This Flash Game Is About The Skullkid
“the skullkid” is one of the most-viewed games on Newgrounds. But why? And what ultimately happened to the person who created it?
2002. Simplicity is the name of the game when it comes to Adobe Flash games, especially for some of the most popular entries on Newgrounds. It had been a dark time for the burgeoning internet community, per Newgrounds’ official wiki, as several coalescing factors — contract stipulations, outdated hardware, and a reliance on adult-oriented advertising — led to a downturn in terms of overall website performance. Luckily, this didn’t deter its many unique users from creating content.
A particularly notable game from September really seemed to capture the hearts and minds of Newgrounds’ many unique users. As for what it was about, well, it’s hard to say. The Skullkid debuted to near-universal acclaim, earning a reputable four-and-a-half stars across over 11,000 unique reviews since its initial release. But why? How did this bizarre little micro game garner so much positive reception? And what ultimately happened to its original creator?
Playing The Skullkid
The Skullkid is difficult to put into words. Not so much because it’s complex, or because its examinations of office culture and the ensuing mania from corporate cliques and professional backstabbing are layered and nuanced. No, The Skullkid is difficult to discuss because. . . there really isn’t that much going on.
You are the eponymous Skullkid, a seemingly teenaged boy who wouldn’t look out of place in a typical Newgrounds cartoon, albeit with an anatomically accurate skull for a head. You’re tasked with traversing three floors of what is presumably an office complex, slicing through furniture, slicing through people, and shooting your way past armed guards until you get to the boss. What happens after that? It’s a total mystery.
You’ll walk from left to right, then right to left, and then left to right again, taking down obstacles as they come. In terms of complexity, it’s about on the same level as scrolling through an app on your phone. It’s dead simple. The perfect kind of mindless distraction that could run on more than a handful of screeching desktop computers from the new millennium.
Is the game difficult at least? Not really. At least, not for an adult. The same kind of kid who would be irresponsibly browsing Newgrounds in the early 2000s would probably have a hard time in the only skill-based section of the game, which involves taking cover while firing potshots at a few gunmen who oppose you. Why are they there? Who cares? You’re just here for some visceral fun, logic and pacing be damned. It certainly worked, seeing as how its still one of the most-played games on the platform.
Though the game’s popularity wasn’t enough to secure a spot on the front page of Newgrounds — it had only earned the Daily 3rd Place award — it certainly resonated with the more than 25 million separate people who played it. For many, it exists as nothing more than a faint memory, a piece of their formative years that ultimately lingers in the back of the mind as they tackle real-life problems decades later.
What’s slightly confusing about Skullkid’s accolades, however, is that it did eventually land a spot on the front page of Newgrounds.
It did so in 2013, 11 years after it originally came out.
Who Made The Skullkid?
The Skullkid was originally authored by Chance Banning, going by the username “korded” on his official Newgrounds profile. Originally joining the platform under this name in 2000, he would only make a handful of content submissions before becoming a prolific forum user. He had over 1,000 posts to his name dating all the way back to Spring 2001. Banning primarily posted in the Game Development and General forum, sharing helpful game development tips and occasionally getting into vulgar arguments with other users; you know, the typical kind of anonymous discussion you’d find in the early days of the internet.
His last submission to Newgrounds came in the form of Aidan’s Wonder, a miniature demo for a much larger project to be released outside of the platform. It wasn’t an uncommon practice to advertise games this way. After all, titles like Alien Hominid, The Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy, and recent games like Dead Estate would use the built-in user base of Newgrounds as a means to gauge popularity and build interest.
His last post would be recorded on November 2nd, 2011. If you were to visit the website listed in his profile, byChance.ca, you’ll find that the domain is currently not in use. There’s a reason for that.
Per a Newgrounds forum post by Tom Fulp, the founder of Newgrounds, Chance Banning tragically passed away in 2013 at the age of 27. Aidan’s Wonder remains unfinished, with the game’s official website being unavailable to visit.
Though Chance Banning was far from the most famous user on Newgrounds, one of his most popular creations still persists to this day. It’s a game whose simplicity and straightforward premise supersedes its limitations. It’s a game whose violent inclinations and surface-level machinations make for an overall experience that still feels fun in 2024. Is it the most complicated game? Not really.
But The Skullkid continues to capture the minds of Newgrounds’ varied user base, not only persisting in the site’s greater history, but drawing significant interest in the modern day as well. Were you to play The Skullkid today, you may even understand why it resonated with so many unique individuals over the length of its existence. It’s brief, it’s great for a quick morbid laugh, and it’s the perfect kind of example of where both Newgrounds and flash games were back in the early 2000s.
Where Can I Play The Skullkid?
Thankfully, Skullkid has been immortalized on Newgrounds. The rest of Chance Benning’s work can be found on his respective Newgounds profile.