How can you incorporate humor into your game's narrative without detracting from the story?

"Know your audience, but most importantly know your place in that audience." Prioritize a deep comprehension of your target audience when adding humor to your game, just as you would when choosing the best course of action in a challenging gameplay scenario. To determine the varied ages, tastes, and cultural backgrounds of your target audience, do a thorough investigation. If it's a children's game, use silly, wordplay, and slapstick; if it's intended for an older audience, go for more complex humor, irony, and sarcasm. Humor that is appropriate for your audience not only increases the attraction of the game but also lowers the possibility of problems, giving gamers a more engaging and fun gaming experience.

This perspective is a good one. I’d add that I recently came across the 2021 book titled, “Humor, seriously : why humor is a secret weapon in business and life: And how anyone can harness it. Even you." - I like how Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas communicate throughout the book. They’re highly informative + entertaining. Offering proof that one does not need to come at the cost of the other. Plus, they make an interesting point about how the type of humor you use depends on what stage of a career you’re at. Briefly, senior execs are perceived as more confident when they engage in a form of self-deprecating humor. Whereas less senior employees are often perceived less confident by their peers when they engage in self-deprecating humor.

Humour should not be used sparingly just as a general rule. Comedy is an art that takes many forms and trying to give it rules just doesn't work. Some games have humour sparingly throughout to help keep the gameplay/story diverse and interesting, and some have it like a machinegun constantly telling jokes after jokes. A game like Brutal Legend or Monkey Island would be very different if their humour was used more sparingly.

Humor can be a central part of the game, especially if it is a parody or imaginatory environment. Even early text quests in 1990th were super funny and filled with a good jokes and absurd situations, and that is what makes them so great and natural. The game is not a psychotherapeut's office and neither it is a newspaper article, so there is little sense in restraining yourself, as a game designer, from using humor if you think it is appropriate to be there. After all, it your game, your world, and your rules - shape it as you think it should be, not as someone dictates.

Remember that humor makes a point. The way to think of something natural to whatever you're telling or writing about is for a point to be made through something funny. Otherwise, you distract the players, you take them out of the story or narrative, which is bad. The way to practice is this: Go to any show or book or game or movie that you thought had some really funny moments and see how they use the humor to make the point they needed to make. Because of this you have to remember that there is no pattern you can repeat over and over again. You have to use this insight in a different way in every case. It takes a lot of practice, and never assume you're funny. Test it on others.

Humor in game narratives must be carefully tested with the target audience. In my experience, this involves two types of research: an audit to ensure the humor does not harm any specific social group, and focus group testing. Both steps are crucial because humor should aid the project, not cause harm. It’s also important to consider cultural differences, as humor can be perceived differently across various cultures and regions. Continuous feedback and iteration based on research findings are essential to fine-tune the humor so that it enhances the gaming experience while being respectful and inclusive.

There is a level in which humor can really take you out of the narrative, not take you out, and anything in the middle. The best example for humor that works but takes you out is Joss Whedon's humor (writer of Buffy, Angel, and the first two Avenger movies if you want to see what I mean). His humor is always on point but also takes the viewer out so much so as to appreciate the writer and give the writer a good reputation for his sense of humor rather than the series' or movie's sense of humor. How much you take the player out of the narrative is a scale you have to consider very carefully.

Food for thought: What about incorporating comedian characters into video games to open up a new realm of possibilities? Game developers could collaborate with comedians who resonate with their game's target audience, creating unique, entertaining experiences. While it's common to see sports players or action heroes in games, the inclusion of comedians could add an element of humour and relatability that enriches the gaming experience. This approach not only diversifies the characters in games but also potentially broadens the game's appeal and enhances player engagement

Based on your game's narrative humour should come from the environment, characters and situations within the game's narrative. This needs to come from a creation level when considering your character personality's.