Comedy in Gaming: Excellent Games with a Sense of Humor
Comedy dominates all walks of life. From in-group jokes between friends, to the pop culture we consume, comedy is omnipresent. Even horror and thriller films, two genres which aren’t known for their comedy, nowadays feature some jokes to lighten the mood, or even enhance the tension when necessary.
Despite comedy being omnipresent, we don’t often think of video games as “comedic.” Yet, there have been plenty of classic and modern games with an excellent sense of humor. In this article, we’d like to explore some of the best examples of comedy in video games. We will cover a broad spectrum of games, to give you different genres of comedy.
Poker Night: At the Inventory
Poker games have been around since, pretty much, the inception of home entertainment systems. But, in all of the decades that companies have been releasing video games based on poker, none have done it as well as Poker Night: At the Inventory. The thing that makes this game special is the premise, the characters, and the writing.
In Poker Night: At the Inventory, the player sits down at a table with characters from classic games. Max, from Sam & Max, Heavy Red from Team Fortress 2, and more. But, unlike most crossover games, they aren’t here to fight. Rather, they are just having fun, playing their favorite game, poker. The characters share anecdotes that will have any player doubling over with laughter, as they retain their own personalities from the games, which certainly clash with the low-stakes, relaxing atmosphere of the game.
Nowadays, gambling games are much more readily available than ever. Online casinos have made it possible to bet online without much effort. On top of that, the online wagers you place are made with real money, so the stakes are higher. Many wonder why they would waste time playing a poker video game, when they can just play poker. The answer is, because Poker Night: At the Inventory is a fun, hilarious, and relaxing game, that will certainly appeal to any gamer.
Mortal Kombat
When people think Mortal Kombat, they don’t often think of comedy. The games have a reputation for being brutal, violent, bloody, and gory. While all of those adjectives do apply, there is also no denying that, underneath the violence lies a veneer of over-the-top absurdism, that some simply can’t help but laugh at, particularly in the later games.
Budgetary restraints and social stigmas kept the early Mortal Kombat games from achieving a certain level of violence and gore. However, as the technology improved, the capability of the game developers improved too. Modern installments in the series feature brutal executions (known as Fatalities), which range from vomit-inducing gore, to just downright silly. The silliness is certainly intentional, as it is clear that the game developers are having just as much fun as the players.
It is this combination of absurdist gore and brutality that has made the Mortal Kombat franchise so popular. The game’s success is evident from the fact that Drizzy Dre lists it as one of his top 5 favorite games, alongside titles like Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, and Resident Evil. Indeed, the franchise is often considered among the best fighting games, often being compared to Tekken and Street Fighter. It has crossover with DC Comics, famous horror movie villains, and most recently Homelander.
South Park
The classic animated show, South Park, has been running for over twenty years, and has produced over 300 episodes, a film, and a dozen specials. It is one of the classics of adult animation, alongside The Simpsons, Family Guy, and most recently, Rick and Morty. The show stars four elementary school boys that get involved with magic, aliens, conspiracies, and more.
In the 2010s, Matt and Trey decided to step away from television, and instead focus on writing a video game. South Park: The Stick of Truth came out in 2014, and was a huge success. In the game, the South Park kids have separated into two major, fantasy factions, one led by Stan and Kyle, and the other by Cartman. The boys compete to acquire the Stick of Truth, an ancient artifact (twig), that they discovered eons (days) ago.
The success of the first game all but necessitated a follow-up. In 2017, South Park: The Fractured But Whole released, allowing the player to return to their adventures in the fictional Colorado town. But, what makes the game funny? Well, being written by the creators of the show themselves, the game is faithful to the crude, take-no-prisoners humor of the original.
However, many have criticized the show’s recent seasons, claiming that Matt and Trey have lost their spark. Well, in these two games, they’ve certainly found it. Both games are just as funny as South Park during its peak. Not only that, but the games also feature a mixture of the gross-out, toilet humor, coupled with the pretty intelligent criticism of society, politics, and pop culture, that South Park has always been known for.
The Goat Simulator
To end this article off, we’d like to shine a light on an independent game, which released in 2014. Titled simply Goat Simulator, the game features no plot, no story, no goals, and minimal characters. It all boils down to a single goat. The player is in control of the goat, and can roam freely around an open world, causing havoc and mayhem, or simply choosing to graze the grass.
Some might wonder, where is the comedy? The truth of the matter is that the game itself is the comedy. It is an absurd experience, that one can’t help but laugh at. The goat can enter towns and cities, and get into some rather ridiculous hijinks. The results can be as minor as a few broken windows, or as over-the-top as city-spanning explosions. If that strikes your curiosity, then we would certainly suggest giving the Goat Simulator a chance. It may not seem like much, but it is quite a thrill.
Interrobang Contributor
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