How do you deal with "gamer humor?"

[Thornir Alekeg]

Are most other gamers like this? I don't think that hearing the same joke over and over again is funny, and I certainly don't think that a pop culture reference constitutes a joke.

If we ever end up in the same location, we probably should not join the same gaming group. Yeah, I'm like that when gaming, and all of the people I have gamed with over the years have been like that as well. Of course we are more sophisticated than your current group because we use both Monty Python and Dead Alewives, as well as The Gamers, Order of the Stick and many other references. We don't repeat all that often within a session, but many of the same jokes come up session to session.

The ex-Kitchens drudge who remembers the disgusting (to the players) architectural sculptures made out of animal fat and licks his hips in fond remembrance.

Licking his hips? That would make me laugh!

 

[Desdichado]

... and licks his hips in fond remembrance.

Uh... weird.

 

[Stoat]

I game with friends, and I game for fun. There's lots and lots of cross-talk and stupid jokes at my table, and I'm fine with it.

We subscribe to Rasheed's Theorem: "Anything that's funny once is always funny."

We also subscribe to the Smoot Corollary to Rasheed's Theorm: "With sufficient repetition, anything will become funny."

 

[Stoat]

Uh... weird.

Animal fat goes straight to the hips. Everybody knows that.

 

[Aberzanzorax]

Since it's been mentioned a few times, a quick lesson in Psychology terms:

1. Positive reinforcement: you do something good. you get something good.
2. Negative reinforcement: you do something good. you lose something bad

Reinforcement is when you do something good, you get reinforced.


3. Positive punishment: you do something bad, you GET something bad
4. Negative punishment: you do something bad, you LOSE something good.

Punishment is when you do something bad, you get punished.


(lots of people frequently call negative reinforcement punishment incorrectly)


EXAMPLES of each:
1. In a session with no pop references, you award the whole group (or individuals) bonus xp.
2. In a session with no pop references, you turn off the annoying buzzer that you play for every session. "Ya want the buzzer to go away? Stop annoying me."

3. They make a reference, you summon a monster who kills them.
4. They make a reference, you dock them xp.


Umbran is correct, though, that changing behavior is best done through positive reinforcement (ESPECIALLY in a gaming group of friends looking to have fun).

 

[Desdichado]

I haven't had a Holy Grail quote at the table in ages.

We haven't either; we get occasional pop culture references, but it's fairly broad (last session, there was a wand of shocking grasp that got found; that led to predictable "Don't tase me, bro" quotes.) We tend to repeat jokes that make fun of each other, or something that they've said. At the beginning of one session, one player described a scene at work when he was at the hospital doing his internship where an enormous 350+ lbs woman told him to close the door on the way out; she was masturbating. So, that got referenced about three or four times that night in session.

That's more our speed.

 

[Oni]

I have often thought that Monty Python has been responsible for ruining more D&D games than Mothers Against Dungeons & Dragons and Jack Chick combined.

 

[No Name]

I think I understand where you're coming from. A lot of the people I've played with over the years have had trouble understanding the difference between funny once, funny never, and funny always.

Recently, a guy at the table tells a joke that no one laughs at. Instead of realizing that it wasn't funny, he assumes no one heard him and repeats it again, only much louder this time.

 

[Obryn]

I game with folks who will let no double entendre go unnoticed. Also, I can't use the word "taint." And you can guess how a shifter named "Thunderclap" went over.

I knew we'd passed the point of no return when they giggled at "Moonstair" from Trollhaunt Warrens. I didn't get it - but I suppose they figured it was a way to say, basically, "bum-looker."

-O

 

[Mark Chance]

I knew we'd passed the point of no return when they giggled at "Moonstair"....

My first thought was that it must be a generic term for an extremely posh monster. Sort of like the Lovey Howell of monsters.