Day 14 - Penny Arcade

I have many people I look up too, but for art and right out "being a dork," my heart sorta belongs to Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik of Penny Arcade. Truth, I did have to google how to spell Mike's last name. I chose now to bring them up because the 18th of this month, Penny Arcade celebrated its 15th year, being founded November 18th 1998. Notably, their 15th brought out some sweet swag and Mike also redrew the original strip (below). Truth 2, I did buy the commemorative swag, and to reiterate: it is, indeed, sweet.

the first penny arcade strip

the 15th anniversary edition

Penny Arcade, for the uninitiated, is a web comic that centers around mostly gamer culture and the regular mutilation of one or more of the two main characters. The two main characters, though not at first, are loosely, and sometimes dead on, the series creators and heads, Mike and Jerry (Gabe and Tycho, respectively). Penny Arcade's subject matter and sense of humor and timing is right up my alley, ranging from crass, violent and dirty to poignant, witty and sentimental. Mike draws and does punch up, while Jerry writes and co-conceptualizes, typically churning out 3 comics a week!

I wasn't there from the beginning. I tuned in once, thought it was cool and didn't really latch on as I was afraid of sinking further into my true geek side. I'm not being cute, I really was afraid. I first heard about the site and strip during my fifth week of college, 2004, from my first room mate, Coco. Coco was solid gold, and what I like to refer to as a "gateway nerd." More on that later. It wasn't until only two years ago that I checked the site out again, but it wasn't the comic that I first latched on to. It was Penny Arcade - The Series. Even if you aren't a gamer, the series is worth a look. The PA team is involved with and has created many things that are good and amazing (PAX, Child's Play, Strip Search to name a few), but today it's all about The Series.

penny arcade the series - season 1, episode 1 - The Pilot, pt 1

The Series is a backstage look at Penny Arcade, primarily focusing on Mike and Jerry, but branching out to the other incredible members of their staff in their day-to-day and special events. Though it does have the air of stalker-ish to say, you really get to know the cast and crew of the Penny Arcade family. The Series showcases damn-near everything, from PAX footage (Penny Arcade Expo...more on that later), to office work, to specials on pranks (Pepsi, 'nuff said), the office ping-pong matches (no shit), and even weddings and family life and more. There was even an especially powerful episode that talked about Mike and Jerry's life with anxiety/depression (something that most dorks, me included, know a thing or two about), and their experience and opinions about a particular serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (Lexapro). On the real, they share their lives, both professional and private, and it's interesting and entertaining the whole way through. Like many who are fans of their work, I felt like I was given a confidence boost, even a pass to be a geek, watching the series. It was an inside scoop and sort of comfort to see brilliant, talented, good people as the spokes-folks for gamers and nerds, as it were.

penny arcade the series - season 1, episode 18 - Drugs

In no small way, they made me unafraid, even helped me become proud to be passionate about what I love. For me, and for a boat load of the world, games matter just as much as any medium. They were my escape and favorite form of story-telling growing up, and that has stuck with me now that I'm in my 28th year. I've felt every emotion through gaming, just as much as I had from books, TV and the big screen. Games matter for so many reasons that I don't need to go into now. But for some reason, they're still touted as a waste of time, and those that are passionate about them even more so. Yes, it's gotten better since I was a kid, no question, but it's only been a year or three where I can confidently take my 3DS out in a public place and receive only a small glance and harrumph from the occasional doink. Penny Arcade has become something of the pioneers for us, the gamers and geeks, creating a powerful and positive beacon on the planet for anyone who is/was/will be passionate about gaming, and being proud of who you are. For me and many others, Penny Arcade has helped us grow.

In recognition of their 15 years, I don't have much to give, but you have my thanks, and my admiration. Thank you to Mike Krahulik, Jerry Holkins, and the entire Penny Arcade family. You're doing so many wonderful things, making the world for so many so much brighter.

This is just a small, minute really, taste of PA. It's just the first thing that got me hooked. If you're interested, please check out the videos above, and follow the link below to hit their website.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/

Thank you for your time, those of you that made it this far.

Andrew