The Critic's feud with
The Angry Video Game Nerd (2004) started as a joke when the Critic complained about the Nerd's fans comparing them.
Doug Walker didn't expect
James Rolfe to acknowledge him, but when he stated on his site that he was a fan, Walker contacted him about keeping a feud going. This became one of the show's best-loved running gags, culminating in no fewer than three in-person confrontations between the Critic and the Nerd, and leading to a real-life friendship between Walker and Rolfe.
