Difference between revisions of "53: Hobby"

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{{comic
 
{{comic
 
| number    = 53
 
| number    = 53
| date      = January 25, 2006
+
| date      = January 23, 2006  <!-- The comic were released two days earlier on xkcd than on LiveJournal (25/1 2006). We use the earliest possible day-->
 
| title    = Hobby
 
| title    = Hobby
 
| image    = hobby.jpg
 
| image    = hobby.jpg
 
| titletext = The only one of these games I really played was Area 51
 
| titletext = The only one of these games I really played was Area 51
| imagesize =
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
This is the second in the "[[My Hobby]]" series of ''[[xkcd]]'' comics. In this comic, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] describes a rather silly "hobby" which references a common video game mechanism. In some video games that involved the player harming enemies (whether the player is a police officer or some other character), there is sometimes a penalty for harming "good guys" or innocent bystanders. In score-based games, this is usually in the form of a deduction from the player's score.
+
This is the second in the "[[My Hobby]]" series of ''[[xkcd]]'' comics.
  
Randall suggests that his hobby is going to drug busts (where police officers surprise suspects in the midst of drug usage or drug deals in order to catch them in the act and arrest them. Drug busts are usually depicted as a large number of police officers with weapons drawn barging into a room or speeding up to an alley or a parked car. If the police were startled by a person jumping out, they might be startled and accidentally react by reflex and shoot that person (although in theory police officers are not supposed to open fire until they have identified the target as a potential threat). The comic image suggests the police would lose 100 points for such an act. Obviously, doing this in real life would be a really bad idea, as the hobbiest would quickly be killed.
+
This comic humorously compares the rules of light gun cabinet arcade video games with real life.
 +
 
 +
[[Randall]] suggests that his hobby is going to drug busts with the expressed purpose of getting shot as an innocent bystander, thereby causing the police to loose 100 points. Since the comic represents Randall's "hobby", and the person does not look like any of the main characters, the person lying lifeless in a pool of blood must represent him.
 +
 
 +
Drug busts are events where police attempt to catch drug dealers, suppliers, and financiers in situations with enough evidence to convict them. In the style of arcade video games being examined, drug busts are usually depicted as chaotic events with villains, innocent bystanders, captives, and allies popping up like spring loaded targets at a shooting range in a setting with lots of places to hide. If you don't shoot a target sufficiently quick, you will be shot, so it is common to shoot the wrong targets. To compensate for this these games often deduct points. This is often frustrating, as it requires a number of points to get more ammo or complete the level.
 +
 
 +
Often the games deliberately encourage you to shoot the innocent making the act seem suicidal. The comic image suggests the police would lose 100 points for such an act in the real world. Obviously, doing this in real life would be a really bad idea, as the hobbyist would quickly be killed.
 +
 
 +
The title text refers to the game "{{w|Area 51 (1995 video game)|Area 51}}" which was a popular shooter arcade game from 1995 (although a console/PC game {{w|Area 51 (2005 video game)|of the same name}} was released in 2005) which was one of many cabinet arcade games which featured a light gun which allowed players to aim at the screen and shoot in a realistic control mechanic. The title text confirms that the comic is referring to these light gun cabinet games specifically.
 +
 
 +
The title text of [[188: Reload]] references this strip.
  
The title text refernces the game "{{w|Area 51 (1995 video game)|Area 51}}" which was a popular shooter arcade game from 1995 (although a console/PC game {{w|Area 51 (2005 video game)|of the same name}} was released in 2005) which was one of many cabinet arcade games which featured a light gun which allowed players to aim at the screen and shoot in a realistic control mechanic. The title text suggests that the comic may be refrencing these light gun cabinet games specifically in the comic, although the premise applys equally to first person shooters of any type (and even other game genres).
 
 
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
 +
:[A person with hair lies on the ground in a pool of red blood. At the top of the panel there is a caption. Then a text. And above the person there is a score with small lines around to indicate that it has just appeared over the body.]
 
:My hobby:
 
:My hobby:
 
:When the police bust drug hideouts, I sneak in and hide. Then I jump out and startle them into shooting me so they lose points.
 
:When the police bust drug hideouts, I sneak in and hide. Then I jump out and startle them into shooting me so they lose points.
:[A dead body on the ground in a pool of blood, with "-100" over it]
+
:-100
  
 
==Trivia==
 
==Trivia==
* The original title on livejournal was "My Hobby"
+
*This was the 51st comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].
* This is the fifty-first comic posted to livejournal. The previous comic was {{explain|52}}, the next is {{explain|55}}.
+
**The previous was [[52: Secret Worlds]].
 +
**The next was [[55: Useless]].
 +
*Original title: "My Hobby"
 +
**As is also the caption in the comic, but the "My" was lost in the xkcd title.
 +
**It is part of the last six comics on LiveJournal which all had a title without the word "Drawing" in it.
 +
**The five other comics had the exact same title on both sites.
 +
**Apart from the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|thirteen first comics]] posted to LiveJournal, there were only three other comics without the word "Drawing" in the title before these last six.
 +
*There were no original [[Randall]] quote for this comic.
 +
**However, Randall did reply to this comment by "SpEnSe" on LiveJournal:
 +
:::"I'm reminded of Area 51 where you accidently kept shooting the cops in the back...over and over again.
 +
:::Brilliant."
 +
:*Randall made the following reply:
 +
:::"That was actually precisely the game I was thinking of. I remember my brother playing that game all day at the arcade when we were little.
 +
:::Fuckin' innocents."
 +
:*This comment is reflected in the title text on xkcd.
 +
*This comic was one of the last 11 comics posted on LiveJournal.
 +
**These 11 comics were [[:Category:Posted on LiveJournal after xkcd|posted both on LiveJournal and xkcd]] after the [[xkcd]] site opened on the 1st of January 2006.
 +
**The first six comics were posted on both sites on the same day. But not this one.
 +
*For some reason [[54: Science]] was posted before this one on LiveJournal on the 18th of January 2006
 +
**It first came out a week later on xkcd on the 25th of January 2006.
 +
**This was the day that [[53: Hobby]] were released on LiveJournal.
 +
**But [[53: Hobby]] had already been released on xkcd two days earlier, the same day as [[52: Secret Worlds]] came out on LiveJournal, on Monday the 23rd of January 2006 .
 +
**The release date here on explain xkcd uses the first release date, so that is the one on xkcd.
 +
*After the mishap with [[54: Science]] the next three comics up to this one came out on LiveJournal a release day later.
 +
**First with the next (and last) comic released on LiveJournal, [[55: Useless]], did the two sites release the same comic on the same day again.
  
{{Comic discussion}}
 
  
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
+
{{comic discussion}}
 +
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 51]]
 +
[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal after xkcd]]
 +
[[Category:Comics with color]]
 +
[[Category:Video games]]
 
[[Category:My Hobby]]
 
[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal]]
 

Revision as of 01:13, 28 July 2015

Hobby
The only one of these games I really played was Area 51
Title text: The only one of these games I really played was Area 51

Explanation

This is the second in the "My Hobby" series of xkcd comics.

This comic humorously compares the rules of light gun cabinet arcade video games with real life.

Randall suggests that his hobby is going to drug busts with the expressed purpose of getting shot as an innocent bystander, thereby causing the police to loose 100 points. Since the comic represents Randall's "hobby", and the person does not look like any of the main characters, the person lying lifeless in a pool of blood must represent him.

Drug busts are events where police attempt to catch drug dealers, suppliers, and financiers in situations with enough evidence to convict them. In the style of arcade video games being examined, drug busts are usually depicted as chaotic events with villains, innocent bystanders, captives, and allies popping up like spring loaded targets at a shooting range in a setting with lots of places to hide. If you don't shoot a target sufficiently quick, you will be shot, so it is common to shoot the wrong targets. To compensate for this these games often deduct points. This is often frustrating, as it requires a number of points to get more ammo or complete the level.

Often the games deliberately encourage you to shoot the innocent making the act seem suicidal. The comic image suggests the police would lose 100 points for such an act in the real world. Obviously, doing this in real life would be a really bad idea, as the hobbyist would quickly be killed.

The title text refers to the game "Area 51" which was a popular shooter arcade game from 1995 (although a console/PC game of the same name was released in 2005) which was one of many cabinet arcade games which featured a light gun which allowed players to aim at the screen and shoot in a realistic control mechanic. The title text confirms that the comic is referring to these light gun cabinet games specifically.

The title text of 188: Reload references this strip.

Transcript

[A person with hair lies on the ground in a pool of red blood. At the top of the panel there is a caption. Then a text. And above the person there is a score with small lines around to indicate that it has just appeared over the body.]
My hobby:
When the police bust drug hideouts, I sneak in and hide. Then I jump out and startle them into shooting me so they lose points.
-100

Trivia

  • This was the 51st comic originally posted to LiveJournal.
  • Original title: "My Hobby"
    • As is also the caption in the comic, but the "My" was lost in the xkcd title.
    • It is part of the last six comics on LiveJournal which all had a title without the word "Drawing" in it.
    • The five other comics had the exact same title on both sites.
    • Apart from the thirteen first comics posted to LiveJournal, there were only three other comics without the word "Drawing" in the title before these last six.
  • There were no original Randall quote for this comic.
    • However, Randall did reply to this comment by "SpEnSe" on LiveJournal:
"I'm reminded of Area 51 where you accidently kept shooting the cops in the back...over and over again.
Brilliant."
  • Randall made the following reply:
"That was actually precisely the game I was thinking of. I remember my brother playing that game all day at the arcade when we were little.
Fuckin' innocents."
  • This comment is reflected in the title text on xkcd.
  • This comic was one of the last 11 comics posted on LiveJournal.
  • For some reason 54: Science was posted before this one on LiveJournal on the 18th of January 2006
    • It first came out a week later on xkcd on the 25th of January 2006.
    • This was the day that 53: Hobby were released on LiveJournal.
    • But 53: Hobby had already been released on xkcd two days earlier, the same day as 52: Secret Worlds came out on LiveJournal, on Monday the 23rd of January 2006 .
    • The release date here on explain xkcd uses the first release date, so that is the one on xkcd.
  • After the mishap with 54: Science the next three comics up to this one came out on LiveJournal a release day later.
    • First with the next (and last) comic released on LiveJournal, 55: Useless, did the two sites release the same comic on the same day again.


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Discussion

There was a later comic that referenced this one, and it should be mentioned in the Trivia. I don't know which one it was. 108.162.237.64 20:05, 13 March 2014 (UTC)

Found it. It was #188. I'll let Wiki Magic take it from here. 108.162.237.64 20:08, 13 March 2014 (UTC)
Done. --Alex (talk) 12:28, 16 April 2014 (UTC)
Something similar is in comic #347. 172.69.23.34[stalk the blue seas]UTSc


Explanation: are you sure it was the police who lost 100 points ?