2024
Mähkä, Rami; Walliander, Haron
“Realistic but Humorous" : Finnish Army Simulator as a First-Person Video Game on Finnish National Service Book Chapter
In: Mochocki, Michał; Schreiber, Paweł; Majewski, Jakub; Kot, Yaraslau I. (Ed.): Central and Eastern European Histories and Heritages in Video Games , Routledge, 2024, ISBN: 9781003461326.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Humour, National Service, Simulation games
@inbook{nokey,
title = {“Realistic but Humorous" : Finnish Army Simulator as a First-Person Video Game on Finnish National Service},
author = {Rami Mähkä and Haron Walliander},
editor = {Michał Mochocki and Paweł Schreiber and Jakub Majewski and Yaraslau I. Kot},
url = {https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003461326},
doi = {10.4324/9781003461326},
isbn = {9781003461326},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-10-17},
booktitle = {Central and Eastern European Histories and Heritages in Video Games },
publisher = {Routledge},
abstract = {This chapter will explore the Finnish-origin digital game Finnish Army Simulator (2023) and how it represents the compulsory Finnish armed service. Although the game aims to model service and realism accurately, it has a humorous undertone. The game's humor situates it in the Finnish military farce tradition. Finnish Army Simulator can be considered a new form of military farce in game media, combining the hallmarks of military farce movies with the unique features of digital games. The analysis of the paratexts shows that military service, which over 65% of men in Finland undergo, is a collective experience, and the humorous treatment of this shared experience is a meaningful topic for games. Interestingly, realism and authenticity can be a backdrop for humorous gameplay and narrative.},
keywords = {Humour, National Service, Simulation games},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inbook}
}
This chapter will explore the Finnish-origin digital game Finnish Army Simulator (2023) and how it represents the compulsory Finnish armed service. Although the game aims to model service and realism accurately, it has a humorous undertone. The game's humor situates it in the Finnish military farce tradition. Finnish Army Simulator can be considered a new form of military farce in game media, combining the hallmarks of military farce movies with the unique features of digital games. The analysis of the paratexts shows that military service, which over 65% of men in Finland undergo, is a collective experience, and the humorous treatment of this shared experience is a meaningful topic for games. Interestingly, realism and authenticity can be a backdrop for humorous gameplay and narrative.
2023
Felczak, Mateusz; Garda, Maria B.
Zulionerzy and the Polish Independent Video Games of the Early 2000s Journal Article
In: Studies in Eastern European Cinema, vol. 14, iss. 1, pp. 25-38, 2023, ISSN: 2040-3518.
Abstract | Links | Tags: 2000s, Freeware games, Humour, Independent games, Parody, Poland, Who wants to be a Millionaire
@article{Felczak2023,
title = {Zulionerzy and the Polish Independent Video Games of the Early 2000s},
author = {Mateusz Felczak and Maria B. Garda},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/2040350X.2022.2071519?journalCode=reec20
https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/175408353?lang=fi_FI},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1080/2040350X.2022.2071519},
issn = {2040-3518},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-02},
urldate = {2023-01-02},
journal = {Studies in Eastern European Cinema},
volume = {14},
issue = {1},
pages = {25-38},
abstract = {This article investigates the development of discourses related to a specific era of independent games and offers a close historical and cultural analysis of the freeware Polish game Żulionerzy (Ortalion Entertainment 2001). The game is positioned as a compelling cultural artefact from the often overlooked and underresearched period of the early 2000s, combining inspirations from the globally recognized TV franchise Who Wants to be a Millionaire and the emerging indie games scenes. The authors argue that Żulionerzy is a project that manages to capture young adults’ perspective on the economic and cultural zeitgeist of the era. Its potential as a counter-cultural and transgressive gaming intervention is further reinforced by intertextual references and a parodistic core gameplay loop. The assessment of Żulionerzy is concluded with a call to investigate similar productions which, while produced in a national language, shared their key features with the rising wave of grassroot browser-based games.},
keywords = {2000s, Freeware games, Humour, Independent games, Parody, Poland, Who wants to be a Millionaire},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This article investigates the development of discourses related to a specific era of independent games and offers a close historical and cultural analysis of the freeware Polish game Żulionerzy (Ortalion Entertainment 2001). The game is positioned as a compelling cultural artefact from the often overlooked and underresearched period of the early 2000s, combining inspirations from the globally recognized TV franchise Who Wants to be a Millionaire and the emerging indie games scenes. The authors argue that Żulionerzy is a project that manages to capture young adults’ perspective on the economic and cultural zeitgeist of the era. Its potential as a counter-cultural and transgressive gaming intervention is further reinforced by intertextual references and a parodistic core gameplay loop. The assessment of Żulionerzy is concluded with a call to investigate similar productions which, while produced in a national language, shared their key features with the rising wave of grassroot browser-based games.
2022
Saarikoski, Petri; Lindfors, Antti; Suominen, Jaakko; Reunanen, Markku
The Illuminatus Space Game: From an April Fools’ Joke to Digital Cultural Heritage Book Section
In: Giappone, Krista Bonello Rutter; Majkowski, Tomasz Z.; Švelch, Jaroslav (Ed.): Video Games and Comedy, Palgrave Macmillan Cham, 2022, ISBN: 978-3-030-88338-6.
Abstract | Links | Tags: 1980s, April Fools' joke, Cultural memory, Digital culture, Game journalism, Home computers, Humour, Simulation games
@incollection{Saarikoski2022,
title = {The Illuminatus Space Game: From an April Fools’ Joke to Digital Cultural Heritage},
author = {Petri Saarikoski and Antti Lindfors and Jaakko Suominen and Markku Reunanen},
editor = {Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone and Tomasz Z. Majkowski and Jaroslav Švelch},
url = {https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-88338-6_7},
doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88338-6_7},
isbn = {978-3-030-88338-6},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-03-26},
urldate = {2022-03-26},
booktitle = {Video Games and Comedy},
publisher = {Palgrave Macmillan Cham},
series = {Palgrave Studies in Comedy},
abstract = {In April 1989, the leading Finnish computer hobbyist magazine MikroBitti published a glowing preview of a 3D space-faring game called Illuminatus. It was described as an epic space flight, trading, combat and empire building title that was more than a game, rather a way of life. In reality, the game did not exist at all, but the April Fools’ joke was taken seriously by many readers. In this chapter we analyse the cultural and historical context of the prank, its plausibility, and repercussions. The technological optimism of the decade is an important backdrop for the joke, and the journalist behind it cleverly evoked the hopes and expectations of the audience. Even after more than three decades, Illuminatus is still referenced and remembered within Finnish enthusiast circles. Interestingly, it appears that the (non-) existence of the game hardly matters at all in the long run, as it has become part of the shared cultural memory of a hobbyist generation, just as if it had been any popular game of the time. },
keywords = {1980s, April Fools' joke, Cultural memory, Digital culture, Game journalism, Home computers, Humour, Simulation games},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
In April 1989, the leading Finnish computer hobbyist magazine MikroBitti published a glowing preview of a 3D space-faring game called Illuminatus. It was described as an epic space flight, trading, combat and empire building title that was more than a game, rather a way of life. In reality, the game did not exist at all, but the April Fools’ joke was taken seriously by many readers. In this chapter we analyse the cultural and historical context of the prank, its plausibility, and repercussions. The technological optimism of the decade is an important backdrop for the joke, and the journalist behind it cleverly evoked the hopes and expectations of the audience. Even after more than three decades, Illuminatus is still referenced and remembered within Finnish enthusiast circles. Interestingly, it appears that the (non-) existence of the game hardly matters at all in the long run, as it has become part of the shared cultural memory of a hobbyist generation, just as if it had been any popular game of the time.
2021
Karhulahti, Veli-Matti; Giappone, Krista Bonello Rutter
Punchline Behind the Hotspot: Structures of Humor, Puzzle, and Sexuality in Adventure Games (with Leisure Suit Larry in Several Wrong Places) Journal Article
In: Journal of Popular Culture, vol. 54, iss. 2, pp. 341-364, 2021, ISSN: 1540-5931.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Adventure games, Close reading, Humour, Leisure Suit Larry, Puzzles, Sexuality
@article{Karhulahti2021c,
title = {Punchline Behind the Hotspot: Structures of Humor, Puzzle, and Sexuality in Adventure Games (with Leisure Suit Larry in Several Wrong Places)},
author = {Veli-Matti Karhulahti and Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202005153223
},
doi = {10.1111/jpcu.13011},
issn = {1540-5931},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-04-01},
journal = {Journal of Popular Culture},
volume = {54},
issue = {2},
pages = {341-364},
abstract = {Through the wide‐ranging catalog of text‐based titles in the 1980s, the graphic adventure boom in the 1990s, and ultimately the re‐popularization of the genre by recent independent developers, the comic element has always been central to the adventure game (Bonello Rutter Giappone). Nowadays, the premise also stands on empirical evidence; for instance, Anne‐Marie Grönroos’s study of videogame humor analyzed 659 gaming magazine reviews written between 2010 and 2012 and found that a quarter of the reviewed titles contained explicit humor. Of those, the adventure game genre was clearly the most humorous one, as almost “all of the adventure games were primarily comedic, and the quality of their jokes was often scrutinized in the review” (Grönroos 18). For further evidence, the present study commenced with a systematic review of the “Top 100 Adventure Games” list assembled by a leading community, Adventure Gamers. Despite the fact that high‐status critical rankings like this typically favor “serious” works over those with “comic” appeal (to employ a problematic cultural binary), more than half of the titles were explicitly humorous. For context, many of these titles belong to popular series such as Monkey Island (Lucasfilm Games, since 1990), Simon the Sorcerer (Adventure Soft, since 1993), and Discworld (Perfect 10 Productions, since 1995).2 With the above as a starting‐point, the goal of this study is to solve the persistent meta‐puzzle that has troubled critics, scholars, and popular culture experts within the field since Buckles: Why do adventure games, as a literary form with a history extending over seven decades, make use of humor as their means of expression to such a remarkable extent? Answers to the above are sought via a comparative analysis of two conceptual trajectories, humor and puzzles, that synthesize in the adventure game to a degree that has nowadays reached the status of substantial cultural convention. An argument is set forth as follows: humor and puzzles operate on similar structural principles and thus run on explicit enigmatic synergy that functions as one (yet not the sole) explanation for the adventure game’s inclination to treat its diverse themes through the comic. Methodologically, the argument relies on an analytical close reading of a well‐known adventure game series, Leisure Suit Larry (1987–97), selected for its clear thematic frame of sexuality, which resonates with humor and puzzles. The analysis maps out how Leisure Suit Larry’s humor and puzzles operate together and serve its thematics, thus exemplifying the mechanisms of enigmatic synergy that govern adventure game design in general.},
keywords = {Adventure games, Close reading, Humour, Leisure Suit Larry, Puzzles, Sexuality},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Through the wide‐ranging catalog of text‐based titles in the 1980s, the graphic adventure boom in the 1990s, and ultimately the re‐popularization of the genre by recent independent developers, the comic element has always been central to the adventure game (Bonello Rutter Giappone). Nowadays, the premise also stands on empirical evidence; for instance, Anne‐Marie Grönroos’s study of videogame humor analyzed 659 gaming magazine reviews written between 2010 and 2012 and found that a quarter of the reviewed titles contained explicit humor. Of those, the adventure game genre was clearly the most humorous one, as almost “all of the adventure games were primarily comedic, and the quality of their jokes was often scrutinized in the review” (Grönroos 18). For further evidence, the present study commenced with a systematic review of the “Top 100 Adventure Games” list assembled by a leading community, Adventure Gamers. Despite the fact that high‐status critical rankings like this typically favor “serious” works over those with “comic” appeal (to employ a problematic cultural binary), more than half of the titles were explicitly humorous. For context, many of these titles belong to popular series such as Monkey Island (Lucasfilm Games, since 1990), Simon the Sorcerer (Adventure Soft, since 1993), and Discworld (Perfect 10 Productions, since 1995).2 With the above as a starting‐point, the goal of this study is to solve the persistent meta‐puzzle that has troubled critics, scholars, and popular culture experts within the field since Buckles: Why do adventure games, as a literary form with a history extending over seven decades, make use of humor as their means of expression to such a remarkable extent? Answers to the above are sought via a comparative analysis of two conceptual trajectories, humor and puzzles, that synthesize in the adventure game to a degree that has nowadays reached the status of substantial cultural convention. An argument is set forth as follows: humor and puzzles operate on similar structural principles and thus run on explicit enigmatic synergy that functions as one (yet not the sole) explanation for the adventure game’s inclination to treat its diverse themes through the comic. Methodologically, the argument relies on an analytical close reading of a well‐known adventure game series, Leisure Suit Larry (1987–97), selected for its clear thematic frame of sexuality, which resonates with humor and puzzles. The analysis maps out how Leisure Suit Larry’s humor and puzzles operate together and serve its thematics, thus exemplifying the mechanisms of enigmatic synergy that govern adventure game design in general.