Slashdot Mirror
Penny Arcade Holiday Strip Series #5
Today we run the final strip in the Penny Arcade Christmas series "The Last Christmas". As a last strip, it is preceded by others. Strips 1, 2, 3, and 4, to be precise. Many thanks to Gabe and Tycho for allowing us to share in their Holiday fhtagn.
Regardless, another self-indulgent mediocre offering that continues to get in the way of Gabe and Tycho talking about video games, per their mandate.
Thank you... It's amazing in this season which they admit is so full of gaming opportunities, that they could waste so much time and talent on a topic that interests no one. The post sums it all up-- the fact that they could consider the project a success does not hinge on whether their audience enjoys it or not. Regardless of the bull they spout about doing this for fun AND/OR not caring about whether the fans enjoy their work, any publication requires its fans to enjoy the work. To say otherwise is simply posturing...
It would seem like the Cthulhu series supports their contention that they do this for their own reasons. As you stated, no one really thought it was interesting and there was better material available. If that trend continues, the readers go away and they have to get real jobs. It would seem like that would be enough incentive to avoid posting things like the Cthulhu series, but they do it anyway and thus appear consistent with their stated motivation.
For me, it's the quality of their other material that keeps me reading when they do boring continuity bits like this. If I wanted Cthulhu skits, I'd go to Userfriendly. From a cynical perspective, perhaps this means that they do the normal material to keep the money rolling in, and every once in a while they do the bizarre/lame projects like Cthulhu's Christmas or Twisp and Catsby to keep themselves interested. For another possible instance of this, see Ctrl-Alt-Del's Chef Brian.