QWOP
Encyclopedia
QWOP is a ragdoll-based
Flash game
by Bennett Foddy. Players play as an athlete named "Qwop", who is participating in a 100-meter sprint event at the Olympic Games
. Using only the Q, W, O and P keys, players must control the movement of the legs to make the character move forward. When the player has successfully reached 50 meters they must jump a hurdle
, and at 100 meters the player is encouraged to perform a long jump
, although simply passing the finish line is sufficient to complete the game.
The game, ever since it was released, has been notorious for being difficult to master. In early December 2010, the game had a viral popularity outbreak after video blogger Ray William Johnson
reviewed a YouTube video that annotates the game, which has since become the subject of its own Internet meme
. Despite the criticism for the game's difficulty due to the controls
, the game helped Foddy's site reach 30 million hits, according to Wired Magazine.
QWOP was originally created by Bennett Foddy and was released on his site (Foddy.net) in November of 2008. It was featured at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York City
on July 27th, 2011 and was part of an event called “Arcade
” hosted by the video game art and culture company Kill Screen
. After the success of the game, Foddy created another flash game called "GIRP", which was released on his site in 2011.
An iPhone app of the game was also released during that time. The App version follows the same gameplay as with the original version, but the controls differ. The player controls QWOP's legs and arms by moving his/her thumbs around in the diamonds on the screen.
Ragdoll physics
In computer physics engines, ragdoll physics is a type of procedural animation that is often used as a replacement for traditional static death animations.-Introduction:Early video games used manually-created animations for characters' death sequences...
Flash game
Browser game
A browser game is a computer game that is played over the Internet using a web browser. Browser games can be created and run using standard web technologies or browser plug-ins. Browser games include all video game genres and can be single-player or multiplayer...
by Bennett Foddy. Players play as an athlete named "Qwop", who is participating in a 100-meter sprint event at the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. Using only the Q, W, O and P keys, players must control the movement of the legs to make the character move forward. When the player has successfully reached 50 meters they must jump a hurdle
Hurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
, and at 100 meters the player is encouraged to perform a long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
, although simply passing the finish line is sufficient to complete the game.
The game, ever since it was released, has been notorious for being difficult to master. In early December 2010, the game had a viral popularity outbreak after video blogger Ray William Johnson
Ray William Johnson
Ray William Johnson is an American comedian best known for his YouTube series Equals Three, in which he provides commentary on viral videos. Many of the videos featured on Equals Three are noted to have received an additional boost of popularity...
reviewed a YouTube video that annotates the game, which has since become the subject of its own Internet meme
Internet meme
The term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
. Despite the criticism for the game's difficulty due to the controls
Keyboard (computing)
In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
, the game helped Foddy's site reach 30 million hits, according to Wired Magazine.
QWOP was originally created by Bennett Foddy and was released on his site (Foddy.net) in November of 2008. It was featured at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on July 27th, 2011 and was part of an event called “Arcade
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
” hosted by the video game art and culture company Kill Screen
Kill screen
A kill screen is a stage or level in a video game that stops the player's progress due to a programming error or design oversight. Rather than "ending" in a traditional sense, the game will crash, freeze, or behave so erratically that further play is impossible.Video games, like any other computer...
. After the success of the game, Foddy created another flash game called "GIRP", which was released on his site in 2011.
An iPhone app of the game was also released during that time. The App version follows the same gameplay as with the original version, but the controls differ. The player controls QWOP's legs and arms by moving his/her thumbs around in the diamonds on the screen.