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Humor in Games?

Posted by michael on from the stick-around dept.

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.'"

4 of 345 comments (clear)

  1. Monkey Island by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Nothing beats the Monkey Island series!

    1. Re:Monkey Island by accelleron · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I particularly like the first three Monkey Island games (the ones based on the SCUMM engine).

      P.S. For all the geeks with a Pocket PC (what self-respecting geek is without one?), there's ScummVM ( http://www.scummvm.org/downloads.php ), which I've been using for MI 1-3 and great old games like DOTT (Day of The Tentacle for the newbie geeks). I highly recommend it.

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      Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.
  2. Scripted comedy... no thanks by ldm · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Surely this depends on what you personally find amusing? I have fond memories of Dungeon Keeper & DK2, which I thought were wickedly funny... torture, anyone? Similarly, Carmageddon & Carmageddon 2 had me laughing out loud as zombies exploded around me whilst pulling off utterly insane stunts. A whole bunch of LucasArts games (Sam & Max, Day Of The Tentacle, etc) are funny. Grand Theft Auto's gouranga bonus. Simply playing Unreal Tournament and for example, jumping at an oppenent, emptying a weapon at them, completely missing, and they pick you off with one shot... I find that funny (or maybe I suck at UT ;)). Max Payne. Countless sub/side games in countless titles.

    Maybe I'm just twisted.

    I don't think traditional comedy will work in games... you tend to get in-jokes in games, which is ok because those playing the games will usually get it. Jokes that are scripted and get forced at you again and again as you replay, whilst they may have been funny the first few times, they almost certainly aren't after a few dozen.

    In my opinion, scripted humour can not replace gameplay touches that allow the player to make their own fun.

  3. Sierra's Space Quest by DoorFrame · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Space Quest by Sierra was a funny game. You're travelling around in the crazy future universe that's kind of an odd combination of every future universe you've seen in movies and films. You'll occasionally see a Star Wars ship thrown on a trash dump or a reference to a Star Trek charachter.

    The games were also very self referential. In one game (SP3) you had to save thinly veiled versions of the two guys who wrote the game. In another (SQ4) you travelled back in forth in time within the Space Quest series jumping from the original game into a game that hasn't yet been made like Space Quest 14).

    My favorite line came from a moment when you asked to "get" a ladder and the game responded. "You get the ladder and put it in your pocket... Ouch."

    Ah, the memories. That's some good abandonware.

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