QWOP

{{Infobox video game

| fetchwikidata = NONE

| title = QWOP

| image =

| developer = Bennett Foddy

| publisher = {{Unbulleted list|Bennett Foddy (iOS, Browser)|Noodlecake Studios (Android)}}

| director =

| producer =

| designer = Bennett Foddy

| programmer =

| artist =

| writer =

| composer =

| engine = Adobe Flash, HTML5

| platforms = {{Unbulleted list|Browser|iOS|Android}}

| released = Browser{{Video game release|WW|November 12, 2008}}iOS{{Video game release|WW|December 21, 2010}}Android{{Video game release|WW|July 4, 2013}}

| genre = Sports

| modes = Single-player

}}

QWOP ({{IPAc-en|k|w|ɒ|p}}) is a 2008 ragdoll-based browser video game created by Bennett Foddy, formerly the bassist of Cut Copy. Players control an athlete named "Qwop" using only the Q, W, O, and P keys. The game became an internet meme in December 2010. The game helped Foddy's site (Foddy.net) reach 30 million hits.{{cite magazine|last=Benenson|first=Fred|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2011/09/start/no-pain-no-gain|title=Meet Bennett Foddy: The man behind QWOP and GIRP|magazine=Wired UK|publisher =Wired Magazine|date=August 2, 2011|access-date=August 14, 2011}}

Background

File:Bennett Foddy.jpg, QWOP{{'s}} creator, at Fondation Brocher in October 2009]]

QWOP was created in November 2008 by Bennett Foddy for his site Foddy.net, when Foddy was a deputy director and senior research fellow of the Programme on the Ethics of the New Biosciences, The Oxford Martin School, part of the University of Oxford.{{cite web | url=http://www.neuroethics.ox.ac.uk/our_members/bennett_foddy | title=Bennett Foddy | publisher=The Oxford Centre for Neuroethics | access-date=March 13, 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327015044/http://www.neuroethics.ox.ac.uk/our_members/bennett_foddy | archive-date=March 27, 2012 | df=mdy-all }}{{cite web | url=http://www.bep.ox.ac.uk/our_people/bennett_foddy | title=Dr Bennett Foddy | publisher=Insititue for Science and Ethics | access-date=March 13, 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927042903/http://www.bep.ox.ac.uk/our_people/bennett_foddy | archive-date=September 27, 2012 | df=mdy-all }} He taught himself to make games while he was procrastinating from finishing his dissertation in philosophy.{{cite web|last=Rose|first=Mike|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/road-to-the-igf-bennett-foddy-s-i-girp-i-|title=Road to the IGF: Bennett Foddy's GIRP|publisher=Gamasutra|date=February 13, 2012|access-date=February 19, 2012}} Foddy had been playing games ever since he got his first computer (a ZX Spectrum 48K) at age 5. Foddy stated:

{{cquote|"One of the things I found with QWOP is that people like to set their own goals in a game. Some people would feel like winners if they ran 5 meters, and others would feel like winners if they inched all the way along the track over the course of an hour. If I had put a social leaderboard or par system in, those people would probably have all quit out of frustration, leaving only the most determined or masochistic players behind."{{cite web|last=Brown|first=Mark|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/03/games-work-neurological-magic-says-qwop-creator.ars?comments=1#comments-bar|title=Games work "neurological magic," says QWOP creator|date=March 2011|work=Wired Magazine|publisher=Ars Technica|access-date=February 21, 2012}}}}

Gameplay

File:QWOP screenshot.jpg

Players play as an athlete named "Qwop", who is participating in a 100-meter event at the Olympic Games. Using only the Q, W, O and P keys, players must control the movement of the athlete's legs to make the character move forward while trying to avoid falling over.{{cite web|url=http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2008/11/browser_game_pick_qwop_olympic.html|title=Browser Game Pick: QWOP (Benzido)|date=November 7, 2008|access-date=December 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101211101406/http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2008/11/browser_game_pick_qwop_olympic.html|archive-date=December 11, 2010|url-status=dead}} The Q and W keys each drive one of the runner's thighs, while the O and P keys work the runner's calves. The Q key drives the runner's right thigh forward and left thigh backward, while the W key does the opposite. The O and P keys work in the same way as the Q and W keys, but with the runner's calves. The actual amount of movement of a joint is affected by the resistance due to forces from gravity and inertia placed upon it.

Breakthrough and popular culture

File:QWOP Featured in 2011.jpg

On July 27, 2011, QWOP was featured at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and was part of an event called "Arcade" hosted by the video game art and culture company Kill Screen.{{cite news|last=Chai|first=Barbara|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/07/28/moma-hosts-kill-screen-arcade-where-everybody-can-play/|title=Kill Screen Hosts Game Night at the Museum|publisher=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=August 15, 2011|date=July 28, 2011}}

The Guinness World Records awarded Chintamani resident Roshan Ramachandra for doing the fastest 100m run on the game on April 10, 2013, doing it in 51 seconds.{{cite web |url=http://challengers.guinnessworldrecords.com/challenges/160-fastest-100m-run-qwop-flash-game |title=Fastest 100m run, QWOP (flash game) |work=Guinness World Record Challengers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819133535/http://challengers.guinnessworldrecords.com/challenges/160-fastest-100m-run-qwop-flash-game |archive-date=August 19, 2014 |access-date=December 10, 2019}} As of June 2024, the record is held by a Japanese speedrunner known as kurodo1916, achieving a time of 45.53 seconds in June 2022.{{Cite web |title=QWOP - Speedrun.com |url=https://www.speedrun.com/qwop |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=www.speedrun.com |language=en-US}}

QWOP appeared on the season 9 premiere of the American sitcom The Office.{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Ryan |url=http://www.rantgaming.com/2012/09/24/the-qwop-game-appears-on-the-office-premiere/ |title=Indie Feature: The QWOP Game Makes an Appearance in The Office Season 9 Premiere |work=Rant Gaming |date=September 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926181259/http://www.rantgaming.com/2012/09/24/the-qwop-game-appears-on-the-office-premiere/ |archive-date=September 26, 2012 |access-date=July 18, 2013}}

Alternative versions

An iPhone app of the game was released in 2011.{{cite web|url=http://qwop.foddy.net/|title=QWOP for iOS. Play QWOP on your iPhone!|publisher=Foddy.net|access-date=August 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310080639/http://qwop.foddy.net/|archive-date=March 10, 2016|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://apps.apple.com/us/app/qwop-for-ios/id410319945|title=QWOP for iOS for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App store|website=iTunes|date=August 2017 }} 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 their thumbs around in the diamonds on the screen.{{cite web|url=http://www.148apps.com/app/410319945|title=QWOP for iOS by Bennett Foddy app detail|publisher=148apps|access-date=August 15, 2011}} Kotaku called the iPhone version "4000 Percent More Impossible" than the original game{{cite web | url=http://kotaku.com/5717296/oh-great-qwop-just-got-4000-percent-more-impossible | title=Oh, Great, QWOP Just Got 4000 Percent More Impossible | publisher=Kotaku | date=December 23, 2010 | access-date=March 21, 2012 | author=Good, Owen}} and "An Olympic Challenge For Thumbs".{{cite web | url=http://kotaku.com/5722041/qwop-for-iphone-is-an-olympic-challenge-for-thumbs | title=QWOP For iPhone Is An Olympic Challenge For Thumbs | publisher=Kotaku | date=January 1, 2011 | access-date=March 21, 2012 | author=McWhertor, Michael}}

A 2-player multiplayer version of QWOP named 2QWOP was also released in February 2012,{{cite web|last=Good|first=Owen|url=http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/02/the-sequel-no-one-wanted-2qwop/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223123025/http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/02/the-sequel-no-one-wanted-2qwop/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 23, 2012|title=The Sequel No One Wanted: 2QWOP|publisher=Kotaku|date=February 19, 2012|access-date=August 15, 2011}} after being featured at an event in Austin named "The Foddy Winter Olympics" displaying a selection of Bennett Foddy's games.{{cite web | url=http://4playerpodcast.com/2012/02/10/in-the-austin-area-go-play-mega-girp-this-sunday/ | title=In the Austin Area? Go Play Mega GIRP This Sunday | publisher=4 Player Podcast | date=February 10, 2012 | access-date=March 13, 2012 | author=Alford, Ben}}{{cite web | url=http://4playerpodcast.com/2012/02/20/two-player-qwop-released/ | title=Two Player QWOP Released | publisher=4 Player Podcast | date=February 20, 2012 | access-date=March 13, 2012 | author=Alford, Ben}} This version places the game in vertical splitscreen, automatically assigning one player's thighs and calves to the Q, W, E, and R keys, while the other player uses the U, I, O, and P keys.{{cite web|last=Kayatta|first=Mile|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115880-QWOP-Gets-Awkward-Multiplayer-Mode|title=QWOP Gets Awkward Multiplayer Mode|publisher=Escapist Magazine|date=February 16, 2012|access-date=February 19, 2012|archive-date=September 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923071537/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115880-QWOP-Gets-Awkward-Multiplayer-Mode|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|last=Venado|title=Two-Player QWOP: Now Available For All Your Silly Walk Needs|url=http://gamerfront.net/2012/02/two-player-qwop-now-available-for-all-your-silly-walk-needs-2/16784|publisher=Gamer Front|date=February 17, 2012|access-date=February 19, 2012}}{{cite web|last=Larrabee|first=Ryan|url=http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/02/16/two-player-qwop-targets-the-rage-centers-of-the-brain/|title=Two Player QWOP Targets the Rage Centers of the Brain|publisher=Piki Geek|date=February 16, 2012|access-date=February 19, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220045517/http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/02/16/two-player-qwop-targets-the-rage-centers-of-the-brain/|archive-date=February 20, 2012|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/720897/2qwop-multiplayer-qwop-is-now-available/|title=2QWOP: Multiplayer QWOP Is Now Available|publisher=G4tv|date=February 16, 2012|last=Zivalich|first=Nikole|access-date=February 19, 2012|archive-date=January 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113183423/http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/720897/2qwop-multiplayer-qwop-is-now-available/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web | url=http://pc.mmgn.com/News/QWOP-gets-majorly-awkward-with-split-scr | title=QWOP gets majorly awkward with split-screen support | publisher=MMGN | date=February 16, 2012 | access-date=February 24, 2012 | author=Heller | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129073118/http://pc.mmgn.com/News/QWOP-gets-majorly-awkward-with-split-scr | archive-date=January 29, 2013 | df=mdy-all }}