The quest for serious sex adventures : a structural analysis of puzzle and humor

Abstract

Studies have repeatedly observed the comical excess in the so-called classic adventure game genre. The hacker humor of the original Adventure (Jerz 2007; Lessard 2013), the technical jokes of the subsequent text-adventure era (Yorke-Smith 2002; Montfort 2003), the witty design of later point-and-click adventures (Fernández-Vara 2009; Black 2012) and the self-reflexive parody that oversees the evolution of the genre to our days (Bonello Rutter Giappone 2015) have all been mapped out throughout the years. But why is this comic excess, in its various and diverse forms, typical of the classic adventure game genre in particular? Moreover, what are its implications for adventure game thematics and sensitive themes such as sexuality in general? This paper sets out to answer the first question and thence hypothesize answers to the second questions through the following chain of argumentation: Premise 1: The nature of challenge in classic adventure games is heavily reliant on puzzles. Premise 2: Puzzles and jokes operate on similar structural principles. Conclusion: Since classic adventure games rely on puzzles, and puzzles resonate with humor, it is logical for the designers to favor humor as a thematic component. [Extract from the Introduction]