Horror games don't need to be stupid

Horror games don't need to be stupid

Horror games are an often mocked genre by outsiders. They only see idiots on YouTube screaming into a mic to get views. They only see gore and cheap shock horror. What they don't know is that horror can be much more than that. It's important to start this by saying that horror is a very subjective term nowadays. I mean, Silent Hill isn't horror in the same sense as Outlast, nor is it the same as Resident Evil. It encompasses a wide variety of different ideas, and it's for this reason that they're so fascinating to play. Before we begin, I should classify the different types of horror, because not every horror game is necessarily scary. Again, horror is very subjective now, and can be dark, creepy, or intense without it actually being scary.

Survival Horror is when you've been placed in a bad situation (i.e. a mansion filled with zombies) with limited resources and are forced to try and survive against better adapted enemies while conserving your inventory. This classifies games like Alone in the Dark, the original Resident Evil games, Clock Tower 3, and Lone Survivor.

Psychological Horror focuses more on the human psyche and the darkness of man. This type of horror also usually features fourth wall breaks that address the player themselves in an attempt further unnerve them. Think Silent Hill, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, Yume Nikki, Telltale's Walking Dead, Alone, IMSCARED, I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, and Spec Ops: The Line.

Stealth Horror is probably the most recent type, where players are given no means to defend themselves, and are forced to sneak around the environment to accomplish their goals while hiding from stronger enemies. Examples of this are Amnesia, Alien: Isolation, SCP Containment Breach, SOMA, and Outlast.

Shooter Horror focuses more on the gunplay. While resources aren't as much of a concern in this type, there's always the threat of being overwhelmed by the enemies. Co-op shooter horrors can introduce additional player vulnerability, as you're forced to rely on others to survive the onslaught of enemies. Left 4 Dead, DOOM, F.E.A.R, the newer Resident Evil games, and Resistance all exist in this category.

Finally, there's Shock Horror. These are the most popular ones, the ones youtubers play. These games tend to frighten players by loud noises, sudden in-your-face movement of enemies, and Jumpscares. Done right, and these can be amazing....but sadly, they usually are the most laziest type of horror. Think FNAF, Slender, Spooky's Jumpscare Mansion (formerly known as Spooky's House of Jumpscares), and Until Dawn.

So, why play horror games? Well, there's a few reasons. One of them is the adrenaline high. When you get play horror games, you know you're safe and that you can't be harmed by what's on screen. However, it still causes enough tension to give you a rush. It's like when people ride roller coasters, they do it because it's a safe way to get an adrenaline rush.

Another reason is the story. FNAF wouldn't be nearly as popular as it is today if it wasn't for the hidden lore within each installment. Binding of Isaac has great gameplay, but I also enjoy the dark backstory it contains. Horror games are probably the most effective medium to touch on dark subject matter, things such as abuse, religion, and mental illnesses.Despite general opinion of horror games being loud and dumb, they can employ subtly and symbolism to tell haunting tales.

My third point will sound a bit weird if you don't understand, but bear with me. The reason some play horror games is because they relate to them. In many video games, it's hard to relate to them. Can you really relate to Master Chief, a awesome solider who single handily saves humanity from aliens? Can you relate to Sonic, a hedgehog who's the fastest being alive? Of course not. But some CAN relate to the struggles of James Sunderland, a man who's suffering from the loss of his wife, or Susan Ashworth from The Cat Lady, who struggles with depression and destruction of her family. Horror games can be emotionally effective if done right.

The problem is that on the surface, most aren't done right. There's been a recent resurgence of horror games in the mainstream, but sadly it's shock horror that's largely prevailant. And don't get me wrong, shock horror has its place in gaming. It can lead to interesting new ways to create fear for players or lead to false sense of security (see Spooky's Jumpscare Mansion which IMO, is a game that does shock horror properly). Unfortunately, it's almost always just used for cheap lazy scares. It's the over abundance of shock horror that leads many to believe that horror is just some stupid genre. Horror can be more than that. Some of the most respected games, movies, books, etc, are horror. Horror games have the advantage of being an interactive medium that doesn't need to hold back any harsh imagery, and it can immerse the player when they're exploring the atmospheric worlds that horror game have. To quote Jordan Underneath, "the (horror) genre doesn't have to be so calculated and predictable. It doesn't have to be lame. Instead, it can be something awesome. It just takes a little bit of love, and a little bit of actual <censored> effort."

So I urge anyone who still has these horrible preconceived notions about horror games or anyone who wants to get into them but was too scared, try some out. Not all of them are scary, not all of them are gory, and yes, admittedly not all of them are good. But done right, and they can really change the way that you view gaming as a art form, or if you think that's too pretentious, as a medium.
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great review i played fnaf 2 in the day with my parent and grandparents in the same room as me and i still got scared but i understand what horror games are meant to be there meant to touch the and tell what its like to be on your own

nah i have no clue but thank you for this review
Yes you've raised a good blog here. But no I will not play FNaF, (I've seen it, The game looks like a jump scare flash animation with a half baked plot left for the players to decide. And the fan people are a toxic bunch I tell you, if playing FNaF turns players into people who eat, sleep, and breathe, FNaF, then I want no part of it that toxicity..)
Very well put. A little wordy, but you more accurately characterized the Horror genre than I could've, and I've tried to.

I myself better prefer the more ambient kinds of horror, be they puzzle or stealth, but I played "The Evil Within." I can safely say I enjoy a survival horror done rightly.

Glad this blog exists. It's about time somebody dispelled this poor definition of horror games.
Pretty much. Horror games don't need jumpscares to be scary, let alone scary characters. Horror doesn't even have to take place at night/in a dim setting imo.
Slender isn't a stealth horror?

Great job! You touched on arguably one of the largest gaming genres and better yet it wasn't a rant about FNaF.
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8150
You can make a case for slender being stealth horror. However, due to the nature of slender popping up in front of you as the game goes on, and the nature of the Jumpscare inducing game over screen, I'm more inclined to call it a shock horror game. And thanks!
I agree.

I'd write more but like I'm tired
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Saaaaaaaaame
Dis was well, said and on point. Good job.

I my self doesn't like horror genre all that much (especially the jupmscares one) not because I hate it, it's just that I deal badly with these type of game, however, if I ever play a story oriented games I will try to get every bits of the story out of it (considering that I doesn't own my own PCs this chance is pretty rare indeed.) for example, if I ever play outlast or something more story heavy like corpse party, I would rather wonder around before proceeding on the main story.

With all that said, it's just my opinion. One thing for sure is that not many people like to read everything like me. And I think I can deal with psychological horror pretty well because I tend to look at the game features as a part of the story, in example tell tale's walking dead. If a choices appeared I only look at it as a choice you have to make to progress the story, no matter who died by said choice is not relevant to me. I also have a low tendency to grown attached to a character.
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Yea, I'm also someone who can't handle them well. Never stops me from playing them though, much to my eventual regret. i mean, it's like, 2:43 right now, and I'm still up cuz of Spooky's Jumpscare Mansion. Fml
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