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Humour in Video Games: Play, Comedy, and Mischief Department Media Degree Programme MA in New Media Year 2013 Number of Pages 77+7 Language English

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Humour in Video Games: Play, Comedy, and Mischief Department Media Degree Programme MA in New Media Year 2013 Number of Pages 77+7 Language English Humour in Video Games Play, Comedy, and Mischief Anne-Marie Grönroos Aalto University School of Art, Design and Architecture Department of Media Media Lab Helsinki Master’s Thesis March 2013 Aalto University, P.O. BOX 11000, 00076 AALTO www.aalto.fi Master of Arts thesis abstract Author Anne-Marie Grönroos Title of thesis Humour in Video Games: Play, Comedy, and Mischief Department Media Degree programme MA in New Media Year 2013 Number of pages 77+7 Language English Abstract This thesis studies how humour is used in non-abstract video games, focusing on the player’s agency and emergent humour. Humorous qualities of games are analysed in light of film comedy techniques and the main three theories of humour: incongruity, superiority, and relief. Instances of humour are further examined through game mechanics, characters, and the game world, and by putting the single elements into the larger contexts of building narratives and player behaviour. It is found that the player’s role in certain types of humour differs from non-interactive media: players can either initiate humorous instances or become their victims. Allowing for the player’s input even in scripted sequences personalises the experience. Characters, the game world, and especially game mechanics offer ways to create emergent humour, particularly when the narrative is fused with the gameplay, and surprising the players is effective for eliciting both emergent and scripted humour. Humour can be used to push the boundaries of social contracts between players and the player and the designer. It is suggested that the unique features of games are not currently used to their full extent when it comes to humour, and the role of the player is the key into taking advantage of them. Keywords humour, games, comedy, players, emergence, gameplay Aalto-yliopisto, PL 11000, 00076 AALTO www.aalto.fi Taiteen maisterin opinnäytteen tiivistelmä Tekijä Anne-Marie Grönroos Työn nimi Humour in Video Games: Play, Comedy, and Mischief Laitos Media Koulutusohjelma Uuden median maisteri Vuosi 2013 Sivumäärä 77+7 Kieli englanti Tiivistelmä Tämä opinnäytetyö tutkii, kuinka huumoria käytetään ei-abstrakteissa videopeleissä keskittyen pelaajan agenssiin ja emergenttiin huumoriin. Pelien humoristisia ominaisuuksia analysoidaan pohjaten elokuvakomediatekniikkoihin ja kolmeen tärkeimpään huumoriteoriaan: inkongruenssi-, ylemmyys- ja huojennusteoriaan. Humoristisia hetkiä käsitellään tarkemmin pelimekaniikoiden, hahmojen ja pelimaailman näkökulmasta ja asettamalla erilliset elementit narratiivien muodostuksen ja pelaajien käytöksen viitekehyksiin. Tulee ilmi, että pelaajan rooli tietyissä huumorityypeissä eroaa ei-interaktiivisesta mediasta: pelaajat voivat joko aiheuttaa humoristisia hetkiä tai joutua niiden uhreiksi. Pelaajan panoksen salliminen myös ennalta kirjoitetuissa tapahtumasarjoissa tekee kokemuksesta henkilökohtaisen. Hahmot, pelimaailma ja erityisesti pelimekaniikat tarjoavat tapoja luoda emergenttiä huumoria etenkin, kun narratiivi ja pelattavat elementit nivoutuvat yhteen, ja pelaajien yllättäminen on tehokasta luodessa sekä emergenttiä että käsikirjoitettua huumoria. Huumorin kautta voi koetella sosiaalisia sääntöjä pelaajien ja pelaajan ja suunnittelijan välillä. Todetaan, että pelien ainutlaatuisissa ominaisuuksissa on huumorin kohdalla vielä käyttämä- töntä potentiaalia ja että pelaajan rooli on avain sen hyödyntämiseen. Avainsanat huumori, pelit, komedia, pelaajat, emergenssi Acknowledgements I want to thank Miikka Junnila for supervising this thesis. I would surely not have finished it if not for the power of deadlines, and I would still be in the limbo of half-formed ideas and unsolved problems had someone not ushered me towards graduating instead of finding even harder problems to leave unsolved. I also want to thank everyone else who has given me comments and advice at any point, and especially Piia Lempiäinen and Kaisa Helminen who not only read the whole thing and gave feedback on a tight schedule but dared to bet against me. Table of Contents 1. Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 8 1.1 Background and Methods ......................................................................................... 9 1.2 Contents of the Thesis ............................................................................................ 10 2. Overview of Humour in Games ............................................................................................. 11 2.1 A Brief History of Humour in Games ........................................................................ 11 2.2 Qualitative and Quantitative Research for the Thesis............................................... 14 2.2.1 Qualitative Study of Humorous Games ............................................................................. 15 2.2.2 Quantitative Data from Pelit Magazine............................................................................. 16 2.3 Theories of Humour ................................................................................................ 19 2.3.1 Superiority Humour in Games .......................................................................................... 21 2.3.2 Relief Humour in Games................................................................................................... 22 2.3.3 Incongruity Humour in Games .......................................................................................... 24 2.3.4 Functions of Humour in Games ........................................................................................ 25 2.4 Comedy Genre ........................................................................................................ 26 2.4.1 Satire................................................................................................................................ 26 2.4.2 Parody .............................................................................................................................. 29 2.4.3 Slapstick ........................................................................................................................... 31 2.4.4 Dark Comedy .................................................................................................................... 31 2.4.5 Gross-Out Comedy ........................................................................................................... 33 2.4.6 Romantic Comedy ............................................................................................................ 34 2.4.7 Comedy in Non-Comedy Works ........................................................................................ 34 3. Humour through Game Elements ......................................................................................... 36 3.1 Game Mechanics .................................................................................................... 36 3.1.1 Dynamics.......................................................................................................................... 37 3.1.2 Elegance ........................................................................................................................... 38 3.1.3 Levels of Abstraction ........................................................................................................ 40 3.2 Characters .............................................................................................................. 41 3.2.1 Player Character ............................................................................................................... 42 Character Limitations ........................................................................................................ 43 Character Creation............................................................................................................ 43 3.2.2 Non-Player Characters...................................................................................................... 44 NPC Reactions .................................................................................................................. 45 Objects ............................................................................................................................. 46 3.2.3 Player as a Character ........................................................................................................ 46 3.3 Game World ........................................................................................................... 48 3.3.1 Incongruous Environment ................................................................................................ 48 3.3.2 Hidden Humour................................................................................................................ 50 4. Building towards Narratives ................................................................................................. 52 4.1 Game and Story Progression ................................................................................... 52 4.1.1 Quests and Gags............................................................................................................... 53 4.2 Verbal Humour ....................................................................................................... 55 4.2.1 Diegetic ............................................................................................................................ 56 4.2.2 Non-Diegetic ...................................................................................................................
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