Topic: What Makes Horror Games So Scary?
hello everyone,
When somebody thinks of horror, the first thing that will probably pop into their minds is a movie. Usually it's a movie involving masked men with knives or cruel mutant monsters slaughtering innocent victims left and right. And of course, it's either at night, in a dark place, at a deserted and/or isolated location away from any possible help.
With today's video game savy world, where the more and more people are playing games, there is a growing number of people out there who would include video games in the realm of horror. With classic horror games like 11tth Hour, Phantasmagoria, and Uninvited to more recent games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill and F.E.A.R., more and more people are getting into the horror video game genre.
Just as all forms of media, which includes television, video games and movies, it is a recent invention. As a species, we haven't evolved enough to be able to handle these types of images and video. The human race still isn't quite used to seeing them on the screen yet. One could ask, do games have the ability to better manipulate our minds then when compared to other forms of media?
Ever since my experiences with the Silent Hill series, I've felt that this is true. As I sit down to watch a good horror movie, I might get a little nervous or figity. And that's certainly something that's good. That's what a horror movie is supposed to do. But if I was to play a similar horror game, I could tell you right now that I would have a harder time handling myself. As I'm playing a Silent Hill game, and I'm roaming around a darkend building that's covered in grim, blood, and who in the hell knows what, I'm suddenly petrified when I hear a strange unearthly noise close by. I'm actually afraid to continue on into the next room to find out what's making that noise.
I think it's because I'm actually in control of the game and the character that makes it so much more frightening than if I'm just watching it as a third party. There's so much more interaction with that game versus just watching that movie or show.
