Why do you play horror games?

Hey all, I'm currently working on a collage project of creating my own video game and I have gone for survival horror for the genre of my project. I would like to know why do you play these types of games (Fatal Frame, dino crisis, dead space, resident evil, Condemned, silent hill, call of cthulhu etc.)

This is so I can get an idea of what the target audience wants in a horror game.

I play them mostly to see the storyline because usually with horror games, the storyline is new and interesting.

Why? For the same reason I play all other games. Sheer entertainment. LiftedHeadshot

Pretty much this. I play all games for entertainment.

Okay how about this.

What moments in your experience of horror games stick out most to you, and why?

Why? For the same reason I play all other games. Sheer entertainment. LiftedHeadshot

The thought of being the only thing out there surrounded by things that want to kill me. And shooters get old. Also if you want to make a good horror game use Amnesia for help. The scariest videogame ever.

I never really play them to get scared. I mainly just love their atmosphere. Alot of them have this surreal feeling that I really like. Silent Hill games in particular always have this.

Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere. A horror game is nothing without it. Horror games have a level of immersion that is hard for other genres to match. I personally am also willing to overlook other problems a horror game may have if it nails atmosphere. Is it scary despite the game controlling like a wash tub (Silent Hill)? Is it scary despite not being the best looking game out there (Amnesia)? If the answer is yes then it's all good.

Atmosphere and story.

Same reason I watch horror films, I love being scared.

To be scared out of my mind.

I suffer from a form of acute constipation so I try to remedy it with as much bowel loosening media as i can lay my hands on.

Seriously though I just love the setting and atmosphere of horror, I like a game with some depth and a good pace and horror games which deliver always meet those requirements (going to pick up amnesiac in the near future).

Movies dont scare me anymore, video games have brought memore fear then any movie i have watched. I play horror games to try and scare the daylights out of me I love being scared.

Why? For the same reason I play all other games. Sheer entertainment. LiftedHeadshot

Horror games usually have more atmosphere, and are paced so the player can suck in the surroundings.

The Pacing plays into the above, horror games are usually slower, more methodical, requires some reading, and observation, which I like.

Horror games rarely relys on weapons as your savior, rather it focuses on the players wits, as such they tend to be more of a challange. (in the preprogrammed possabilities).

In general Horror games are not scary, but I love the more moody less "I am superhuman soldier nr. 309 who is made of brick, and dont need two coherrent thoughts"

I really like to use my brain once in a while, and not in the "this part of the game is ment to be a puzzle to break up the combat", but rather constantly from start to finish, mess up, lose your cool, or dont take time to observe, and you die.

So in the end? the challange.

I think of games as becoming interactive movies. Mass Effect really comes close in my opinion. And Alan Wake is really movie-like

The horror genre is really good for a game, since the point is personal danger, and that is done in a game where your toon can die. You project YOU into the character, and his danger is yours.

Most horror films lose people because they have no control of the situation, and so it breaks that illusion. But when you ARE the person in danger....it connects.

Games can also do much more with environment, as you can take time to explore it and make it detailed (and creepy).

Very few horror films are worth watching these days (maybe I just got old) so a horror game offers a real chance for suspense and moments of panic than any movie. The sheer gore that games can have (alot cheaper than FX in a movie) makes them prime for horror genres.

Sadly, several horror games I've played haven't been good. I really disliked Dead Space- it was repetitive, drab, not actually scary, and the controls blew. Condemned was creepy but slow and overly difficult. The Darkness was solid, but pretty much a standard shooter.

Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere. A horror game is nothing without it. Horror games have a level of immersion that is hard for other genres to match. I personally am also willing to overlook other problems a horror game may have if it nails atmosphere. Is it scary despite the game controlling like a wash tub (Silent Hill)? Is it scary despite not being the best looking game out there (Amnesia)? If the answer is yes then it's all good.

keech

I used to have that attitude, but I'm starting to think differently. I mean...atmosphere is certainly the most important thing (I guess?) but it shouldn't be an EXCUSE to churn out a game that's seriously lacking in other areas (be it horrible controls, awful graphics, or major glitches). There's no reason why atmosphere and quality have to be mutually exclusive. No reason why a horror game can't be scary as hell AND actually function properly as a good game with good design and fun gameplay.

For example, I gave up on Silent Hill for that reason. I LOVED the atmosphere of the original, the second is my absolute favorrite of the series. But those games had serious flaws. By #3, the whole novelty had sort of worn off. I already knew what to expect from the art style, the tone of the game, etc. With that stuff no longer able to keep my interest simply by being fresh and new, it just became more obvious how mediocre the core of the game was. I actually bought Silent Hill: homecoming, and got sick of it REALLY freaking fast.

Anyway, I think I disagree that great atmosphere should excuse other flaws. I realize that no game is 100% perfect, but that's beside the point. Yes, atmosphere is critical, but there's no reason why the game SHOULDN'T play well on its own. The core gameplay should be up to standard. If it's not, that's just simple incompetence on the part of the developers. And atmosphere shouldn't be used to cover up incompetence. This is exactly how horror MOVIES shouldn't use atmosphere to hide flaws in the script and the acting.

Hey all, I'm currently working on a collage project of creating my own video game and I have gone for survival horror for the genre of my project. I would like to know why do you play these types of games (Fatal Frame, dino crisis, dead space, resident evil, Condemned, silent hill, call of cthulhu etc.)

This is so I can get an idea of what the target audience wants in a horror game.

karloss01

[QUOTE="keech"]

Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere. A horror game is nothing without it. Horror games have a level of immersion that is hard for other genres to match. I personally am also willing to overlook other problems a horror game may have if it nails atmosphere. Is it scary despite the game controlling like a wash tub (Silent Hill)? Is it scary despite not being the best looking game out there (Amnesia)? If the answer is yes then it's all good.

MrGeezer

I used to have that attitude, but I'm starting to think differently. I mean...atmosphere is certainly the most important thing (I guess?) but it shouldn't be an EXCUSE to churn out a game that's seriously lacking in other areas (be it horrible controls, awful graphics, or major glitches). There's no reason why atmosphere and quality have to be mutually exclusive. No reason why a horror game can't be scary as hell AND actually function properly as a good game with good design and fun gameplay.

For example, I gave up on Silent Hill for that reason. I LOVED the atmosphere of the original, the second is my absolute favorrite of the series. But those games had serious flaws. By #3, the whole novelty had sort of worn off. I already knew what to expect from the art style, the tone of the game, etc. With that stuff no longer able to keep my interest simply by being fresh and new, it just became more obvious how mediocre the core of the game was. I actually bought Silent Hill: homecoming, and got sick of it REALLY freaking fast.

Anyway, I think I disagree that great atmosphere should excuse other flaws. I realize that no game is 100% perfect, but that's beside the point. Yes, atmosphere is critical, but there's no reason why the game SHOULDN'T play well on its own. The core gameplay should be up to standard. If it's not, that's just simple incompetence on the part of the developers. And atmosphere shouldn't be used to cover up incompetence. This is exactly how horror MOVIES shouldn't use atmosphere to hide flaws in the script and the acting.

Ideally I definitly agree with you. But it seems no developer has managed to find that sweet spot of playability and the game actually being scary. I personally haven't found most of the more modern horror games to be scary at all. Such as Alan Wake, Resident Evil 4 and 5, and Dead Space. To me they are more like action games with a scary coat of paint on them. I believe that perfect combination can be done, but so far no developer has nailed it IMO.

The only truely scary game I've played this generation that didn't have clunkly mechanics was Amnesia. But even that game took a very minimalist approach to gameplay. So much to the point where I go back to it was all about atmosphere, 90% of the time you're just jumping at your own shadow in the game and in no real danger.

Okay how about this.

What moments in your experience of horror games stick out most to you, and why?

karloss01

Best survial horror moments would be.....when the game first starts and the **** hasn't hit the fan yet. You know it's coming, you just don't know when. Also some kind of plot twist or WTF moment, it's best when it's really disturbing =D Everybody knows those parts, when you go, "Aw man! Awww...That's messed...aww MAN!" lol

for the thrill

For the Holy**** moments....not scary...just like "Buckle up! this is gonna get bumpy." I also like the feel of being powerful (having wicked weapons)yet helpless and fragile (if they get close to you they will kill you easily and brutally) at the same time. The circumstances of horror games are usually awesome along with the storyline which is much more satisfing then the average horror movie.

Atmosphere, Storyline, Immersion

I like the atmosphere, plot, and puzzles.

I don't like to be in any real danger, but I like the thrill that dangerous situations provide. I watch horror movies because while most of them won't have any effect on me, there will be the odd one every now and then that does give me the feeling of being in danger while not actually being in any. You get to experience the adrenaline rush and fight or flight feelings without the potential bodily harm that would go with it in realistic situations.

However, horror movies are limited. At the best of times, you're watching what happens to other people. You are not really participating. Video games have the added strength of allowing me to pretend to participate in the situation that is the source of my horror and to allow the horror environment to respond to my decisions and actions, and that has the natural effect of a stronger immersion into the fearful situation with the same zero-level potential of actually being harmed.

Someone said atmosphere and story. I tend to agree. Horror games have some of the best and most unique stories in a video game. Dead Space, Condemned 1, Deadly Premonition or Silent Hill Series usually offer us a great deal of interactive storytelling - and this is what i crave the most in a game.

I play them so i can laugh at my friend for actually calling them "scary". :P

I play horror games for fun. Nuff said.