Lunchtime Discussion: Comedy
Can games be funny?Published: 12:00, 31/08/2010 by Kris [Halbpro].
44Comedy in games always seem fairly hard to get spot on. Either you take it too far and the game is just a string of loosely connected jokes with a large helping of cheese, or you end up with something that just isn’t really funny aside from a few lame in-jokes. Sure some titles nail it spot on, the best example is the Monkey Island series, but in general they seem to flop in my opinion.
That’s not to say I wouldn’t like to see more people try. As noted above the Monkey Island series just shows you how good it can really be. Possibly those games work well because the comedy is so tongue in cheek and there’s so much conversation in the games.
Adventure games in general seem to be able to do comedy better than other genres, but I’ve never been quite sure why. It might have something to do with the genre having a tradition of being very heavily scripted in comparison to other styles, which is odd considering they have a more free flowing layout than some games. Sure they’re not sandboxes, but they’re hardly linear either.
As for in-jokes in games they’re like any in-joke; fun for those who get it, alienating for those who don’t. When you’re selling something it generally isn’t a good idea to try and alienate potential customers, ideally you should appeal to everyone that exists. The downside to that is you often end up producing something generic that doesn’t really have any merits.
What do you think about comedy in gaming? Do many games manage to pull it off or does it generally end up being cheesy?
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31/08/2010 at 12:06
Member since: Jul 2009
It has always been said that timing is the key to comedy and in my mind, that certainly has been the issue for games. Unlike movies and TV shows where you watch a slot of something for a period of time, games are played in random chunks. So the setup for a joke might occur just before someone stops playing for a week and doesn’t have as much effect when it actually hits. That could be why the one-liners of something like Monkey Island actually do a better job of it.
31/08/2010 at 12:12
Member since: Jul 2009
Timing is everything, isn’t it. Agreed. We see, let’s be honest, such piss-poor acting in games that it’s atrocious at times. The best of the best is usually “passable” in the real world. Thankfully there are titles like Uncharted 2 which is streets ahead of most, which is precisely why the characters, and thus the humour, worked so well. I loved the bit where Nate mentions “now’s not the time” when they’re discussing finding a hotel.
There’s so very little that makes me laugh in video games (directly from well written humour). Usually I find myself laughing at situations or with friends online. I think the lads thought I was going to fall off of my chair when we played GTA a couple of months ago. I’m always like that when gaming with friends.
31/08/2010 at 12:20
Member since: Dec 2008
Have to agree with Uncharted, it used comedy in just the right way for that sort of game. Its definitely helped by the excellent acting as well.
31/08/2010 at 12:06
Member since: Apr 2010
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31/08/2010 at 12:11
Member since: Apr 2010
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31/08/2010 at 12:07
Member since: Aug 2008
Like you say, adventure games work best and I think that is because they can script everything more tightly knowing you will hit various points.
I think Uncharted did it well with the right balance of throwaway comedy lines but not trying to be a joke-fest.
On the whole, I just think that the people writing game plots are not comedians and unless they bring in someone with the right creativity in that area (or are lucky to have one in house), just don’t try to be funny.
31/08/2010 at 12:10
Member since: Apr 2010
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31/08/2010 at 12:25
Member since: Aug 2008
I thought we were talking about comedy
31/08/2010 at 12:27
Member since: Apr 2010
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01/09/2010 at 09:59
Member since: Aug 2008
Correct
31/08/2010 at 16:01
Member since: Jun 2009
No thank you
31/08/2010 at 12:13
Member since: Jun 2009
Borderlands had some funny moments in it, mainly in the Knoxx dlc. I like some funny moments in a game but not too many
31/08/2010 at 12:16
Member since: Dec 2009
DeathSpank’s humour is very well crafted.
31/08/2010 at 12:26
Member since: Aug 2008
Agreed, from the very hand that penned Monkey Island too
31/08/2010 at 12:23
Member since: May 2010
Drakes comments in UC2 very funny and also its good to see characters with a personality. LBP makes me laugh everytime i play.
out of the topic, i saw splice the other day, it was emant to be a horror, but i laughed my head off, if anyone else has seen it u would understand
31/08/2010 at 12:25
Member since: Sep 2008
Uncharted & Uncharted 2 were genuinely two of funniest games I’ve played in years.
31/08/2010 at 17:06
Member since: Feb 2010
agreed!
31/08/2010 at 12:27
Member since: Aug 2009
3 Words: ERIC THE UNREADY
31/08/2010 at 12:30
Member since: Oct 2008
Brutal Legend got a great balance of comedy and actual storytelling, not to mention the game itself was bloody awesome.