Interview: Press Start to Play

www.pressstarttoplay.net

JCM: I hear you've been bitten by a radioactive shark? I hope everything is all right between the two of you now (Adam and the shark, that is.)

ADAM: Ha, yes indeedy. Quite a seriously bad time for me, had typical timing and was something I really had to be strong to pull through. It was able to be turned around and made into something I could laugh at, so it's a little less painful to look back on those times now.

JCM: Does Robbie, the pink rabbit from Silent Hill, does he ever visit either of you in your dreams; does he have a birthday cake?

DARRYL: Once. I shot him. Thought we was the Easter Bunny. I was after his eggs.

JCM: I like the commentary on Super Mario Bros., especially the shuffle-shuffle of the goomba; how much of that is a thank you to the 8-bit adventure?

DARRYL: I guess in a small way it's kind of a tribute to the games. For me, playing Super Mario Bros. was quite possibly the most defining moment of my childhood.

ADAM: Mario was the first game I ever played, Super Mario Allstars(As it was known in the UK) to be specific. So I personally owe Mario everything in terms of what games have given me, good times, bad times -- and a bucket load of inspirations.

JCM: I read a post on DeviantArt.com: "Finally, a webcomic not from America." How does your European viewpoint different from an American's? Does this place a certain amount of responsibility upon you two?

DARRYL: Having webcomics from other countries, such as Northern Ireland, England, etc, introduces a little bit of that particular country's culture and brand of humour. I guess it's just seen as refreshing.

ADAM: I think the British, and all UKers, like to have something to brag about-- because we're damn-well entitled to that. Especially in the Webcomic world -- which is dominated by Americans -- it's nice to stand up and belt out."We're British".

JCM: How do you see this project in congruence with your other artistic endeavors? Is it a hook attached to a line, or is it the big fish?

ADAM: I see PSTP as a bit of fun, I never(and should probably not admit it) take it too seriously. I think it loses its 'whack' if you try too hard. It'll never be more to me than fun; I'd like to think it'll never feel like work or somesuch. However, if it continues to grow in popularity, it'll be the perfect launch-pad to rocket attention over to the projects I do
take seriously, and I'd really like to see PSTP fans really enjoying everything I have to offer.

DARRYL: For myself, it's quite possibly the big fish. It's probably the
only
project I've seriously believed has the potential to be something big. Something we can share with others.

JCM: Top five games?

DARRYL: Ooh, that's a toughy. I'd say my top five would have to be:

1. Perfect Dark (N64)
2. Halo
3. FarCry
4. Double Dash
5. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

I'm a big fan of First Person shooters, but sometimes I like to slow the pace a bit with a good RPG, or speed things up by throwing down a couple of rounds in Double Dash.

ADAM: Ooh.. Ocarina of Time. Pokemon Yellow is unbeatable. Halo,
obviously. Perfect Dark? Double Dash has a charm to its multiplayer that can make the politest of people turn into a stark-mad, swear-word swingin' monster. Which is always nice. And Skies of Arcadia is just insanely original and well
thought out.

JCM:. What do you feel the appeal of webcomics is? From Tatsuya Ishida's Sinfest to Tim Buckley's Ctrl+Alt+Del, webcomics have been getting a lot of play. Despite the obvious freedom of expression, and the ability of dispensing your work with a minimum of resources, what are the advantages of doing a webcomic as opposed to a paper one? Or did I just take away two
major factors?

DARRYL: XD Tough one. For me I'd say it's the ability to bring a little bit of our own humour in the world. That, and I get to play video games constantly and call it 'research'.

ADAM: Like I said before, Webcomics to me are Fun. I've worked on my own projects all my life, creation is a wonderful thing, and comics -- to me -- are the best way to show off your creation. I think the webcomic is sucessful because it doesn't(Well mainly...)narrow its audience. If you create
characters who follow a plot, who get hurt and help others, you need to be in the loop. You need to like the characters and the world they live in and know everything about their past. With a webcomic you can jump straight in and bite whatever. You don't need to get sucked in or too attached. And I think, when you create a proper storyline and realistically go about the
plot, a lot of readers get put off if they aren't around at the
beginning.

JCM:. Clownsors, man. Clownsors...

ADAM: You like it? Yeah it's pretty much my favorite animal, it's like a cross between a clown and a sword.... It's got skills, man. Skills.

DARRYL: Damn those clownsors. Someone needs to take those guys down a notch. Put 'em in their place, ya know?

JCM:. Simon. Spill the dirt. What did he do with the jewels?! Evidently!!

ADAM: Simon? Yeah, Simon has a lot more to say in future comics. So he may be the one to spill the dirt in person...or bird...

DARRYL: XD You never quite know with Simon. He's unpredictable. Even we don't understand him.

JCM: Where are you both on the fiction scene? Heavy hitters or
non-existent?

ADAM: I'll assume your question branches off into Sci-fi? I'm a Joss Whedons 'Firefly' nut, amazing amazing AMAZING show. Smallville is my lifeforce however.

DARRYL: Well, personally I am very heavily into reading. Mostly
fiction, the likes of Tom Clancy, Dan Brown, etc. I am always constantly on the lookout for something new to read.

JCM: What's your favorite rant?

DARRYL: Why do hot dogs come in packages of ten, but hot dog buns only come in packages of just eight? Answer that, and I shall answer yours!

ADAM: My favorite rant? Man...I'm not sure I have a favorite rant, they're usually the end result of someone feeling really negative things and I'm not too keen on that. However, I do believe Darryl argued something once that had hilarious metaphors. But I don't go outta my way to memorise rants
or anything.

JCM: What do the walls tell you?

DARRYL: Walls? Like, the ice cream?

ADAM: They're closing in, don't just stand there! BRACE IT WITH
SOMETHING!!

JCM: What's the next step for the VG world? What's the step you hope to live to see?

ADAM: [Nintendo]Revolution, baby. All the way. I can't wait. I know I'm pretty much alone here but hey, I trust Nintendo to keep gaming alive. No one else.

DARRYL: Virtual Reality, I hope. Currently, video games are getting a bit samey. The next big step is to fully immerse the player in an entirely new level of reality, to make the player physically believe what they are seeing is actually happening. If I live to see that, I can die happy.

JCM: Did you check the shadow at the gates? Is there any hope of getting it back from the Gatekeeper?

ADAM: If it's that god awful Shadow the Hedgehog game at my door, the Gatekeeper can bloodly well keep it.

DARRYL: It's cool, I brought a spare.

JCM: There are fools out there that feel that certain distractions, such as video games and comics, should be considered art. What's with these people? Aren't VGs and comics just for kids?

ADAM: Some People believe video games and comics should be considered art? Hell, yes. I'm one of those people. Comic art is the greatest artform today, besides 2-D animation. The amount of skill and dedication -- not to mention talent -- in each panel of a comic strip... You don't want to be getting me ranting on this. I went through hell at high school and college simply because comic art is dismissed there. It's like something we should be ashamed of. And like I said, I believe there to be no greater beauty in art than comics. None of this Tate-Modern Block on a page crap for me. No, sir. And Video games can be a work of art. Ocarine of time? My god. It's the greatest thing I'll ever play.

DARRYL: Not necessarily. A game isn't just about what you can see in front of you, you have to stop and consider all the hours of hard work that were put into making video games, comics etc, the determination that kept the creators going, to see it through to the end. To consider videogames and comics as nothing more than simple distractions would be an insult.

JCM. So, how many people did you take down after playing the Grand Theft Auto series? I still hold the record in my town.

DARRYL: I lost count after Victim #30. I'm still waiting for my
hearing.

ADAM: We're both pretty much the biggest Anti-Sony folks in the
Webcomic world you're likely to meet. I only ever played GTA3, and that was on PC. I'm not actually that keen on it, myself. Sometimes it can scare you, if you think about what you're actually doing for entertainment.

JCM: If money makes a man strange, then what does make the world go around?

DARRYL: Cheese. Man, where would we be without cheese?

JCM: Since the VGcats endorsement and the sudden increase of viewers to your comic, do you see yourselves making any changes to the website? To the content? How will a larger audience affect you and your publication?

DARRYL: Well, in the near future (when I finally get off my behind and get to work again) there will be a fanart section added to the site, as we now have an influx of fan art pieces. We are also discussing the possibility of a reviews section, where we review the latest games we have played and give our opinion on them. So keep an eye out for that.

JCM: Can you sneak this out for me?
[paper rustling]

DARRYL: Sure thing.

[Paper rustling]