I loved the punchline. Perfect.

Grey Carter:

Optimystic:
Shouldn't the tombstone read "Eric Arthur Blair?"

Ahem.

Yes, we know.

Hey, I did disclaim my pedantry =P

I think you should have made the score from Orwell spinning in his grave '1984'.

Grey Carter:

manythings:
It took me a second to get the last panel because I was trying to see the Skateboarder but now I realise how dumb that was.

OT: Wasn't the exact same plot of a game a while back but you were a rollerskating graffiti artist or some similar bullshit?

You're thinking of Marc Ecko's: Getting up, I believe. I think. It was similar yes but that was more about Graffiti, which has a much more credible link to revolution/dissent than skateboarding. It was nicely written too but even so it had a lot of product sponsorship which seemed at odds with the game's message. I'd certainly recomend it though.

The fact that Ecko himself is a raging goddamn assbox didn't help matters.

Either that or Jet Set (Grind) Radio. But those games were awesome, so it's alright.

Buzinga!

Awesome punch line.

I just keep thinking "Jet Set Radio Future!" but the rouges work for the fast food industry. It just dosent seem right... and now I want to play "Jet Set Radio" agen, that was a fun game.

VanQQisH:
This is the first of your comics that I actually didn't get. Can someone fill me in on the reference so I can go and enlighten myself?

The joke is that the game is completely missing the point of the book 1984, about a dystopian, repressive police state, and the author, George Orwell, is spinning in his grave. (Blimey that was a lot of commas.)

I never really got 1984...growing up in London it always felt more like a biography than a work of fiction...

The Irony, that I'm sure most people have picked up, is that, that is a VERY interesting dilemma. which IS worse? the police state that offers you no freedom and directly controls you; or the idealized capitalist state, where the people are indirectly mind-controlled through mass-media and turned into ever-consuming slaves living under the illusion of freedom?
If this topic is presented in a thought-provoking and satirical way...that game could basically spearhead the "games are an art" debate.
Instead we get this consumerist trash that, admittedly, proves one half of the dilemma, but lacks the IQ to see the whole.

Therumancer:
stuff

The point about 1984 was that it was a self perpetuating system, and Big Brother (or Dear Leader) only needed to exist in concept -- I think it was said that the Trotsky stand-in was dead and was just being used as a focus for hatred (the idea being that the state had co-opted these strong natural emotions for their own ends by replacing the devil with a dissident and God with the state figurehead). Its a Marxist idea that systems are more important than individuals as evidence by the flat refusal of Putin and the like to take responsibility for any actions committed in the Soviet Union. It is clearly a dystopia, the people he describes in the book are not happy, they are living in a state of constant denial of their sexual desires (i.e. his wife), of even small freedoms (such as making a reference to God), and their children are being indoctrinated to reject them and report on them. There is no friendship as you can not trust anyone. The people aren't happy but they trust in their Government the same way the religious believe in God as a protector from the enemy outside and the enemy within. Its a lot like how the people in North Korea aren't happy but they are indoctrinated to believe that everywhere outside of North Korea is worse/evil/corrupt and although life is hard it would be much worse without their Dear Leader.

If you want to talk about a dystopia where the people are happy the Utilitarian 'Brave New World' is much nearer the mark and I believe most people would actually not mind living in that society today and we are probably on the way there as many of the things described in the novel (complete focus on the material, genetic engineering, a permissive sexual society where romantic attachment is considered clingy, complete indifference toward the spiritual or religious, intellectual poverty for the masses, extreme specialisation, rejection of history). It is the ultimate consumer culture where the people are engineered both physically and psychologically for a specific purpose and to have specific material needs and for those needs to be met -- rather like if the entire world were run by some kind've giant all encompassing supermarket chain.

manythings:
OT: Wasn't the exact same plot of a game a while back but you were a rollerskating graffiti artist or some similar bullshit?

See also: Jet Grind Radio or Jet Set Radio.

And it was awesome.

Hhmmm, not so much ninja'd as forgot to read a page of comments...

Move along, nothing to see here.

GrizzlerBorno:
The Irony, that I'm sure most people have picked up, is that, that is a VERY interesting dilemma. which IS worse? the police state that offers you no freedom and directly controls you; or the idealized capitalist state, where the people are indirectly mind-controlled through mass-media and turned into ever-consuming slaves living under the illusion of freedom?
If this topic is presented in a thought-provoking and satirical way...that game could basically spearhead the "games are an art" debate.
Instead we get this consumerist trash that, admittedly, proves one half of the dilemma, but lacks the IQ to see the whole.

I didn't pick that up. That's an interesting way of viewing this game.

I can safely say that "1984" by George Orwell was one of the few things that managed to shake me down to my very Core ...but what the Fuck does it have to do with Tony Hawk O.o!?

Also... this Game-idea miss Stout is spinning bears a striking resemblance to Mirror's Edge.
Copy-Right Much?

Can somebody please give this guy a medal

Grey Carter:
You're thinking of Marc Ecko's: Getting up, I believe. I think. It was similar yes but that was more about Graffiti, which has a much more credible link to revolution/dissent than skateboarding

am I cool yet?

This comic is starting to grow on me.

Kevvers:

Therumancer:
stuff

The point about 1984 was that it was a self perpetuating system, and Big Brother (or Dear Leader) only needed to exist in concept -- I think it was said that the Trotsky stand-in was dead and was just being used as a focus for hatred (the idea being that the state had co-opted these strong natural emotions for their own ends by replacing the devil with a dissident and God with the state figurehead). Its a Marxist idea that systems are more important than individuals as evidence by the flat refusal of Putin and the like to take responsibility for any actions committed in the Soviet Union. It is clearly a dystopia, the people he describes in the book are not happy, they are living in a state of constant denial of their sexual desires (i.e. his wife), of even small freedoms (such as making a reference to God), and their children are being indoctrinated to reject them and report on them. There is no friendship as you can not trust anyone. The people aren't happy but they trust in their Government the same way the religious believe in God as a protector from the enemy outside and the enemy within. Its a lot like how the people in North Korea aren't happy but they are indoctrinated to believe that everywhere outside of North Korea is worse/evil/corrupt and although life is hard it would be much worse without their Dear Leader.

If you want to talk about a dystopia where the people are happy the Utilitarian 'Brave New World' is much nearer the mark and I believe most people would actually not mind living in that society today and we are probably on the way there as many of the things described in the novel (complete focus on the material, genetic engineering, a permissive sexual society where romantic attachment is considered clingy, complete indifference toward the spiritual or religious, intellectual poverty for the masses, extreme specialisation, rejection of history). It is the ultimate consumer culture where the people are engineered both physically and psychologically for a specific purpose and to have specific material needs and for those needs to be met -- rather like if the entire world were run by some kind've giant all encompassing supermarket chain.

Thank you. I was trying to remember what the other side of the spectrum was from 1984 and it was driving me nuts.

One topic, this comic and the game seem to have the world start in the 1984 setting and then the player turns it into the Brave New World setting. It reminds be of most of the real world revolutions. Where a group rises up against an oppressive government only to do the same or worse once they are in power.

This same comic was posted earlier as doubleplusungood, but now it's on the front site as Baconator. What is going on?

Ironically, this strip made me realize how hungry I am, and now I REEEALLY want a baconator...
free advertising at its best. :P

Latinidiot:
I tried reading 1984 again, to see why I loved it so much.

And now i remember.

Because it fucking scared me to death. Nights have gone by sleeplessly, because I feared an other big Brother might take over.

God, it has made me shit my pants more than most horror stories.

How did it scare you? The point of 1984 is that the progress of time and subservience of varying ideologies is bad, but ultimately something we can live with. That the future is bleak, but we'll take it knowing that the past wasn't so great either (the 'War' that destroyed the world).

It's a book of hope rather than fear.

PaulH:

Latinidiot:
I tried reading 1984 again, to see why I loved it so much.

And now i remember.

Because it fucking scared me to death. Nights have gone by sleeplessly, because I feared an other big Brother might take over.

God, it has made me shit my pants more than most horror stories.

How did it scare you? The point of 1984 is that the progress of time and subservience of varying ideologies is bad, but ultimately something we can live with. That the future is bleak, but we'll take it knowing that the past wasn't so great either (the 'War' that destroyed the world).

It's a book of hope rather than fear.

You know, I want to answer to that, but I have 200000 reasons spinning around in my head, and can't formulate a single one of them fittingly. So I'll get back to you.

Panel 4 is definitely in the top 5 best panels of Out of Tens Critical Miss.

do the in game adverts really say "bitch, fuck your arteries" or did you make it up for the comic?
because if it does it might just be worth playing for such kick ass hilarious ads...

ok maybe not really... poor orwell T.T

*hooks electrodes to Orwell's headstone, generates sufficient power to light up Minneapolis*

nagi:
Well, at least we now have free power in the form of an orwell-powered turbine power plant!

Dang. I FIGURED someone would beat me to that one. -:/

HA, i didn't get it the first time i read it but now i do!
also skateboards are not overpriced at all, the better quality ones are ALOT stronger
but still ,lol.