These Video Game Characters Really Just Need Some Therapy

While players often become invested in the stories of their favorite video game characters, it's not often we consider the characters' thoughts and feelings. From Mario, Sonic, Donkey Kong, and even Link, the silent Hero of Time himself, these characters have insecurities, worries and fears that go mostly unexplored in favor of getting to the next level or dungeon.

Illustrator Christopher Hemsworth (no relation to the "Thor" actor of the same name) has finally given these beloved icons a voice with "Dear Inner Demons," his webcomic dedicated to airing out emotional issues.

Hemsworth's webcomics are not all about these pixelated heroes and heroines but they all share a theme of despair and longing for something better. His inspiration for the video game series of strips came out of a love of retro gaming, and he attributes its success to "a particular love of single-panel gag strip comics, a dark sense of humor, and, finally, stumbling into an emotionally expressive personal art style," he told The Huffington Post.

While the comics are meant to elicit laughs from its readers, there's also an element of empathy to be found in each one. "My sincere hope is that any one person might see a comic and completely identify with the sentiment. I am amazed to hear how different people relate to different comics. It really makes creating them worthwhile. It starts as a personal expression, for sure, but its just incredible to realize that other people identify and relate to these things you are expressing," Hemsworth explained.

Check out these big heroes with pixelated problems below: