Chris Simmons Digital Unrest Interview

by Dillon Andrews at Jul 25, 2008 2:10pm

I’ve hyped this interview because I truly feel that in the near future, Chris Simmons will become one of the biggest names in web comics. His animations are gorgeous, he’s witty, intelligent and he focuses on gaming. What more could you want?

He was a pleasure to deal with and I’m sure you’ll enjoy this read.

1) The gaming aspect is obviously the main characteristic to all of your comics–where did this concept come from?

The gaming aspect became a staple of the comic before Digital Unrest was even conceived. The whole thing started with me posting some quickly drawn strips on a message board the day that the Wii remote was unveiled. People seemed to like them enough to ask for more. This snowballed into me gathering all the strips together and posting them on a free comic hosting site. I guess at that point I technically had a gaming webcomic going.

2) Do you often struggle with ideas for your comics?

I definitely struggle with ideas for comics. Always. I’ve been putting off the shift to two weekly updates for the longest time simply because I’m so bad at coming up with material for the strip. On top of that, it’s especially difficult to try to come up with something that’s humorous and also original when doing a gaming webcomic – the most saturated, clichéd webcomic genre in existence. That’s one reason why I started to introduce some science into my comics. I figured it might make the strip more unique while also giving me more material to work with when coming up with comic ideas. In actuality, it can be more difficult to make these strips as science and gaming often create square-peg-round-hole scenarios!

3) How long have you been a fan of gaming?

I’ve been gaming since I was about 8 years old. Like many, it began with that Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt combo cart and NES. I remained a fan of gaming despite making a series of disappointing choices concerning what consoles I asked for during my childhood (TurboGrafx 16 over SNES, Sega CD, etc.).

4) This will probably be the most generic question ever, but what three games are currently your favorites?

I’ve been playing co-op Gears of War lately, which I think is brilliantly crafted. Despite its age, Resident Evil 4 still holds up as a favorite of mine among current games. Also, GTA4 never left my disc tray for a solid 2 months, so that would also have to rank as a current favorite.

5) In your opinion, what is the best game ever created on any platform?

I’m going to say something you’ve all heard many times before – Ocarina of Time. When you consider the state of game design at the time of its release and what a triumph of design and scope OoT is, you simply can’t dismiss it as, at the very least, a serious contender for best game of all time. It’s hard for me to imagine a similar leap in genre definement occurring in games today. The low polygon models and fuzzy textures in OoT are the only elements that have become truly dated in my opinion.

6) You’re a fairly vocal skeptic of many developers and publishers’ maneuvers. Some might even say you’re somewhat cynical in your ways. Are these merely situations in which you can create comedy, or are your comics depicting true problems that you see in the industry?

Undoubtedly, there’s a cynical undercurrent beneath DU. I think sometimes the comic can tend to lay on the cynicism pretty thick. In the interest of not seeming like a total jerk, I try to balance that out with some positivity in the way of pointing out games and webcomics that I think are good and throwing in my scientific enthusiasm. I guess that a lot of strips do stem from real issues or problems, but using words like “issues” and “problems” makes it all sound so serious. Usually, I’m not really trying to make any profound statements with the comic regarding the state of the gaming industry.

7) What is the most rewarding part of having your website?

I run the website as purely a hobby so the primary reward is just putting drawings out there for anyone to see and hoping that the strips will resonate with a few people and they’ll perhaps get a smile out of it. If I see that someone has put a strip in their Facebook profile, praised the comic in a forum, or sent a nice email to me it’s very exciting. Another fun aspect is networking with other webcomic creators. There are so many interesting, cool people out there making webcomics it’s unbelievable.

Looking through your archives I see a plethora of amazing pieces that are truly hilarious and very true. Out of all the comics on your website, can you pinpoint a single one that you are most proud of?

The I am Error strip stands out in my mind as one that I like. Usually, 1 or 2 weeks after posting a strip I can look back on it with fresh eyes and see it for all its flaws. As a result, there’s kind of a correlation where as you go farther and farther back into the archives I like the strips less and less; this strip is one of the exceptions.

9) What can we expect from Digital Unrest in the future? Can you give us any insights to what games you may be picking fun of in the future?

Realistically, I can say that I will continue in my efforts to clean up and hone the style of my art. I will keep shoehorning science into gaming to see if it’s a formula that’s viable. Eventually, I’ll also get around to adding that second update each week or, alternately, will start a second, different webcomic that probably won’t have anything to do with gaming.

10) What advice do you give to someone trying to start up their own web comic?

I don’t know how to make a financially successful comic, but I can offer some tips on how to have fun making webcomics. Foremost, I’d emphasize making comics that you enjoy making and not comics that you think will get you traffic. Your comic should never feel like a chore. It’s also important and rewarding to actively work towards improving your work, whether it be refining your comic’s premise, evolving the artwork, or experimenting with the writing. However, if you’re putting your work online you must fully expect and be prepared for very harsh criticism. You will be amazed at the energy some people expend to make sure the world knows how much they hate your comic. If you wish to improve, it’s critical that you not be so disconnected and jaded as to ignore all criticism. You have to embrace the valuable critiques and filter out the trash talk. Sometimes you need help from a friend to tell which is which

I’d personally like to thank Chris for setting the time aside to do this interview.

We look forward to seeing all future comics of his and can only hope he does make a more scientific, nerdy comic. He’s got the talent, and he’s got us as his fans. If you want to become a fan of his, check out his website: Digital Unrest Comics