.Jpg Brains

It’s an industry that was an avenue that no one ever really thought of until a couple of guys decided to make a comic and put it up on the internet. It was a hobby of theirs; they didn’t expect it to go anywhere. These guys were fresh out of high school, and didn’t have many interests other than that of video games.

A simple .jpg, not much more that 150 kilobytes, and they’ve made a career. It’s something I wish I could have. But ambition of such a career, I’ve concluded, is futile. These guys fell into it by accident, which they’ve chronicled in their books. It’s all a very interesting story, but I won’t go into that today.

I’ve been studying the psychology of the internet for the past couple of years, and these guys are on to something. The guys over at Penny-Arcade.com have distilled the internet into it’s purest forms and regurgitated it for the public. That’s what has made it catch like wild fire. By that, I of course mean the insane attempts by everyone, including me, to try and break into the business, the joy it brings so many people, and above all, how much their comics affect the gaming industry.

The internet comes down to just a couple things:
1) Immaturity. I’ve seen these guys get serious on their series of PATV. I know what they are capable of doing. But they’ve chosen to infatuate their comics with immaturity, which appeals to a huge audience. From 12 year olds all the way to 40 year olds. They make something everyone can have fun with.

2) Stay Current. I would think it’s hard for these guys. They are busy 24/7, but some how they stay on top of the industry and what’s going on in the world. Not only that, but they manage to stay current on their user interests. They make sure people actually like what they are going and talking about.

3) Keep it Simple. One of the biggest things that makes things for viral on the internet is its portability. The short it is, the better. The more music (therefore less need for thought) the better. By keeping their comic to strict a 3-panel system, they keep it short and sweet. After 11 years, they’ve figured out how to keep all of their information condensed enough.

It’s as simple as that, it takes a lot to figure out how to manage all of those elements at once. I’m not sure how they do it, but god bless them…