Kommander Karl is a TikTok creator who aims to teach animation and games to his followers. And some of his TikToks went viral recently when gamers realized he has a long running streak that is surprisingly addicting. In “Reloading Things”, Kommander Karl carefully took dozens of common household items and turned them into sick weapons for an imaginary FPS game.
That will not do sound like a great achievement, but when you see him in action you can see that there is a certain art. And it’s especially impressive given the range of everyday household items he’s “reloaded”, including a Dyson vacuum cleaner, a pop-up toy for kids, a toaster, and a handful of other items that don’t actually need to be reloaded. It’s no surprise this originally went viral; If you are familiar with FPS games, you are likely to be amazed at the accuracy of his efforts. From the way the gun wobbles to the timing of the “animation” everything looks just right.
Commander Karl attributed this to a science. For example, he reloads a toilet paper blaster. To be honest, I’m spellbound. I feel like I am in the world of Doom, just in a bathroom. Bathroom if you will.
Kommander Karl is now on Twitter, and he continues to post on TikTok, where he uploads new entries in the series as well as other content related to games and animation. Every time I think I’m tired of the Reloading Things series, I see a new take on the concept and am tickled all over again. For example, how do you reload a toaster? I had no idea how to answer this question before, but now I can.
This project is a great reminder that even small elements from games, like the humble reload animation from an FPS game, can stick with us. It reminds me of the occasional line that comes to my mind Stars ship Unit or a sound effect that Mario makes while jumping, even decades later. Sometimes the strangest things stay with us and we celebrate them in interesting ways. In the case of Kommander Karl, he can recreate that with a whole range of household items, and the end result is great.
