Comedy Analysis: Humour in video games

Octodad: Dadliest Catch

Although humour is not a given in contemporary video games, there are certainly games out there that are full of humour, sometimes on purpose, sometimes unintentionally. In this post we will dive into humour in games.

Deadpool

Deadpool is a Marvel superhero who is known for the humorous comics. Now there is a game about him, it was inevitable there would be humour in there as well. Although some of the humour can be seen as childish, tacky and even slightly sexist, this game does tickle ones laughter bones and even if you don't like tacky humour, there is enough funny to be found in this beat 'em up.

Octodad: Dadliest Catch 

Octodad: Dadliest Catch is a game that was obviously made with comic intent. The protagonist is an octopus dressed in human clothes. Your challenges include putting on make-up, doing garden work, walking through hallways full of obstacles and putting a wedding ring on your bride's fingers. The humour is in that Octodad is incredibly hard to control. This results in limbs flying in every direction but the one you want him to go. Slapping people, crashing surrounding objects and hurting Octodad every step of the way. The slapstick in this game is sublime and when played in multi-player (where every player controls one or more separate limbs) adds to the hilarity.

Qwop

Qwop

Qwop is somewhat comparable with Octodad: Dadliest Catch albeit in a somewhat simpler form. It's a flash-based game which can be played for free on-line. The goal is to run 100 meters, whilst controlling all four limps separately with the Q,W,O and P buttons – hence the name. This too is nigh impossible.

Easter Eggs in Video Games

Many games, such as Borderlands and GTA feature funny 'Easter eggs'. These are little winks put in the game as a gift to the player. This can include characters from other franchises, links to a different world/universe, or (as is the case in GTA IV) a giant beating heart which can be found in a statue resembling the Statue of Liberty.

Claptrap is the comic relief in Borderlands and Borderlands 2

Humour in Boring Games 

Another form of humour used in video games is the type of humour that can be found in games like Papers Please and Cart Life. In both of these games you play someone who has a mind-numbingly boring job. Where most games let you become a race-car driver, criminal, police officer, soldier or something cool, these games let you play as a street vendor and an immigration officer respectively. This means you have to repeat the same action over and over again with increasing difficulty and seemingly little result. These games are hilarious through the apparent uselessness of your work.

Unintentional Humour 

Many games also feature unintentional humour. This can be in the form of glitches, bug and programming errors. This can result in floating objects, characters being able to walk through walls or fall through the floor, or make sporadic and funny movements. Youtube is full of videos highlighting brilliant glitches from famous games.

Video games are full of humour if you know where to look. There are far more games that feature excellent humour, some of them free, some paid, but all hilarious in their own way. Humour in gaming is on the rise again and we welcome it!