The History of Comedy In Video Games

Compared to other forms of entertainment, the presence of humour in video games is quite rare. While there are a handful of comic video games available in the market, they often struggle to attain traction from the audience. Having said that, video game developers over the years have made an effort to add humour to games whenever possible. In fact, the history of comedy in video games is much older than you realise.

It is important to understand that people’s ideas about what is actually funny change with time. While players in the 1980s might have found the actions of certain 8-bit characters hilarious, you may struggle to find humour in those. Upon its release in 2001, Conker’s Bad Fur Day on N64 gained massive popularity for its cheekiness and Hollywood references, which players of that time found funny.

Humour in the ’80s’ Video Games

In the early ’80s, there were several elements in video games to make people laugh. While the 8-bit graphics made people look like chickens, there was a full-motion video arcade adventure game called Dragon’s Lair. As Dirk the Daring, players had to search for a kidnapped love interest, Princess Daphne, in the haunted castle. The appeal of Dragon’s Lair was physical comedy. Dirk’s constant brushes with death and goofy double takes made the arcade classic more enjoyable for the players.

In 1987, there was a graphic adventure game named Maniac Mansion. It was a comedy thriller that dared to be different. The users were put into the shoes of a character named Dave Miller. His girlfriend, Sandy Pants, had been kidnapped by Dr. Fred, whose mind was being controlled by a purple meteor from outer space. The humour in this game was in the characters, such as Razor, Jeff Woodie, Dead Cousin Ted Edison, Wink Smiley, and Micheal F. Stoppe.

Humour in the ’90s’ Video Games

In the ’90s, the video game industry witnessed massive growth. It was also when video game developers focused on adding comic elements to the game plot, the characters, and the actions to make the games more interesting. Monkey Island (first released in 1990) was loaded with well-placed humour. Its characters had funny names like Gorgon Zola Cheese, Marco Pollo, Meathook, and more. Their dialogues were filled with witty one-liners. It also had hilarious gameplay, like insult swordfighting.

Day of the Tentacle also released around the same time. Gamers often describe it as one of the funniest games ever made. The developers focused solely on making every character, puzzle, and line of dialogue as entertaining as possible. The game also allowed players to do hilarious things like squirting disappearing ink on anyone they wanted. The voice acting added an extra element of humour to the game.

The Mortal Kombat series, which is known for its gruesome action and gore, also offers some funny elements. This series has always had a “weird” sense of humour, like turning an opponent you just defeated into an infant and calling it “babality”. The second installment of the series introduced the friendship finishing moves, which were hilarious. In Mortal Kombat 3, you could find several fatalities that were outright ridiculous.

Apart from these popular games from the ’90s, there are other honourable mentions that made video experiences more entertaining for users with their unique comedy. Sam & Max Hit the Road was a graphic adventure that was basically a parody of buddy-cop action movies. Full Throttle was another humorous game that featured dialogue filled with pop-culture references and more. Grim Fandango, which was based on Mexican Día de Los Muertos folklore, offered humour that was subtle, consistent, and believable.

Humour in 2000’s Video Games

In the 2000s, the video games got better visuals and improved gameplay. The humour also changed over time. However, you could still find games that made the gaming experience better with some comedy. The Simpsons: Hit & Run and The Simpsons: Road Rage reflected the dark comedy of the Simpsons TV show. Both the games were hilarious and filled with punchlines.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga went beyond the standard RPG gameplay to focus on the characters’ humorous traits. It even had a “stache” metre, a unit of measure that reflects the health of Mario and Luigi’s moustaches, which actually affected the way you play the game. A higher “stache” rating means better luck and skill. The whole game had a surreal feel to it, along with absurdity and effective humour.

Conclusion

Making people laugh is a serious task, and it is extremely difficult to do it through games. While most games focused on gameplay, visuals, and storytelling, there were (and still are) games that tried to make gaming experiences more enjoyable with their unique comedy and humour.