Humor in Games?

commiesubverter writes "Slate.com has an article up about humor in games. It's a decent summary of where the gaming industry has been and is going with its humor. From the article: 'Comedy is typically marginalized into background sight gags and interstitial cut scenes. Even games that generally strive to be funny incorporate humor into window dressing: In Grand Theft Auto, you can sow mayhem while listening to a mock-NPR that's broadcasting a roundtable discussion on violence.'"

Comments

What about games

[antifoidulus]

where how the user plays creates the comedy? I laugh my ass off when I am playing Monkey Ball with friends because of some of the wonderfully random ways you can kill your monkey. The best comedy is usually unscripted, and the best games usually provide lots of unscripted comedy(whicih is also another reason why I don't play 1 player games or games on the internet, too boring)

Re:What about games

[AEton]

I laugh my ass off when I am playing Monkey Ball with friends because of some of the wonderfully random ways you can kill your monkey.

Usually before I kill my monkey I make sure there aren't other people around. Common courtesy, you know.

But whatever works for your friends, sounds great!

Re:What about games

[Anonymous Coward]

Usually before I kill my monkey I make sure there aren't other people around. Common courtesy, you know.

You're just supposed to spank it. If you end up killing it, you're doing it too hard.

Re:Misguided article

[beacher]

Talk about making up your own fun... Here's a shot from lineage. heheheheh

Monkey Island is still good for a laugh but

[fussili]

... if you want an FPS which will make you laugh check out Giants: Citizen Kabuto. Absolutely hilarious plot as a bunch of Cockney Aliens end up on a planet with a magic using race of merfolk and a 300 foot tall beast.

The cutscenes are brilliant but the comedy is left out of the action with the exception of the various cockney aliens chiming in with progress reports and saying things like "Oooh my leg!".

And as for comedy being annoying upon repetition. I could play Monkey Island till Guybrush Threepwood actuall becomes a mighty pirate.

Come on people! Bob, Float, Drift? What's NOT to love about that series!?

Re:Humor in games in the past 20 years

[dabigpaybackski]

Dude: Fallout 2.

"Now SHOW ME THE MUMMY!"

Who needs intentional humor

[mfivis]

Someone set us up the bomb
or
The President has been kidnapped by ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the President?

My favorite in game humor... Warcraft/Starcraft

[Anonymous Coward]

Everyone knows if you click the people in Warcraft/Starcraft enough, you get some funny jokes, but my favorite was in WC3.

"I'll attract the enemy with my human mating call. I'm so wasted! I'm so wasted!" -- The Dryad

Re:My favorite in game humor... Warcraft/Starcraft

[GrouchoMarx]

Even better was the shareware version of Warcraft II. My favorites:

Human Footman: "In the full version, I'm much funnier."

Orc Peon: "You go buy full version now." "You buy full version.. pleeeease???" "You buy full version or I sing. Yah yah yah yah..."

Keeping the orc from singing was reason enough to buy the full game, methinks. ;-) Or I ended up buying it, at any rate.

Re:My favorite in game humor... Warcraft/Starcraft

[CTachyon]

"Once you head down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny... and you get dental." -- The Acolyte

The Dryad had some of the funniest lines, though. "I dont reveal much on the minimap. *sniff* It's all my fault."

Re:My favorite in game humor... Warcraft/Starcraft

[chrysrobyn]

Everyone knows if you click the people in Warcraft/Starcraft enough, you get some funny jokes, but my favorite was in WC3

"I love the dead. Frequently." -- WC3 Necromancer

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

sierra

[Triv]

Old-school sierra games were designed for comedy and problem solving. Well, some of them were, anyway. The Space Quest series was designed to be funny, and Leisure Suit Larry wouldn't've won any awards for its gameplay.

Triv

Re:This would be fun..

[tepples]

Well at least he whom you call a "towelhead" knows where his towel is.

Minesweeper

[Anne_Nonymous]

That wacky Minesweeper game just cracks me up!

Re:Monkey Island

[Per Wigren]

You fight like a dairy farmer.

ok, I'll say it if nobody else will

[nomadic]

You fight like a dairy farmer.

How appropriate, you fight like a cow.

Re:This would be fun..

[Anonymous Coward]

Operation Iraqi Freedom is like a lot of games I've played.

you could be doing something better

it costs you a lot of money

eventually, you lose.

Re:Yegads!

[junkgrep]

You couldn't even re-bind the keys to the standard ASD+mouse configuration.

Re:Misguided article

[WWWWolf]

Here's a whole page devoted to this... uh... art form.

Re:Sierra's Space Quest

[chickygrrl]

My favorite game response for the the Space Quest series was in SQ2 (I think), when you change out of your space suit. My friend and I tried to wear the normal set of clothes by typing "get naked" and the game responded "I'll get naked if you get naked. You go first."

"Go for the eyes Boo! Go for the Eyes! RUSK!"

[Genady]

Ah Minsc, how I miss you. Minsc had to be the most endearing, humerous character in a video game I've seen to date. His 'Misncisms' should be put in a coffee table book and sold.

"Evil around every corner. Careful you don't step in any."

"Sword, meet evil. EVIL MEAT MY SWORD!"

"I trust those who prey on children no farther than they can be thrown, even if I manage to throw them pretty far!"

"What? Boo is outraged! See his fury! It's small, so look close. Trust me, it's there."

"I would hate being forgotten in a bottle. It might depend somewhat on the type of bottle, but overall I expect the effect would be similar."

"Boo will have clean wood shavings, you evil bastards!"

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, watch it! I'm huge!"

Re:Grim Fandango

[FuzzyBad-Mofo]

Great game!

Hector LeMans : Oh Manny... so cynical... What happened to you, Manny, that caused you to lose your sense of hope, your love of life?
Manuel Calavera : I died.

Re:Misguided article

[wheresdrew]

Talk about making up your own fun...

Is it just me, or is that image funnier when you realize the Korean reads "Harrison Ford" for the character on the left and "Vishnu" for the one getting...ummm..."handled?"

Re:Monkey Island

[accelleron]

I'm not even going to dignify this with a reply.

Oh, wait... nevermind.