That's SOE Funny!

'You know, it's funny…' or where is the humour in MMOGs?

Anytime you gather people together in an online game, whether it's to camp that coveted three hour rare spawn that never pops, or to find one of the precious few reasons to say "pwn," it is inevitable that you will find humour.   Any MMO veteran worth their salt can relay a plethora of amazing and often strange tales.  Either that they have been a part of, or just "heard about." As time passes and the stories are told and retold, they grow with the telling into the elaborate "legends" of the gaming world that we oh so lovingly reminisce about to any and all who will listen.   Old timers can often be found arguing about "just how many dragons were killed that day.

Everquest 2 is no different. If you were to sit down with enough of its players, you could write a book about the amusing events that have made their way into the lore and legends that make up the world of Norrath.   These stories vary from the oddly funny, to the disturbing, to the unusual, to the outright hilarious.  But as diverse as the events are, they can almost always be found clustering about in certain situations.

For instance, we've all been grouped with the perpetually lost. That one poor soul who is so directionally challenged that they could get lost in a paper sack.   You could give them a GPS system and fire signal flares to guide them, and they will still never find you.  Oh, they'll get close… To the other end of the zone.   I've found that this is often the same person who is afflicted with the exploring bug.  The one who runs through the nearest closed door saying "Oh! What's in here?"   They will kill your group faster than an Epic x4 mob.

Or maybe, like I often have, you've played with someone whose system barely meets the minimum requirements.  One whose TRS-80 with its 1 megabyte graphics card, will cause them to freeze the moment battle ensues, guaranteeing that they will never be standing in a safe spot.   This is also the person who will have to constantly reboot their machine causing unnecessary downtime.  (In my case,this inevitably leads to mischief.)   I lovingly refer to such individuals as "Lag Man. "

Which leads us to the mischief maker. I have been guilty of this role in a group many times.  For some reason, there are those who believe that chasing the polar bears in Everfrost screaming "Where is my Coke?!" is inappropriate.  Along with the giggles, this usually brings sighs from my group along with the extra mob (I wonder if they’d like fries with that next time).  They like to call them my little "Uh-Ohs."

The people you are with participate and share in all the humour. But, while people are a big part of the fun, there is also a lot of amusement to be found in the world around you.   This could be anything from a minor bug to an intentionally placed Easter Egg.

Have you ever ridden a Griffon? Lovely, convenient creatures, especially when you're a dwarf with short stubby legs, like yours truly. There you are, soaring gracefully through the air, admiring the gorgeous landscape below you.  Here comes your destination, you're almost at the end of your journey.   But what's this? The Griffon has left you in mid-air a good 5 feet from the tower and the safety of the landing platform. As you plummet to your death, you can't help but laugh. I've always wondered what people do to make the Griffons so angry. I've yet to come up with an answer, but I'm thinking they're the same people for whom the safety rails were recently installed.

Easter Eggs can be found in many of the NPC names. It’s hard to walk through  North Qeynos without giggling at the duck named Sergeant Quackers. Perhaps you’ve also seen Miner McHammer hard at work in Graystone Yard.  There is no better end to a hard day of adventuring like a cold drink served up by Bartender Kathey Brewsher. After you enjoy that drink you can wander to Qeynos Harbor and hear the stories of Captain Salty.

Grouping and the game itself provide ample opportunities for fun and humour. But there is nothing that can top the creativity of the average player. Boredom, the desire to laugh, or simply the irresistible urge for mischief, any of these things can birth some type of prank or wacky antic.

There's a certain defiler in my guild who on occasion takes the notion to chase terrified newbies around the docks in Nektulos Forest in his mutant rat form.  He has also been known to giggle insanely relating these stories.

I know of one individual with a little too much free time, who one day used the in-game mail system to have a little bit of fun with one of his guildmates (I heard about this…Honestly, I had nothing to do with this). He began filling his friend's inbox with emails titled "Meet Halfling Singles," "Increase the Length of your Sword," and "Refinance your Inn Room rates now!" The most amusing one I heard about was a particularly elaborate spin on the email scam we all get from time to time. Apparently someone in Zek claimed to be the grandson of the deceased Holly Windstalker and was in care of five hundred platinum pieces but needed assistance getting it away from the Qeynos bank. It sounded a little fishy to me, especially since they wanted a few gold pieces upfront to get the paperwork started.

Personally, my favorite form of entertainment is to see which of my guildmates is talented enough to say “Gigglegibber Goblin” five times fast in TeamSpeak.  If you haven’t tried it, I’d highly recommend it, but make sure you aren’t drinking anything. Where can you find the humour in MMO's? In this dwarf’s humble opinion the best source of humour in game comes from the time spent with friends and guildmates and the amusing things they do to make each other laugh. The next time you see a naked dwarf in Qeynos, claiming to have lost too many poker hands, be sure to take a moment to appreciate the laughter he is bringing.