Acts of Gord

The Acts of Gord includes a website, a web comic, and a book that chronicle the experiences of a former video game store owner named Gord (commonly referred to as 'The Gord' and quoted in italics). The above mostly contain vignettes and anecdotes of the author's experiences at his store, particularly those pertaining to shoplifters and unknowledgeable customers. The site also makes some use of ornate, biblical language.

The Books of Gord

The website is divided up into several "books," each of which contains tales of a common theme.

Annoyances

This area includes stories of minor irritations Gord has faced. Consequently, most of the accounts in this section are brief.

Wrath

This contains long stories about Gord's more aggravating problems. At present, there are four; one deals with customers attempting to copy games or sell copied games, and the other three focus on instances in which Gord deliberately leaves defective hardware around his store to be stolen.

Villainy

This includes long stories about shoplifters and vandals.

Vengeance

Similar to the Villainy section, this contains long anecdotes of the methods with which Gord has dealt with shoplifters but mostly pertains to instances involving physical violence.

Propaganda

This section involves lies and exaggerations that Gord has relayed to customers for his own amusement.

Victory

This is a three-part tale of Gord's dealings with a woman on welfare who had harassed him over her inability to rent games.

Proclamations

These are long commentaries written by Gord about the world of video games at large. At present, there are only two on the site; the author apparently intended to publish a third in 2001, but it has not been released.

Chronicles

This section is very similar to Annoyances but includes longer stories that focus on Gord's larger vexations.

Justice

This includes stories about legality-related arguments with customers such as those about members who have had their accounts forwarded to a collections agency due to late fees.

Web comic

The Acts of Gord was adapted for a web comic entitled Gamer's Edge at the end of 2003. All of the stories in this comic are fictional (as opposed to the written accounts, which are allegedly based on real-life situations). Thus far, two full stories and an ongoing third story have been made by Ryan Estrada, and a fourth chapter is comprised solely of fan-drawn strips.

The Book of Judgment is about a mother who ends up suing Gord over the supposed mental damage his game rentals have done to her two children. The court rules in Gord's favor.

The Book of Application concerns Gord's new employee, Tom, whose overzealous work ethic causes minor problems for Gord. A group of mobsters steal Gord's big-screen TV, forcing Gord and Tom to try to recover it. However, both Gord and Tom are captured and held hostage by the mobsters in this attempt. Skeet Nosukja (a boy who had previously appeared in Judgment) misconstrues an empty fried chicken bucket for a virtual reality helmet and drives a police car into the mob's warehouse hideout. The Korean mafia soon enters the fracas, which escalates into "an all-out mafia war." In the end, the TV is destroyed, and Tom is fired from his job.

The Book of Substitution starts with Gord taking a vacation but instead tells the stories of the various characters from previous Gamer's Edge stories following Application. The comics in this section are all created by guest artists, including Ryan's own kindergarten students.

The Book of Celebration details Gord loosening his traditional rules in the game store around Boxing Day, starting with accepting a return that should have gone to Microplay and allowing Skeet Nosukja back into the store after being banned for life.

External Links

• Acts of Gord Gord's official website
• Gamer's Edge: World Renowned Comic Strip of the Future The Acts of Gord webcomic
• RyanEstrada.com More comics by Ryan Estrada