INSIDE JOKES: UNBOXING THE HUMOR IN BOARD GAMES

Humor is often thought of as a secondary element in board games — an extra layer of fun rather than a core mechanic.

- Bayard Catron

But as the tabletop gaming industry has evolved, humor has taken on a bigger role. Whether in party games designed purely to make people laugh or in complex strategy games that surprise players with clever twists and absurd scenarios, humor shapes how players experience games, how they relate to each other, and how they remember the game long after it ends.

Laughter Takes Center Stage in Party Games

Party games are the most obvious place to look for humor. These games are built for social interaction, designed to get people talking and laughing. The goal is less about winning and more about entertaining everyone at the table. I recall great games of Balderdash in which my friends would abandon the game's purpose of trying to fool players and instead create the most hilarious responses possible. Game designer Kory Heath noticed this phenomenon as well, and was inspired to create Why Did the Chicken...? What started as an analogy game morphed into a riddle game. Rather than combining two disparate elements as a means of pondering how they are alike, he realized he could prompt players to generate quips.

Smug Owls presents a similar, though quicker, riddle game experience. Unlike