Leisure Suit Larry: The Story of the Forbidden Video Game
How word of mouth led to the success of the original NSFW game
Warning: “Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards” contains some elements of plot that may not be considered appropriate for some children.”
This is the intro from 1987s Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, and it ushered in a game that would be part of forbidden folklore for kids during the 80s.
Leisure Suit Larry was a character, and video game, created by Al Lowe and Mark Crowe about a fictional character named Larry Laffer. It was an adult-themed video game, and series, that had huge success through the 80s and into the 90s.
Setting The Stage For This Game
The name Leisure suit — or Larry — still conjures up a mindset for me that says this game is off-limits. We grew up without an internet and only had three network channels, so anything considered off-limits we only learned of through word of mouth.
Leisure Suit Larry was one such thing. It was spoken of on playgrounds and in neighborhoods by kids who had never played the game.
Despite its relative tameness, the persona of the game came off as being truly forbidden. To us, this was way out of our wheelhouse and we were better…
