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[digg=http://digg.com/pc_games/Interview_with_Mike_Stemmle_Part_2]

Some of Mike Stemmle’s best work is on such games as Escape from Monkey Island and Sam and Max Hit the Road, but he was also the director for the ultimately cancelled Sam and Max Freelance Police. The cancellation was one of many the came about as a result of the decline of point-and-click adventure games. However, recently the point-and-click genre has been the focus of a revival, in no small part thanks to Telltale Games. While interviewing Mike Stemmle, I asked him about the recent boost in popularity that such games have received. Find out more after the jump.

The past couple of years have shown a resurgence in the popularity of point and click games. What do you think has led to this trend, and how do you feel about where it is headed?

Mike: I think there’s a number of factors that have played into the awakening of the slumbering adventure game giant. The growth of casual gaming, smarter production practices, better tools, etc… they’ve all played a role.

Prior to Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People, your last adventure game was 2001’s Escape from Monkey Island. What is it like to be back in the game after seven years?

Mike: Coming back to the genre has been like slipping on a really comfortable novelty sweatshirt that has been lovingly scrubbed and deloused by magical gnomes.

Why does the episodic format seem to lend itself to well to this type of game?

Mike: I think it’s the closest we’ve come to creating “playable television.” And hey, who doesn’t love television? I sure do.

Both Sam and Max and SBCG4AP are known for their humor, so final (zen) question: What is funny?

Mike: Funny is the sound of one hand slapping… someone else. Funny is a tree falling in the woods, and there’s no one there to hear it, so it falls on someone else’s car.

You can view the first part of this interview here.