Why is 8-Bit so popular?
 

I've pondered this question for a while now:
So why IS 8-Bit theater so dang popular? I mean, essentially its just a bunch of the same sprites over and over again with some witty dialogue and fairly good background graphics (argue all you want, but you can't debate the truth). So why do people enjoy it so much?

My oppinion is this. Feel free to disagree. The charactors in 8-Bit theater represent different qualities of the average web-junkie. Black Mage is our unpredictable rage, anger, and frustration at the world in general and our guilty thoughts of stabbing people we really don't like. Fighter is our random and spontaneous quirks that make us look wierd/idiotic. Thief is our natural desire to scam, decieve, and generally be sneaky and caniving. Red mage is our obsession with popular geek culture, our inheritent need to spend hours and hours playing games in order to get to level 99 and find every single secret, and our ingenius plans that we think are brilliant, but everone else thinks are insane. The reason 8-Bit theater is so popular is that people can relate to it.

-Feel free to agree, disagree, or share your own oppinion on the matter

Honestly, I'm not sure though I'd love to hear what B-dog himself thinks. *shoots himself* Perhaps I like it because in some ways the humor reminds me of standup comedy (though its clearly very different in several ways) and I'm a standup whore.

"stand-up whore" - Now that is one awsome catch phrase. I gotta use that in my writing. But I would as well appreciate Brian's thoughts on this. To anyone reading this, check the top of this page to see my oppinion on the matter.

actualy, the whole reason i've stuck with the comic since #6(ish), is the writing. sure the sprites were refreshingly different from the innumerable web comics soiling the interenet, but the novelty of the sprites became a non-issue when i realized that i was laughing really hard at what i was reading.

Exactly. Every person has their own opinion to like 8-Bit Theater, or any kind of entertainment. Though the most accurate would be that it brings people some smiles, giggles, laughs, good moments, there is no universal/single answer.

I personally think it helps people achieve happiness in a way, but in no means in the same manner. Seriously, this stuff is funny as hell!

People like it because of brillant writing and character depth (or lack thereof :))
It's popular because of the invention of the message board signature.

Icy, I think ya might be reading a bit too much into it... lol I'm not saying that what you're saying is wrong or has no merit, because, well some of the best things in life were an accident, but I think Brian was just taking the characters general personlitites to the extreme and then essentially forced them to interact(of course I might jsut be oversimplifying)... I think of it in the way Beserker put it in episode 440, though I think that the hilarity of 8-Bit comes from the fact that Brian DID define them as just heir job.. not to mention the script is hilarious...

P.S. very insightful as to the nature of the characters and how they relate to the audience. Just goes to show that everyones mind, whether they know it or not(or even want to) is workign on some philosophical level... Yours being that you interpreted it in this manner, and mabey on some subconcious level Brian wanted the characters to reflect his audience... you should wite a thesis on this :-p it'll join the ranks of other pop culture philosophies like The Simpsons: The D'oh of Homer, and whatever the titel to the Family Guy oen is, and Futurama, and.. well you get where I'm going with this...

Because it's wickedly clever, of course.

In regards to the characters, Brian once stated that they each represent a certain facet of his own personality, and when combined together the 8bit cast would become Brian himself. Exception being WM, I think.

Anyways, I think it's the humor and presentation -- none of this 4 panel crap. Brian really works on the comic. Nice effects, backgrounds aren't just one solid color, there's overlapping, perspective, distance, etc...it's like watching a play, but it's two dimensional.

When you mention "the 8bit cast", do you mean all the 8-Bit cast? As in Light Warriors, Dark Warriors, Princes Sara, Evil Princes Sara, Black Belt, Lich, and so on? Or just the Light Warriors? If the former, then I guess Brian has... multiple personalities. If the latter... he still has a whole lot.