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My hopes are that everyone's Christmas went as merrily as possible. Mine went pretty well, among the notable gifts was an acoustic guitar, gift certificates to In'N'Out and Denny's, and Homer Simpson slippers (which I'm currently wearing). It was a very good Christmas indeed.
Yesterday I was informed that a picture of me had graced an article on Something Awful. The picture, which is about a third of the way down the article, shows my friend Ryan and I dressed as Gabe and Tycho from Penny Arcade for last year's Halloween. It came as quite a shock, honestly. Though I don't normally read Something Awful I am aware that its readership is rather large and extended. To have one's picture posted on such a popular site literally out of the blue is probably enough to surprise just about anyone. Unfortunately, though, the author picked the worst pic of the lot, choosing the one with the finger obscuring the upper left-hand corner. Personally, I prefer the other two.
Now I generally make it a point to read articles that make use of my charming image, which I maintain is probably a good policy for most people, so I spent some time reading what the author, Spokker Jones, had to say. Apparently he's got beef with Penny Arcade on several fronts, and he divulges those complaints in a manner that would put either of my grandmothers into a state of shock and appall. For awhile I contemplated denouncing Mr. Spokker Jones as another one of the internet's big meanie bo beanies but then I thought no, his actions warrant more than elementary school name calling. What's posted there might actually require a reply.
My initial concern is based on something entirely subjective, but I still feel that it's important. I realize fully that humor is purely a matter of opinion and taste, but I just cannot fully believe a person who refers to Penny Arcade as "monumentally unfunny". For someone in my age bracket especially, to not find at least the majority of the strips funny shows signs of being humorously deficient, or I suppose comically challenged might be more politically correct. In any case, yes it's his opinion, but I mean... c'mon.
Second up is this issue of how much the real "Gabe" and "Tycho" look like their online personas - which aside from both sets being of the classification "human male" is effectively nothing at all. It's a thought that thousands of PA fans have had over the years, but I am bewildered whenever it's presented as a formalized complaint. I don't get the impression that Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins are trying to fool me into thinking that Gabe and Tycho are accurate portrayals of their physical forms. A fairly quick examination reveals that they don't even use their real names, which quickly creates a distinction between themselves and the characters they've chosen as their representations. You're meant to think that my avatar actually looks like me, I don't think Jerry Holkins thinks the same way about Tycho.
Spokker's got some pretty strong words for Child's Play, though it does appear that his tongue is firmly lodged in his cheek during most of his banter. He does bring up an interesting point that I'd like to confront, however. Why not give these kids a chance to get outside and see the world, to get as much out of life as they can? The answer is so simple it's almost not worth typing, it's also twofold. One, because Penny Arcade is a strip dedicated to video games, their readership is predominately people that like playing video games. So what's going to get those readers riled up and ready to donate? Anything video game related, exactly - clearly, that sort of thing is PA's most effective donation material. Second, most children do not have the same mindset and outlook on life as adults. They aren't about "getting the most from life" per se, they are normally concerned with the activities that they find to be the most fun. And as a general rule, kids love video games. So giving them a means to play them is probably always going to be something that they really appreciate.
I think it's way too late to still be awake, see you all on Friday.
- Patrick
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