Eggs is eggs
After some of the stuff we talked about in last week’s episode, I decided to take us further down the giggle chute to talk about funny games in general. What games are funny? Why, and how? Is it easier for games to be funny when they’re not trying to be? Should self-described funny games be avoided entirely?
Because of this, we end up talking about Blorko again. We also nearly come to war about the difference between randomly improvising funny stuff and deciding that saying ‘egg’ a lot of is funny. There is a difference, but you know it when you see it. Matthew’s life is like a sitcom, and also we apologise to Henry Cavill for forgetting his birthday. Sorry Henry. Please come on the show.
You can listen above, or onon Spotify,iTunes,Stitcher, orPocket Casts. You can find theRSS feed here, and you can discuss the episodeon our Discord channel, which has a dedicated room for podcast chat.
Music is by Jack de Quidt.
NotesWe talk kind of broadly about Physics Wonk Games as a whole -Totally Accurate Battle Simulator,Surgeon Simulator,I Am Bread,Octodadand the like. Wibbly physics make you go lol.
To kick things off there’s a talk aboutTales From The Borderlands, a very funny game, vs.Borderlandsproper, games that are not as funny. To be fair, it’s a lot easier for TFTB to be funny because there are a lot more verbs beyond “shoot” and “loot” for the devs to play with.
Matthew really likedThe Magic Circle. I compare it toThere Is No Game, which I ended up thinking was quite smug, but which Matthew did.
Nate, in characteristic Nate style, likes when games go wrong. Like, you’re in a serious cutscene and then the dead body of a soldier you killed before wiggles the wrong way up a hill. He thinksArk: Survival Evolvedis funny for related reasons.
He does not likeMonkey Island, although I think Monkey Island is very much an example of a game being funny. We broadly agree that being too internet-y and reference-y is bad, and yet I also thinkTurnip Boy Does Tax Evasionis really funny.
Also,the goose.
Recommendationsthis week are the TV showTokyo Vice, the A&F documentaryWhite Hot, and Graze’sLemon and Bluberry Oat Squares.
