1 post tagged “gaming”
Printed in The Argosy on 10/18/07
I discovered I'm Blue when I read Annie Carlson's entry in the Wapsi Girl Project. Before I can actually talk about the comic I must take a moment to discuss the author. Annie “Blue” Carlson is sheer awesomeness. Her genius is not only apparent throughout her comic, but made obvious by the fact that she somehow inserted herself firmly into the video game industry through her comic and her love of gaming. You might have heard of a little game called “Neverwinter Nights 2” that just happens to have Ms. Carlson's name in the credits. That's how awesome she is.
I'm Blue is partly a comic about gaming because Blue is a major gamer and Ms. Carlson uses frequent references to games (Blue has a pet Metroid that drinks Mountain Dew in lieu of their more traditional food source) as well as the game industry in general. However, I do not list I'm Blue as a gaming comic because you do not need to be a gamer to love it. The story is about a young college student named Blue and a few of her friends. Blue lives with her friend, Celia, and across the hall is an old friend of Blue's named Derec and his Mac loving roommate, Max.
It is obvious that Blue is at least slightly based on Ms. Carlson's view of herself. Blue loves games, her computer, anime, and comic books. Many of the strips are based on what seem to be issues that the artist herself has with things from “The Guy Game” to Gorge Lucas's ongoing efforts to destroy Star Wars. However, I'm Blue is not simply her soap box. It is an exciting story filled with lovable characters. The art is charming and stylized; the facial expressions of her characters are half the fun.
I'm Blue is amazing on many levels. It is, in part, a validation for many gamers. Blue does all those things that we always wish we could do. She is, for instance, randomly a ninja and goes on revenge sprees when she is pissed off. Also, if Blue can name her computer Tyger then I don't have to feel bad about naming mine Cleo. Blue is a charming character, still childlike and innocent in many ways. She is self conscious but strong and capable, reaffirming that one does not need to be a perfect person in every way.
I'm Blue is especially appropriate for women's month because Ms. Carlson's comic often focuses on issues having to do with being a woman in the worlds of gaming and webcomics. Through storylines and news posts, the author brings up the issues of male reactions to female gamers, cheesecake in webcomics, and “booth babes”, to name a few. I suspect many female gamers will find I'm Blue resonating with their own experiences.
Sadly, the comic is currently on hiatus, but there are several years of archives to read through. Also, now that the expansion to NWN2 is about to be released, Ms. Carlson might have some free time to work on it again. Thanks to the great writing, the author's blog like news posts, and the strips in which she draws herself and her husband, by the time you finish I'm Blue you find yourself not only caring about the lives of Blue and her friends, but the ongoing life of Annie Carlson as well. Check it out at http://www.blue-comic.com/
