Where Have The Funny Games Gone?

This year’s E3 was quite the blowout. As usual, the juggernauts of the industry put their best foot forward, with games like God of War 4, Death Stranding, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild dominating both the stage and the attention of gamers. Like many people, I was intrigued by these titles, but for some reason, a different realization wound up being what stuck with me after the event was over: I never laughed, not once, at a single game.

Humor and gaming go back a long way together. From wisecracking everyman Nathan Drake all the way back to hidden jokes in the likes of the original Wolfenstein, gaming’s never shied away from clever references, snarky dialogue, and surreal situations, but truly funny games, those that make humor the spine of the game and not a window dressing, are rare. The adventure genre was ripe with classics like Grim Fandango and Tales of Monkey Island that heavily incorporated humor into every facet of their gameplay, but outside of that, it’s always been a rare treat when I’m playing a game that cracks me up.

The Bard’s Tale ensured that every shopkeeper in the game had some obvious quirk.

So my question is, why is that? Why is it so rare to find a truly funny game? The last two generations have had a few standouts – the Overlord series remains a favorite of mine, as does the oft-overlooked Armed and Dangerous – but I can’t think of anything this generation that’s really had that commitment to silliness. Since the Xbox One and PS4 hit, I can’t think of many that really go all in. Dead Rising 3, for example, has plenty of goofy elements, but it also balances them with so much gore and high stakes conflict that it’s hard to remember the laughs at the end of the day, creating a very different effect than The Bard’s Tale’s Lemony Snicket-style narrator.

Sales are almost definitely a factor. None of the games I’ve used as examples were breakout successes; Overlord’s latest entry is a co-op Diablo-like that released to poor reception from fans and critics alike, The Bard’s Tale’s got a new kickstarter title we haven’t heard from in some time now, and Armed and Dangerous didn’t do well enough to warrant a sequel. That, however, just raises more questions. Why do silly games fail? Is there really no market for them? I have a hard time believing that, and instead wonder if the problem is one of overspecialization.

Overlord II’s characters were all completely ridiculous, none moreso than the elves.

Let’s talk about Borderlands. Borderlands is, to a lot of people, a very funny series. It’s full of over-the-top characters, strange quests, and memetic references, and while it certainly has its share of dark or serious plot beats, it’s certainly more committed to humor than most. It’s also wildly successful, with each entry selling millions of copies and showing no signs of slowing. So what separates Borderlands from games I mentioned earlier? What makes it unique? I’d argue that it’s the gameplay. Overlord is hilarious, but frankly, it handles like steamy ass. Manipulating your minions is a hassle, enemies with any kind of special attack will often wipe out half your army because the fine control just doesn’t work, and glitches abound. The Bard’s Tale has similar problems, with repetitive waves of enemies and functional, but incredibly basic combat. By comparison, even with its own issues, Borderlands plays like a dream; people who don’t even like its humor often play it anyways, just because it’s such raw fun.

I think the problem is that many games that are truly silly forget that they still have a responsibility to be fun interactive experiences. I get it; making a polished and fun game is difficult enough without having to worry about being funny too, and it’s understandable that many developers don’t even make the attempt. Still I think there’s plenty of room for really funny, really wacky games to succeed, but they need to make sure they’re still fun to play, not just watch and listen to.