Video: Designing funny games is no joke, but it can be done

It's hard enough to make someone laugh at a single joke.

It's hard enough to make someone laugh at a single joke. How do you keep them laughing throughout an entire game ?

Game developer Zoe Quinn has spent time on stage working as a stand-up comedian, and as part of the GDC 2015 Narrative Summit she shared some interesting lessons learned from the experience about comedic timing -- and how it can be used to improve your game.

Citing comedic games like Jazzpunk , The Stanley Parable and her own project Camp's Not Dead , Quinn explored smart ways to tell jokes through game mechanics and ran down some of the unique challenges that plague comedy game developers. Playtesting, for example, gets really tricky when your game is full of jokes that might quickly fall flat when you play through them multiple times.

Humorous and insightful, Quinn's talk is worth watching -- and now you can do just that for free via the GDC Vault .

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vaultand its new YouTube channeloffers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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