcore gamer" to understand the humor in this comic. This comic is a lot funnier than you give it credit. I've been reading for about 6 months now and it just keeps getting better. I hope you come to senses and realize this isn't just a comic for gamers, but something that anyone not living under a rock can enjoy.
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
This comic got me into video games, but I understood everything they were talking about before it did... It's not rocket science. Find out for yourself what Radeon 9700 is if you really HAVE to know what it is and can't just find humour in their sarcasm and killing sprees. How hard can it be to figure out what it does? Google it.
Quit being so harsh, it's really not that hardcore. Hardly a coded mass waiting to devour unsuspecting websurfers. Have you seen how many people love this comic? Tim does a great job; people like the comic not only for Ethan and his dumbness, but because Tim seems to make his work personal. He has an awesome amount of talent for this, he should keep it up, improve upon certain critics’ cynicisms *squinty evil eye* -.- and *annoyed evil eye* >.< Good luck!
Later days.
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
I agree with you. I play computer games incredibly sporadically (I don't even have any on my main computer, and don't own any consoles) yet I think this is the best web comic I've read. It's hilarious for parodying computer gamers, but the computer gamer as a stereotype is well-defined enough for non-gamers to find the comic funny. Okay, so the game-specific comics are less appealing to me sometimes, but the graphics are still great.
So I agree with some points of the original review as well, but agree completely with this reviewer :)
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
Hey, thought I'd put my 2 cents in.
I'm not a "hardcore gamer". I play Savage and Starcraft, with a little Diablo, but thats about it.
still, I get most of the jokes in this comic. even for the ones I don't get, the situation that the characters in this strip are in is always funny. I also don't know anything about computer hardware, like that chip you mention, but that is posted in Buckley's message log, not on the comic, so it really doesnt affect me much. The message log is good for everyone, though, because there are all sorts of links to new games, demos, and gaming-related news. I would never have heard of savage if it wasnt for this strip (and the savage comics were great). all in all, I find CTRL+ALT+DEL to be a well-drawn, wickedly funny comic... you were kinda harsh on him.
-Andrew Schiraldi
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
I have been reading CAD for over 4 months now. They are the best thing since slided-bread. I your reviews sounds more like a report as to what Tim can do to get more viewers. I think that Tim is very happy with his current viewer count as he gets OVER 30,000 viewers a day. You say in the review that only Hardcore gamers will understand the commic and enjoy it, which may be true, but you make it sound like a bad thing, which it is not. See there are probebly millions of hardcore gamers in the world, they are LAN parties that thousands of people go to all across the world, and there are even the gaming Finals where the best gamers compete against eachother to see who is the best gamer. Tim is going a great job with his comming and I believe he should keep it up. as a read I enjoy the random strips once in a while and Tim usually goes back to the main story before it is to late. He might not be original as a running a web commic, but he strips are the funniest I have seen, nothing else got me to sit down for 3 hours and read his archive, I tried this at other places and was only able to handle about 20-40 mins before I was bored off my ass reading about stick figures random talking to eachother.
Keep up the good work Tim.
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
I'm just gonna go ahead and flat out disagree with you here. First of all, your only references to confusion and missed jokes in this webcomic come from its early days. It has gotten much better sinse then. The fact is, like any good webcomic, this one has gotten better and better through time. I'd also like to point out that absolutely all comics will have "inside jokes," that people without frames of reference will miss. That's just the way it is. But the fact is, you've blown the importance of getting these occasional, esoteric jokes entirely out of proportion. Ctrlaltdel does an outstanding job of staying fresh and not lingering on jokes that aren't related directly to the storyline.
Sure, I'll admit, in order to find this comic amusing, you have to have some backround in gaming, but saying that only "hardcore" gamers will find it amusing is a gross overstatement that really fails to give credit to this webcomic's broad readership. With just a basic knowledge of Mario or what an X-box is, you can be totally entertained by this comic for hours on end. This is due to the reliance on plot driven humor, rather than on cultural humor. And with this style, this comic will stay fresh and continue to entertain it's gigantic readership for years to come.
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
ok, i have a few things to say.... one, yes tim is a phenomenal artist as shown by his artist page... but this i s a comic stip.... it doesn't need to have fantastic artwork with deep camera angles to be funny and look nice...the screenshots you have as an exapmle aren't even the best work in the archives...
two, on the subject of secret knowledge CAD does not solely rely on this as it's source of comedy and even in the strips that focous on things a less than avid gamer might not understand, the punchline is still funny....and even if it was only based on secret knowledge and with out such no one would find the comic funny as you said this is a GAMING comic.. it is a subgenre... there is no lack of comics that are not gaming related.
i have found myself crying i was laughing so hard at some of the strips... the one where ethan is wrapped in duct tape for example.... all in all i think this comic is great it may not be for everyone but nothing really is....
Tim keep up the awesome work...
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
CAD is one of the best comics around, i have spent countless hours combing the net for something to fill my daize between his new strips, and there is nothing else quite as effective to make me get off my ass and go to work. i cant see why you would choose his older art work for your screenshots, absath's work has progressed to be amazing. I have started gaming a hell of a lot now, but i never used to be a "hardcore gamer" and i loved this comic straight away. This comic is not made for the masses but it has characters that almost come to life, which you dont come across everyday.
the bottom line is... dont sell it short, this is a great comic and i will own anyone in the head with my gamecube controller who says otherwise.
Bob.Monkey
(well actually the bottom line is...)
HAPPY WINTER-EEN-MAS EVERONE!!!
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
I also disagree with this article. My sister, who has rarely ever played videogames in her life, understood around 75% of the jokes, and she thought they were very funny. I think this article doesn't really give Ctrl+Alt+Del enough credit. They were rated the best site on Top Web Comics for, like, six months, but then they dropped out of TWC so somebody else would have a chance at the top. C+A+D, I salute you!
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
ok well if you didnt think this comic appealed to a large group of people, then it got almost everyone in the small group, because you have had so many posts since I read the review, there were like 5 more replys by the time I finished reading, I think Tim has a huge fanbase, this can be seen by the donations he recieved this month when he mentioned the costs of his moving to his fans. He has some espically dedicated fans, and I think that this should be noted, since you only commented on who this comic would and would not appeal to NOT who it actually has appealed to since it started. I would like to say that Tim draws a great comic, and that your review of the comic was rather harsh. About the special knowledge thing, did you read the archives, not once did you mention |337, which would really confuse the general public.
my ranting is over, in sum, your review, not completely objective, Tim, Great comic, Keep it up
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
Yes, I would be what you would call a semi-hardcore gamer. I also do know a good deal about computers, but those two facts aren't what draw me back to CAD day after day. In fact the tech/game content of the strip isn't even that "hardcore." You don't have to know anything about the Xbox to know that making it into a sarcastic robot is funny. The tech/game situations are only a means in which Buckley can place his characters into comical situations. In the example given above about the Radeon 9700, the humor in the strip is not totally about whether the graphics card is bad or good, its the fact that Ethan, in all of his singular-visioned wise-ness, set it ablaze while it was still in the box. The strip makes you want to see what kind of insane antics Ethan will get into next (I mean who would create a Holiday besides him?) and how Lucas will try to reason with him only to fail. The strip is in many ways like my own life.
As for the art, it is relatively simple but that is a positive thing. With many cartoons today being drawn in the all-to-artsy Anime form, it is nice to get back to the basics. If it was drawn differently, I probably wouldn't read it.
So, you don't have to be a gaming god to like CAD. Its the interactions and situations of the characters that make it funny and graspable by all. Keep up the fantastic work Tim!
- Keith Shetler
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
I have to disagree along with everyone else. I know multiple people who do not play any video games, but still enjoy the comic.
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
okay... I am a danish reader of the CAD comic... I started reading it 3-4 month ago. The comic just cought me with one very hilarious comic... i just HAD to read the archives and have followed the comic since... I don't se my self as a hardcore gamer. i play games, on pc and PSone but that does not include all the insider knowlegde about new X-box games and the like.. Most of the strips everyone can understand... the one you linked to with dial-up, all your readers should understand that strip..
Conclusion: CAD is the most funniest comic i ever read... (and i have read many) The storyline and characters evolve and grow... to make it more funny. my advice: READ IT !!!
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
Okay, I am a hardcore gamer. However, I don't play, or even have seen many of the games mentioned in CAD, like AC2, Everquest or any from the Star Wars series.
If you read it a bit more toroughly, you will notice that it does not center in video games, but in two characters who are addicted to them.
Big difference? The characters may grow, evolve and develop... the games will not.
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
I have to disagree with you,
I do not see myself (or any of my friends) as hardcore gamers. In fact, most people to whom I've recommended this commic aren't gamers at all. And quite a few don't know anything about computerhardware and/or just consoles.
Guess what... They all find this comic hillarious!
And I think this comic just is the best one that's out there on the internet :)
Conclusion: You are totally wrong :)
That was my opinion :)
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
I am barely a gamer (I hardly play games on any platform or device at all anymore) yet I am an avid follower of CAD and have fallen in love with the humor. The comment that it would only appeal to gamers has to come from someone who is so jaded by doing these reviews that they have lost sight of humor or someone who thinks because they are not a gamer and "don't get it" that only gamers do. These are not necessarily critical comments of Matt, but for those of you reading this review, just keep it in mind.
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
I'm not a gamer of any sorts and do not claim to be. I still LOVE ctrl+alt+del.
Also, why'd you use the old art style?
Re: Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley, reviewed by Matt Trepal
Ohh also, Ctrl+Alt+Del (the series of keystrokes), reboots more than just Windows machines, or atleast most Linux distros I've tried have it also, and I believe old Dos did too... meaning it probley originated with Unix...
And also:"As a non-hardcore gamer from way back (my family had a Pong system, and I remember the Atari 2600/Intellivision/Colecovision feuds), I recognize the appeal of gamer-specific humor" - It sounds like your trying to make yourself sound less Bias here... you failed, as you show that you do indeed have little interest in video games at all...
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