History RunningGag / VideoGames

** The textbooks on the Sagan family's tea table will always include [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers one that is very much not an elementary school textbook]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' features a running joke and MythologyGag in the form of Harold, a FEV mutant with a tree called Bob [[ItMakesSenseInContext (or is it Herbert?)]] growing out of his head. He shows up again in ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' and makes jokes and references to the first game. Finally in ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' He shows up again, completely mad from his 200 years of life and still very friendly.

* Speaking of spooniness, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' has a strange example in that the running gag is for every remake, direct sequel, and CallBack to the original "Final Fantasy II" translation as opposed to every subsequent game. Every time, no exceptions, the phrase in question is "You spoony bard!" Other dialogue has been changed in every redoing of the game, but not that single line. It carries over into Dissidia, where Tellah is one of the helper characters an refers to Edward as a spoony bard. But then it goes the extra mile in Duodecim, where ''Kefka'' gets in on the action, referring to Kuja as a spoony bard in some of the text-box dialogue.
* [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Barrett's]] train metaphor comes up a few times, though it's only a memetic occurrence.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' has a subtle one: no one ever shakes Zell's hand. He'll offer and be ignored. Everyone else will get the offer to shake hands (Squall usually won't do it) except Zell. Later on, he can occasionally be seen wiping his hand off before offering it out, thinking his hand just might be dirty. However, wiping his hand on his butt ''in front of whoever he wants to shake hands with'' is not any more effective at getting someone to shake it. He's eventually put out by this, but, being Zell, shakes it off. He can't get any hot dogs either (flavored bread in the original).
* [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX Tidus]] waking up on a new shore after Sin attacked; it happens like 7 times over the course of the game. [[spoiler:It's also the manner in which he is revived in VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2]].
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' several characters refer to the [[LaResistance Dalmascian Resistance]] as the insurgents, prompting Ashe to correct them.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'': [[spoiler:Barthandelus]] knows exactly what [[BerserkButton buttons to push to piss the main party off]]. He manages to push [[IdiotHero Snow's]] button (his fiancee, [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl Serah]]) every time he is encountered, the result always being Snow charging head-on at him, only to be violently bounced back off a BeehiveBarrier. It works all three times. The man never learns.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has [=FATEs=], which are random events that happen throughout the overworld that involve monsters or other enemies players have to defeat waves of or take on a boss. Each FATE has a description and several of them will always poke fun at the Lalafell being eaten or are in the danger of being eaten/abused due to the race's small childlike size.
** The Hildibrand Manderville questlines are goldmines for running gags, including (but not limited to) Hildibrand's immaculate clothing being [[ClothingDamage distressed]], Hildibrand's father Godbert stripping down to his smallclothes and[=/=]or punishing Hildibrand with wrestling moves, Nashu using bombs, resident dimension-hopper Gilgamesh being nicknamed "Greg", and each questline concluding with Hildibrand being sent (often explosively and[=/=]or painfully) to new lands while promising to return.
** There's also a running gag with Gerolt where every time you go to him to make a relic weapon, he's always forced to do so in order to pay off his debt to LoanShark Rowena. This happens in each expansion and when you reach the end, Gerolt's debt is paid but he incurs another one equal to or greater than his old debt.
** Throughout the ''Shadowbringers'' expansion, a shoebill can often be seen in the background of certain cutscenes intensely staring at the protagonists. After completing the story of Patch 5.3, the shoebill takes up permanent residence in your room in the Crystarium- still intensely staring from either the windowsill or the dinner table.
* For ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' in general, we have Gilgamesh, a recurring PluckyComicRelief boss character that is technically the same guy from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' (Not a rehash, ''the same exact person''), just caught in the endless void of dimension hopping who shows up in other games in the franchise. Even those that were made before ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV''.

*** Sonic says it to Tails and Knuckles in the opening cutscene for Team Sonic's story, and Rouge says this to Team Sonic before the Team Sonic vs. Team Dark battle.
*** [[spoiler:Metal Sonic]] also says this to Sonic at the start of the final boss battle; one of the few cases where it ''has'' been a long time.

*** In ''[[VideoGame/SonicRushSeries Sonic Rush]]'', Blaze says this to Eggman Nega when she first meets him in Sonic's side of the story.

*** In ''[[VideoGame/SonicRushSeries Sonic Rush Adventure]]'', [[spoiler:Eggman]] says this the first time he encounters Sonic in the game.
*** ''[[VideoGame/SonicRiders Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity]]''. Wave greets Tails with, "Long time no see, shorty!"
*** In the 3DS ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games]]'', Tails says it towards the [[ItMakesSenseInContext fog impersonating Mario & Luigi]]. Too be fair, they probably haven't seen each other after the winter Olympics.
*** After being absent from the core games since ''[[VideoGame/SonicUnleashed Sonic Unleashed]]'', the catchphrase returned in ''[[VideoGame/SonicForces Sonic Forces]]''. Sonic says the line to Infinite in one of their later encounters. He also greets Classic Sonic with the variant, "It’s been [[StealthPun generations]] since I’ve seen you."

* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc9f-VVQK3k Francis' hatred of everything he encounters]], which goes from where they are ("I hate forests", "I hate hospitals") to everything else ("I hate Creator/AynRand", "I hate the Internet"). He should probably [[MemeticMutation change his name]] to [[Film/{{Transformers}} Bonecrusher]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}}'':

* ''VideoGame/{{Onmyoji}}'': [[TheRival Kyūmei-neko]]'s utter inability to defeat Seimei.

* For some time now, the change list for every update in Minecraft has referenced Herobrine, a character from a creepypasta that reached [[MemeticMutation meme]] status in the community.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', [[spoiler:The Rat Man]]'s obsession with cake. "TheCakeIsALie!"
** The garnishes on the cake, as listed by The Cake Recipe Core. Example: Volatile organic compound. [[RunningGag Shaped like fish. Tastes like rhubarb.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Sam And Max|Freelance Police}}'':

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

* The characters from the ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}}'' series seem to have an unhealthy fascination with barrels, and will shout "[[CaptainObvious Barrel!]]" every time the player examines one.
** This fascination is shared by Ashton Anchors of ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheSecondStory''.
** Lampshaded in ''VideoGame/ManaKhemia2FallOfAlchemy'' and ''VideoGame/AtelierAnnieAlchemistsOfSeraIsland''. In the former, Pepperoni and Goto (later replaced by Lily and Whim) surround a barrel in the Campus Grounds and notes "it's a barrel", while in the latter, a customer will lament the lack of barrels once your shop level is high enough.