History Main / RuleofFun

* ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' and ''VideoGame/Pump It Up'' in which the whole point of the game is to press the arrows at exactly the right time by dancing.

* ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' and ''VideoGame/Pumpitup'' in which the whole point of the game is to press the arrows at exactly the right time by dancing.

* ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'', in which the whole point of the game is to press the arrows at exactly the right time by dancing.

* The ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' series is essentially based off this trope. [[VideoGame/DonkeyKong The original concept]] was that of a carpenter named Jumpman saving a beautiful lady from [[Film/KingKong King-]], er, [[CaptainErsatz Donkey Kong]] by jumping over barrels. This was evidently decided to be too unrealistic, so the designers decided the carpenter would actually be a plumber called Mario, the [[DistressedDamsel beautiful lady]] would be a princess [[SaveThePrincess kidnapped by a giant fire-breathing turtle]], and the plumber would become larger by eating mushrooms, shoot fireballs by collecting flowers, and harness the power of those famed aeronauts, tanuki, to fly. The later games in the series (particularly the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' subseries) have mercilessly [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] the series's bizarre origins.

[[caption-width-right:350:Why are [[Franchise/{{SuperMarioBros}} Mario]] and [[WesternAnimation/{{TheSimpsons}} Homer Simpson]] fighting against [[Franchise/{{DragonBall}} Goku]] and [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Superman]] in [[WesternAnimation/{{SpongeBobSquarePants}} Bikini Bottom]]? Who really cares? It's still fun to watch!]]

* This very wiki. Why do we have stuff like SugarWiki/SugarWiki, DarthWiki/DarthWiki, JustForFun/TropeTan, or JustForFun/MadeOfWin? Why are our articles so casually-written in comparison to Website/ThatOtherWiki? Hell, why dedicate an entire site to tropes some people don't even notice in the first place? Because it's '''''fun''''', dammit!
** Averted though for some as this very wiki (as a concept and any given article) is often a surprizingly useful tool and aid in creating a common language of fun and creativity. The fact that it's fun is for those people is probably due to the same reason a physicist might enjoy adding something to the other wiki article on physics.

* FakeBalance

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' may very well be ''the'' FPS example. Why is a [[GatlingGood minigun that weighs 150kg]] possible to carry, [[MoreDakka let alone fire]]? Because it's fun. Why is the rocket launcher [[StuffBlowingUp semiautomatic?]] Because it's fun. Why does [[PercussiveMaintenance whacking a machine with a]] [[MagicTool wrench]] cause it to grow gatling turrets? Because it's fun. Why does a [[PaperThinDisguise paper mask make one identical to the face on the mask?]] Because it's fun. Why is [[CaffeineBulletTime an energy drink able to make someone invulnerable?]] Because it's fun. How does a [[HyperactiveMetabolism sandwich heal bullet wounds?]] Because it's fun. Why is [[RocketJump leaping over a sticky bomb, then detonating it]], a valuable combat tactic? Because it's fun. In fact, the reason the game stopped being a realistic military shooter is Valve realized how preposterous most of the above was, [[ReTool retooled]] the game, and then got away with the rest.

* The ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' series is essentially based off this trope. The original concept was that of a carpenter named Jumpman saving a beautiful lady from Film/KingKong, no, [[CaptainErsatz Donkey Kong]] by jumping over barrels. This was evidently decided to be too unrealistic, so the designers decided the carpenter would actually be a plumber called Mario, the [[DistressedDamsel beautiful lady]] would be a princess [[SaveThePrincess kidnapped by a giant fire-breathing turtle]], and the plumber would become larger by eating mushrooms, shoot fireballs by collecting flowers, and harness the power of those famed aeronauts, tanuki, to fly. The later games in the series (particularly the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' subseries) have mercilessly [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] the series's bizarre origins.

* Believe it or not, the ''ARMA'' series' vehicles are greatly simplified for this reason, as the game is already ''[[FacklerScaleOfFPSRealism completely in the opposite direction when it comes to people and small arms]]''.

* This trope is the only reason why in ''Mystery Trackers 3: Black Isle'' you can lug around in your inventory, not just a welding machine or a wheelbarrow, but a welding machine ''in'' a wheelbarrow.

* This very wiki. Why do we have stuff like SugarWiki/SugarWiki, DarthWiki/DarthWiki, JustForFun/TropeTan, or JustForFun/MadeOfWin? Why are our articles so casually-written in comparison to Wiki/ThatOtherWiki? Hell, why dedicate an entire site to tropes some people don't even notice in the first place? Because it's '''''fun''''', dammit!

* ''TabletopGame/MouseTrap'': No mouse would ever stand still while all the mechanisms run their course. Even if the mouse ignored all the mechanics going on, it would have enough time to eat its fill of cheese and amble back to its MouseHole for a nap. Also, what guy would wait patiently on that seesaw just to dive into a tub that has no water in it? Only children as players plus ToonPhysics make this game plausible.

* RuleOfFun probably had something to do with why the wasteland in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' looks more like it was bombed with conventional bombs than nukes: it just wouldn't be very interesting otherwise. Indeed, it accounts for many things in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'': the way some places are as radioactive as if WorldWarIII was yesterday, that the radiation has created lumpen Super Mutants and giant rad-scorpions instead of just death; the applications of MadScience and pre-war {{Artificial Intelligence}}s and EnergyWeapons; odd special encounters that reference original ''[[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Guardian_of_Forever Star Trek]]'' and ''[[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/TARDIS Doctor Who]]''.

** [[{{Deconstruction}} Taken completely seriously at face value]] by the ''VideoGame/RedAlert3Paradox'' GameMod, then stuffed into a blender with other game genres, creating 5 new factions and a roster of minifactions. If you thought ''VideoGame/RedAlert3'' was crazy, then Paradox gives you the possibility to play an {{RPG}}, VideoGame/SimCity or a TowerDefense game (notably both the towers and the creeps as separate factions) in a RealTimeStrategy game. [[Franchise/RedAlert3ParadoxExpandedUniverse To top it off, the mod is growing in size due to its fanbase who try to think of ever newer factions]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Asteroids}}'', all the way back in 1979 in the [[UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame arcade]]. The game's "[[NoPlotNoProblem plot]]" borders on TooDumbToLive: What spaceship pilot in their right mind thinks parking their ship in the middle of an AsteroidThicket is a good idea? Well, when your ship is armed with shots that can blast those asteroids into the next millennium, who cares? Have fun!

* ''VideoGame/{{Asteroids}}'', all the way back in 1979 in the [[UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame arcade]]. The game's "[[NoPlotNoProblem plot]]" borders on TooDumbToLive: What spaceship pilot in their right mind thinks parking their ship in the middle of an asteroid field is a good idea? Well, when your ship is armed with shots that can blast those asteroids into the next millennium, who cares? Have fun!

'''Tropes that exist partially or totally due to the RuleOfFun:'''

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* RuleOfFun probably had something to do with why the wasteland in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' looks more like it was bombed with conventional bombs than nukes: it just wouldn't be very interesting otherwise. Indeed, it accounts for many things in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'': the way some places are as radioactive as if WorldWarIII was yesterday, that the radiation has created lumpen Super Mutants and giant rad-scorpions instead of just death; the applications of MadScience and pre-war {{AI}}s and EnergyWeapons; odd special encounters that reference original ''[[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Guardian_of_Forever Star Trek]]'' and ''[[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/TARDIS Doctor Who]]''.

* Zombie mode in any VideoGame/CallOfDuty game. Battling the undead, [[ArbitrarySkepticism fair enough]]. But using points to buy [[MoreDakka bigger and upgraded]] weapons, the [[AnnouncerChatter demonic announcer]], [[NukeEm nukes]] that only kill zombies...RuleOfFun to the max.

-->-- '''[[http://www.sirlin.net/articles/slippery-slope-and-perpetual-comeback David Sirlin]]''' on ''VideoGame/StreetFighter''

* Played for drama in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing2SimbasPride'', Timon and Pumbaa enlist Kiara and Kovu's assistance with scaring away birds from a bug-infested region of the Pridelands; first by roaring, and then by chasing after them. Kovu, having been trained by his mother for most of his life as [[TheMole a mole]], reacted to the concept of doing something just for fun as though it were alien to him.

* This very wiki. Why do we have stuff like SugarWiki/SugarWiki, DarthWiki/DarthWiki, JustForFun/TropeTan, the Pantheon/TropePantheons, or JustForFun/MadeOfWin? Why are our articles so casually-written in comparison to Wiki/ThatOtherWiki? Hell, why dedicate an entire site to tropes some people don't even notice in the first place? Because it's '''''fun''''', dammit!

* {{Toku}}satsu. While [[AmericansHateTingle constantly disparaged in the west]] as "bad special effects", it's really about the fun of making a ''stylistic interpretation'' of reality. Case in point, American Tokusatsu author August Ragone writes of an incident in which a tokusatsu artist was asked about a scene in one of his films in which an obvious model horse is eaten by a {{kaiju}}. The questioner wonders why he didn't just use a composite shot of a real horse, and the artist's answer was "Because using a model horse was more fun!"

* Here is how your average ''VideoGame/{{Payday2}}'' bank heist would go if Payday 2 had anywhere near realistic police response. Four clowns armed to the teeth arrive in a van at the local bank. They walk in through the front door. The security guards here beg for their lives, killing them would just be a waste of bullets. The security guard in the camera room sees what happens with the cameras, and calls the cops. The Payday crew grabs the Thermal Drill, and spend five minutes drilling through the vault door. A few beat cops arrive, but keep their distances as soon as they see you have hostages, calling for heavy backup. The vault door is drilled, then it's time to drill the inner vault gate, which takes four minutes. Then, the Payday crew saws open the safe deposit boxes, the [=ATMs=] and grab all the loose cash, and hightail it to their van, taking two hostages with them. The beat cops release and reassure the security guards and hostages. A few kilometers away from the bank, the Payday crew drops the hostages, untie them and drive off. '''Then''' the SWATTeam arrives at the bank, complaining about having wasted their time since the criminals already got away.The Payday Crew is a million dollars richer and makes the news. Body count: 0. But it wouldn't be nearly as fun as the nerve wracking infiltration and crowd control or the badass fight against a SWATTeam that is armed to the teeth and much more skilled than realistic Navy Seals while you control nearly immortal robbers, now would it? [[note]]And if we're going with just a realistic modern bank robbery, it would be one guy strolls into bank, hands note to teller saying that he has a bomb/gun and will kill everyone if they don't get x amount of money. Teller, who has been trained to acquiesce to any such demand hands over the cash and the robber hightails it, at which point the police are called and the robber is later caught safely due to security footage/dye pack in money bag/marked bank notes IDing the perp. Zero deaths, robber likely isn't actually armed.[[/note]]

* Here is how your average ''VideoGame/{{Payday2}}'' bank heist would go if Payday 2 had anywhere near realistic police response. Four clowns armed to the teeth arrive in a van at the local bank. They walk in through the front door. The security guards here beg for their lives, killing them would just be a waste of bullets. The security guard in the camera room sees what happens with the cameras, and calls the cops. The Payday crew grabs the Thermal Drill, and spend five minutes drilling through the vault door. A few beat cops arrive, but keep their distances as soon as they see you have hostages, calling for heavy backup. The vault door is drilled, then it's time to drill the inner vault gate, which takes four minutes. Then, the Payday crew saws open the safe deposit boxes, the ATMs and grab all the loose cash, and hightail it to their van, taking two hostages with them. The beat cops release and reassure the security guards and hostages. A few kilometers away from the bank, the Payday crew drops the hostages, untie them and drive off. '''Then''' the SWATTeam arrives at the bank, complaining about having wasted their time since the criminals already got away.The Payday Crew is a million dollars richer and makes the news. Body count: 0. But it wouldn't be nearly as fun as the nerve wracking infiltration and crowd control or the badass fight against a SWATTeam that is armed to the teeth and much more skilled than realistic Navy Seals while you control nearly immortal robbers, now would it? [[note]]And if we're going with just a realistic modern bank robbery, it would be one guy strolls into bank, hands note to teller saying that he has a bomb/gun and will kill everyone if they don't get x amount of money. Teller, who has been trained to acquiesce to any such demand hands over the cash and the robber hightails it, at which point the police are called and the robber is later caught safely due to security footage/dye pack in money bag/marked bank notes IDing the perp. Zero deaths, robber likely isn't actually armed.[[/note]]

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' mainly runs off of RuleOfCool and RefugeInAudacity, but the overall effect follows the example of RuleOfFun quite a bit, too. How can a Tyranid that big pop up behind enemy lines without warning? How can those Literature/ImperialFists scouts move unseen through sparse foliage wearing neon yellow power armour? Why are there (optional) rules for using a [[TankGoodness Baneblade]] in smaller-than-Apocalypse games? Because it's cool and fun, that's why.