Abstract

Punchline Behind the Hotspot: Structures of Humor, Puzzle, and Sexuality in Adventure Games (with <i>Leisure</i><i>Suit</i><i>Larry</i> in Several Wrong Places)

Highlights

  • Punchline Behind the Hotspot: Structures of Humor, Puzzle, and Sexuality in Adventure Games

  • Buckles foresaw: I view interactive fiction in its present stage as an immature medium capable of artistic development. [We] are at the beginning of what could be an explosive development of interactive fiction [and while] games like Adventure do not yet have a generally accepted name . . . “Adventure games” might win out in the long run, much as “Kleenex” is used instead of “facial tissue.”

  • The notion “adventure game” remains as a signifier for a distinct genre that Buckles described as a kind of decipherable “comic strip,” being careful to distinguish it from videogames proper:

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Summary

Enigmatic Synergy

Puzzles (and fiction puzzles in particular) share a structural similarity with humor (and jokes in particular). Though this study likely involved some response bias due to its specific method of collection (via IRC, Facebook, and gaming forums), industry experts have repeatedly recognized Larry’s influence and popularity—including the occasional estimation that a significant proportion of Larry players were female (Rosen). With this context in mind, the present analysis delves into the specific mechanic (fiction puzzles) and thematic (sexual humor) synergy that makes adventure games like Larry exceptionally suitable for expression through laughter

Larry through Superiority Theory
Larry through Relief Theory
Larry through Incongruity Theory
Conclusions
Findings
Works Cited
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