PvP
 |
|
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Scott Kurtz |
| Website | http://www.pvponline.com/ |
| Current status / schedule | Weekdays |
| Launch date | May 4, 1998 |
| Genre(s) | Video games, fantasy, geek culture |
PvP, also known as Player vs Player, is an early video game webcomic, written and drawn by Scott Kurtz. The webcomic follows the events at a fictional video game magazine company. Featuring many running gags and references, with a focus on nerd culture. Dylan Meconis was added as a co-writer in 2013.
By 2005, PvP was receiving around 100,000 unique visitors per day, and the webcomic has seen various print releases. On February 1, 2007, it became the subject of its own animated series.
The comic chronicles the adventures of a fictional video game magazine company (later to become a video game publisher) and its employees. It features many running gags that are actually references to running gags from other media (television programs, films, games, cartoons, etc.). A popular but often controversial figure in the field of online comics, Kurtz is usually willing to share his opinions about comics and gaming culture in his blog, which is hosted on the same website as his comic strips.
Originally, PvP focused on video gaming and the larger "nerd culture" including comics and RPGs. 1UP.com described it as one of the first game-based comics, but not the original, saying, "neither Scott Kurtz's PvP nor Jerry Holkins and Michael Krahulik's Penny Arcade were the first gaming-themed webcomic on the Internet." Over the years, the humor has broadened to include technology jokes, relationship humor, in-jokes about and mocking of the generation gaps between the different characters, with gaming increasingly taking a back seat. Kurtz occasionally comes under fire for his satire. Sometimes Kurtz will speak of his father's open disdain for the strip.
In 2013, Kurtz created a spin-off comic, entitled Table Titans. It features the characters Andrew, Alan, and Valerie (who have appeared in PvP comics), and chronicles their adventures while playing Dungeons & Dragons.
...
Wikipedia