Writing Assignment - What makes a great horror game?

Your assignment is to write up your editorial focusing on what makes a great horror game. Deadline to have your entries submitted is Thursday, February 28th by 2:00 pm PT.

As you may be aware, in 2013 we altered the format of Chalk Talk to include guest writers, we are please to announce that we have our first volunteer for the second edition of Chalk Talk, GameSpotter Starshine_M2A2.

With the release of Dead Space 3 arguably pushing that franchise firmly into the action shooter territory Contributing Editor Starshine_M2A2 wishes to examine what makes a great horror game. Is it the slow tension of survival horror; the relentless throat grabbing of action horror like Dead Space 2 and F.E.A.R. or do games require a more psychological approach to truly be considered horror? Do games like Silent Hill and its continued focus on character disintegration highlight the need for characters as well as well as atmosphere?

You decide! Choose which games you wish to discuss in your feature as you build your case for what makes a great horror game. Also, you can submit your entry to the GameSpot Writers Round Table for a peer review.

Chalk Talk submission must include the following:
- Entries must be a minimum of 500 words.
- Do not use altered text fonts, colors, and be aware of your formatting.
- Select at least one image to act as your "cover shot".
- Entries must be submitted by Thursday, February 28th by 2:00 pm PT either in the comments below or on the GameSpot Writers Round Table.