If you've ever been in an online game, you've probably watched two barely literate guys duke it out using the chat functions. The typical lame insults are usually thrown around. One guy is a pussy. One guy's mother is a whore. It's basically a nerds' table slap fight moved from the high school cafeteria to the Internet.
If you've seen that, then
Little Gamers will seem familiar. The strip often reads like one of those geek battles, complete with the requisite "STFUs", "LOLs", missing punctuation and the teenage comedy law that it's funny (for some reason) when
someone or
something is
gay.
The creators, Christian Fundin and Pontus Madsen, have a habit of using their site to vent and to rally their Internet troops. The current news post singles out someone who has imitated their art style for fanboy malevolence. "Please flame this idiot .. if you have nothing better to do that is :)", Madsen writes. There have been other targets in the past, and the strips, too, have sometimes had
similar goals.
Other strips feature humor in the "dude" sub-genre. As in:
Dude, I'm addicted to this game.
Dude, he totally killed that guy. Dude, ninjas are sweet. Games figure heavily, of course, but the jokes are timeless "dude" jokes.
The art is done in an
extremely basic rounded style with solid lines and no shading or midtones, except in rare color strips. A curved line marks the only difference between the characters Marcus and Madsen. With their bowling ball heads and dot eyes, the character designs are almost identical to
PlayMobil figures, which is why it's a bit ironic that Fundin and Madsen defend their style so vehemently.
The "cute" character designs and the name,
Little Gamers -- which sounds sappy for a strip that involves regular bouts of violence -- are probably meant to be sarcastic. Put together with the frequent use of IRC and forum expressions like "wtf", "fsck", "pron", etc, though, the total style gives the strip a slapdash, half-hearted feel, like a one line forum post with no capital letters and three actual English words.
Not coincidentally, the strip
has been parodied just as often as it's been
imitated. The typical target of the parodies is the art, which is a bit unfair. The writing ought to be mocked a bit, too.
Somehow, though, this combination of mostly bad elements turns out to be just right. It may be that the strip is so lo-fi that it brushes anarchic appeal. Like a punk song, the lack of polish may be the point. They're sending a message, and it's not a love note. Teenage boys eat this stuff up like Pac-Man on Tic Tacs. If links and mention are any indication, Fundin and Madsen have a huge fan base. They've struck a nerve, and God help us.
When a strip is published as an insult, as a forum flame, every criticism you can level against it crumbles in your hands. The only applicable measure of its quality is the way that it affects its audience, and, by that standard,
Little Gamers is a roaring success. If you spend your nights playing games and insulting your friends, you'll probably love this webcomic... unless you've had your fill of slap fights.
Michael Whitney is a staff contributor for the Comixpedia. 
Comments
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
Reading your review and the many comments that disagree with your apparently, low opinion on 'Little Gamers', I have to agree with the comments. The artwork is simple. So what? I (and many others) find it amusing that the characters are so plain yet are able to convey so many expressions. There are spelling errors, but if you've flipped through the archives, you'll have noticed that there are several frames that acknowledge that AND they're not afraid to make fun of themselves. Besides, they're not American, Canadian, or of any other country that holds English as a national language. They're Swedish, and I must say that their knowledge of English has improved greatly.
If I were to comment on all the items mentioned in your review, then this comment wouldn't so much as a comment than a speech.
Anyway. I do realise that this is your personal opinion, but for hell's sake, keep it to yourself.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
How many other awesome webcomics have adorable ninjas and poking sticks? This is one webcomic that pretty much ANYONE can understand and enjoy. You complain about the lack of punctuation or wrong spellings?
THEY'RE NOT AMERICAN.
And this makes them even better. I nearly DIED watching them attack President Bush, (soo funny), and you know what? They really ARE cute, which is one reason they get away with what they do.
If you think they're "slap fights" are bad, I'd hate to see you analyze the rest of the internet. You must not get online very much, or read Penny Arcade, as most of THEIR comics/news posts are ALSO flames and insults. At least these insults don't take hours of reading to understand.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
I enjoy reading Little Gamers as it's a very basic comic that doesn't require too much reading to understand, and when you do have to read something it's usually somewhat humerous in nature. However, that being said, sometimes the storyline can get rather redundant, with the same ninja jokes and poking stick jokes being rehashed like a bad Bugs Bunny cartoon.
I will admit that they're 2003 Christmas Comic cracked me up to no end, however. =)
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
The last couple reviews I've read here seem to tear down the strips being reviewed. Perhaps I have to look harder but what do you see as the "perfect" comic? You bash the readers that enjoy the strip with comments like
"If links and mention are any indication, Fundin and Madsen have a huge fan base. They've struck a nerve, and God help us."
Perhaps you write reviews in such a manner to try to ruffle feathers, but as I see it..You put down perfectly good comics. These comics mock real life and you mock them for it. Would the perfect comic then be a photographic comic (because the artwork captures true to life images..) with news reports cut-n-pasted from CNN? Typos, and these "nerd slap fights" are what make the strips enjoyable because they take reality and exagerate it. I'm sorry, but I've always thought that was the point of a comic.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
I just though I'd point out at the cost of sounding nerdy (ah well this is anonomous anyway) that fsck was derived from a unix function.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
I find this article really quite insulting. I have been reading little-gamers since they were on Gamespy.
I am an avid gamer and a serious programmer (As in I am employeed in a soft-dev job). I have never said "stfu" or "lol". Its easier to say it in plain english. However this does not stop me from enjoying the comic. I enjoy the way they take the piss out of the Americans, I like the simple art, I like everything about the comic and the artists. If you had the effort to read through all comics you might be able to appreciate the humour a bit more.
One thing I must say however is that they are right about one thing. To be different and original is a good thing. Thats what they are (Pontis and Madsen) and the comic is great.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
To the author:
Have you *really* read more than 10 strips of this comic?
How can you be a writer here when you cannot understand humor like this?
It is a bit sad...
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
An american reviews a comic strip made by two europeans who are (like pretty much everybody who has some kind of basic intelligence) against the Bush administration and its cronies, and guess what? He doesn't like it. Now why does that not surprise me?
Nidhøgg,
European and thankful for it
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
Maby if you took the time to read the comic, without having to think about being critial about it. Try reading it when you get home from work, when you're not in "work mode". Then maby you'll have loosened up a bit, and you'll be able to see the humor in the comic. As for poking fun at the Bush administration, everyone pokes fun at it. I'm a Canadian, and I poke fun at it. Give the internet community some slack, they're just like everyone one else through that computer screen. Real people, with hobbies, in this case, making webcomics to give some people a laugh.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
fsck is a unix function.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
I (a european guy, so sue me) really adore there comic. I mean.. "lvl 18 and legal" that is like... so funny it hurts. Sure, some of their comics aren't as good as the others, but hey give em a break.
About the simple characters, that is absolutely what makes the comic (and the T-shirts!) so great. The whole idea that the art of a webcomic has to be badass is absolutely wrong. I don't read PA for the art (hell i don't actually read it for the comics either, the rants are where it's at) but for the humor. And if you are able to be funny without all the uber-art, then you should be commended.
Anyways, of course i'll keep on reading their comics and buying their Tshirts. I guess that's just the beauty of difference in opinions right.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
i'm american and i love this comic. so don't go stereotyping all americans. not all of us are 8 years old and think we own the world.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
Ok great,
another guy that thinks he is God or something?
I have been reading this strip for over a year now and had some VERY good laughs with it.
Especially because they are soo sarcastic about the L337 language but you don't seem to understand.
Now you think that i am popably a no brainer because i enjoy this game, then you are wrong.
I just enjoy all kinds of humor. I love the more difficult kind, but i also enjoy the easy humor.
Is that wrong???
Am I not good enough for you then because youuuu made a reeeevieeeew??
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
Wow - if this was gamer/gaming cliché bingo then Mr Whitney would have a full house. I have to say that I found the tone of this article was very disappointing - it manages to be both condescending and rude.
As others have pointed out, Pontin & Madsen's first language isn't English - so the reviewer has little room to criticise unless he could do equally well speaking in Swedish.
The strip IS a slap-fight - that's part of what makes it funny. It's supposed to be a slap-fight. I have to wonder when reading this review, has the reviewer never heard of "exaggeration for comic effect"?
Looking at the bottom left of the screen I see a little message "Welcome Guest, become a member today!". I have to say this review has thoroughly put me off.
-AGNF
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
First let me say thankyou to the author of this article. I read it and had a good laugh.
I, personaly, am a huge LG fan. I frequent thier forums and I check the website almost everyday for updates. I`m still unsure wether I should be insulted or laugh at being part of thier Internet troops. I do feel a bit of pitty for you, that you can`t see the underlying humor in this comic. (I take it someone got sent to scout camp insted of getting a game machine for thier birthday.) And despite what you may think, most of the people in the forums are NOT teenage boys. I am 23, and lead a life that doesn`t revolve around games. There are many girls that frequent the forums as well.
As for when people STEAL Mr. Madsen and Christians` work, see Ohmygods and a fan made spin off, he, as most people would, gets annoyed. If someone was to steal your works, I personaly can`t see why someone would want to, you would be pretty upset your self.
As a side note, I am an American. I`m studying in Japan, and I find that the world views expressed in LG are usualy on target and quite humorus at the same time. The only time I laugh harder about politics is when I watch The Daily Show.
Thank you for your time, and thank you for publishing such amusing tripe.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
Dude! This Rocks! He nailed it, Little Gamers suck, I stole the art from Playmobil (actually it was bomberman/hello kitty) and Pontus can't spell... oh wait, i guess he can't spell, ignore that i the frame of sarcasm. Nice to see that 2 of the 3 "parodies" were actually tribute-comics. And actually i didn't find this review offensive in any way, except the fact that Mr. Whitney is insinuating that i can't draw (or spell), and i stole the design from Playmobil. And the combination of "bad" elements — which seems to refer to grammatically incorrect english (also known to the world as "american language) and "extremely basic" artwork (which could be interpereted as the more complex your art is, the better is is, Mondrian must be a fucking wanker in the eyes of Mr Whitney") concludes that Mr. Whitney bases the review on personal opinions and lack of humor rather than objective journalism that somehow i get the feeling reviews are supposed to be written in. In any case, this comic is de facto popular and this mans review won't change that, ever.
And i almost forgot.
Your father is a hamster and your mother smells like elderberry...
/Christian Fundin (yes the real one)
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
Ok, first of all, this comic is the most original comic out there. Comics that steal sprites are the lamest thing ever. Seriously, get off their backs. I really like how this comic breaks out of the mold. I have NOTHING against Ctrl-alt-del or Penny Arcade, but they use the typical webcomic style. Madsen/Fundin's decision to make the comic entirely black and white (cept for the occasional x-mas edition) is awesome. They update almost daily, and NO other comic does that. PA/CAD spend a lot of time making the comic LOOK good, so sometimes the jokes are lame. LG minimized the artistic time to make it, and maximized the amount of comics/humor.
- Pyralis
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
From the looks of it you seem to be basing your latest reviews on some sort of non-existant "perfect comic" as one poster refered to it already. Exactly how are you reviewing it as opposed to just saying you don't like it, there's a difference you know. If you're reviewing a gaming comic shouldn't you be basing your opinion by those standards. Complaining on the over-usage of netspeak might be fine for some comics but when you're reviewing a comic aimed at that group I don't see where this becomes a problem. As for the netspeak, well forgive me for saying so but I didn't know there was an "x" in comics.
Looks to me you've joined the group that seems to think that not liking popular things is cool and makes you smarter or wiser than the rest for that reason alone. Again, as another poster already said, you need to start looking at these comics while out of "working mode" and try reviewing them based on the genre of the comic.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
hmmm. i don' think anyone has ever thought that Little gamers art is anything but quite simple and basic. I'm pretty hesitant to let you in on this secret but.... It is SUPPOSED to be simple and basic. Simplicity is generally a good thing, if you hadn't noticed. A good example of why is look at LG, then look at several hundred comics on Keenspace that are inconsistently, poorly drawn, and just about never funny (for the ones trying to be) or interesting. The fact that there is only a single element to the characters to differentiate them shouldn't be an issue when you consider that in Megatokyo, for example, it's not always clear which girl Piro is talking to at the moment due to Fred Gallagher's style of art. That man is good but like most manga artists, there's times when all the characters look the same.
in summation.. it's nice to see that the art of reviewing a product without actually paying much attention to it is alive and well in sectors other than movies and music.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
'fsck joo lamer!'
Or more to the point, what makes you the only person not able to see (and love) the charm of Little Gamers? At some point (in the matter of sheer number of fans) you simply have to declare ANY comic strip a stroke of genius, and for the sake of LG, this point has been long passed.
We don't care if you don't like or understand it, because we love it.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
It sounds like you attack something you've never been a part of, but have only watched from afar. If you have ever been "geek-like", or used these terms ( i.e. stfu, lol, rofl) in real life conversation. Some of us do, some of us don't. Mind you, I also say things like holla, shizzle my nizzle, and various other terms, which in my opinion are no different than stfu, lol, rofl.
Honestly, those acronyms are a flagship for this culture, and Little-Gamers uses them damn effectively, and accurately in their application towards conversation. Hah, and it also saves on typing space.
But you attack the culture, or nature of this comic, without what it seems any experience with these people or their way of life...The acronyms you seem to hate are the same as ebonics...they're just a flagship.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
Now really. I am an intelligent human being. When I first read the comic, I was a bit put-off by the black and white line drawings. I mean, when you can look at full-color comics just as easily, why bother? But look back to their archives. How many artists can make such a wide array of facial expressions and/or feelings on a character that only has BLACK DOTS AS EYES? Their simplistic style is a nice break from the norm.
If you wish to bash them for their gamer-style language and attitude, then, fine. I actually like it. Some may not. But do not bash them for their artistic style. It is simplistic. Would you say someone whose house is styled that way, simplitstic, who does not have much furniture or any paintings or rugs is not a person worth knowing? This is the same thing. Take time out and really look at this comic. Get to know it. Because it is great.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
I once did a webcomic that a formula that was very similar to the one used in Little Gamers (before I had ever heard of LG) - two guys who play 'net games constantly, and therefore, use an obnoxious amount of 133t speak.
Now, I don't know if this is the case, but did you even take into consideration that the authors have their characters use 1337-speak not because that is how they speak themselves, but to mock the people who do? That is what I was doing in my strip - the characters would say things like, "sux0rz! I pk0rz j00!" when I never say such things, but rather enjoy making fun of those who do (and who do so seriously).
Perhaps if you took a little more time to try and understand the point of the comic, your opinion might have been a little different.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
HAHAH! Mike, you hit the bullseye with this one. That anyone would have to read up to 10 of these comics to come to the conclusion that LG is terrible boggles my mind. LG is a pathetic comic, and I am baffled as to how it has gotten the fan support that it has. Reading this comic is comparable to putting your brain into a blender, then pouring the mush back into your head, and using that to think with. What's so different or unique about this comic? That it bashes Americans? Guess what: it does it poorly, and frankly, the best bashers of Americans are Americans, and they don't have to stoop to the intellectual vapidity that this comic does. Maybe it's the drawing style that makes it different and unique? Well, if drawing characters that look like LEGO figurines somehow qualifies this as art, then I guess any kind of stupid squiggle on a piece of paper falls under that category. How about the "witty" repartee that goes on between the two characters? I had absolutely no idea that consistently misspelled English and leetspeak somehow qualified as being even remotely intelligent. Face it, LG sucks: it's the comic equivalent of a cross between "Dude, Where's My Car" and "Gigli." By implication, the creators suck as well (most especially Mr. Madsen, who is nothing but an internet bully). And Mike, don't let these bellyaching losers get to you (especially the Europeans - I had no idea you guys had such thin skins): they are too blind to see how bad this comic truly is.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
wow, i had no idea that there were so many angry LG fans. one thing i've noticed about you all is how unbelievably intolerant you are of other people's opinions. most of you guys are just launching ad hominem attacks on the writer of the article, and the rest you castigate him for not liking the comic because of whatever reason. this guy didn't like LG, and he didn't like it a lot, and he provided many reasons for why he didn't. he explained himself - a lot more than many of you replying here have done. and wtf is all this stuff about bush appearing here for? where did the writer even mention politics? maybe you guys are just reflecting your own political prejudices here, and impressing them on the article? and since when does the writer have to be european in order to criticize a webcomic made by europeans? that kind of reasoning sounds pretty racist to me. you guys really need to learn to tolerate other people's opinions - not everyone is going to like LG, and some may have reason to dislike it a lot. deal with it - that's what comes with the idea of freedom of speech (look it up sometime; most of you posting here need a refresher on it). and most surprising are the europeans, who don't want to seem to tolerate any kind of dissent at all - after looking at your responses, i'm beginning to understand why the nazis originated in europe, instead of elsewhere.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
So that's a 27-1 ratio on good comments to bad.
pwned!!1!one!!1
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
It looks like you skimmed all of 10 strips that they've done.
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
Well, I think we've heard both sides of the story here.
Side 1:
This comic is horrible. Not one person should read it unless they're a complete nerd who has no time on their hands and makes fun of everything around him. It deserves nothing for being on the internet but a swift kick in the ass and shutting the door on their faces. It built a huge fanbase on huge dumbass jokes that have no quality whatsoever. The artists spend no time on their work, and just steal it from ideas that someone else already had. They're annoying, stupid, loud people and should have never tried to start this comic
Side 2:
This comic is brillant! It keeps you intrested and wanting to read more. Some of the strips attack social issues, and you're just picking on the writers and how they think. They dont spend a lot of time writing the comic, and even base it on their own experences, and that is truly what makes it good! The art is basic, but thats what makes the comic funny! (More Stuff Here..)
For some reason, you feel it is painful to read through a comic that has been around for a couple of years now, and didnt even give it a chance. As soon as you seen the art you went "Oh..This Sucks.."..But if you actually think about the content of the comic, it relates perfectly to a specific group of people. Gamers. They're not targeting cynical comic reviewers who just have to tear apart the comic and find out whats wrong with it, or someone who needs to find somthing tasteful to read. Its targeting gamers. Funden and Madsen didn't build this comic to have someone tear it apart and nitpick it. They built it to have a little fun on the side of they're "Normal" lives. I know I dont devote my life to reviewing games, but its a fun thing to do on the side when you have nothing better to do. As I said earlier, I'm a gamer, and I find this comic quite funny when it comes to gaming. So why do people say "Wow..This comic sucks..Just wise up everyone", or "Wow..this comic rules..why dont you like it?"
Everyone is entitled to their opinion..of course..but why put down others? No Reason? To Try To Make Yourself Look Good? I find Mr. Whitney's article to be very well written, and he states his opinion well. But before you just look at someones review and swear by their opinion, reguardless of whor or what it is, why dont you experence little gamers for yourself?
Http://www.little-gamers.com
Then you can form your OWN opinion on it..Then read the opinions.
Dont take sides until you've heard their opinions
But Anyway, To Summerize
Side #1: This Comic Sucks
Side #2: Fuck You
--Ronin F
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
Isn't there a rule which states that once one side equates the other with the Nazis, the flame war is officially declared pointless, and subsequently ended before any real damage is done?
Re: Little Gamers by Fundin and Madsen, reviewed by Michael Whit
Apparently, your article didn't hit the road with this audience, Mike... but don't feel sad, because:
I'm sure that Madsen&Christian would agree with me on this one ;)
Peace out,
SentiNel.
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