LONG BLOG
Creating Horror in Videogames: Topics, Tropes and Atmosphere
When we think about Horror games, what do we think of? Maybe the first thing that comes to mind are examples of old-school survival horror – games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Forbidden Siren; possibly co-op survival games like Left 4 Dead or Dead Island; maybe smaller indie titles like Amnesia, Penumbra or Project Zomboid; or even big franchises like F.E.A.R. or Dead Space, where action tends to take precedence over the scares.
Horror as a genre covers a large spectrum of games, with a variety of gameplay mechanics, themes and narratives, and copes with a plethora of different fears – from post-apocalyptic nightmares, to hauntings, to the collapse of society, to the things you think you see in the corner of your eye.
One of the things I've realised thinking about how much horror pervades mainstream games, even those that aren't themselves horror games, is how that touch of horror, that touch of atmosphere – that one level, or that one section where everything feels lost, can really add depth to a game. A good game will have these sorts of moments once in a while - like Half-Life 2 with Ravenholm or Halo with the Flood, but a good horror games strives to create that feeling all the time, and indeed have that feeling stay with you long after you've put the controller down.
Panzadolphin56 
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Horror as a genre covers a large spectrum of games, with a variety of gameplay mechanics, themes and narratives, and copes with a plethora of different fears – from post-apocalyptic nightmares, to hauntings, to the collapse of society, to the things you think you see in the corner of your eye.
One of the things I've realised thinking about how much horror pervades mainstream games, even those that aren't themselves horror games, is how that touch of horror, that touch of atmosphere – that one level, or that one section where everything feels lost, can really add depth to a game. A good game will have these sorts of moments once in a while - like Half-Life 2 with Ravenholm or Halo with the Flood, but a good horror games strives to create that feeling all the time, and indeed have that feeling stay with you long after you've put the controller down.
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About Panzadolphin56one of us since 9:54 AM on 05.06.2011
Oh hey!
I'm former male model and celebrity nutritionist Panzadolphin56. This is my blog. I write things here.
...in case the blog bit didn't give that away.
Anyway! To the left you'll find my latest blogs, and beneath this you'll find a fairly comprehensive list of most of what I've written over the years (unfortunately some stuff does eventually get bumped off the list.)
I like to write from a fairly critical standpoint about games, usually analysis or talking about issues that interest me, I also do retrospectives from time to time, talk about games I've been playing, write the funny things that come into my head, and very occasionally do some crappy art.
I hope you enjoy what you read!
I also do Lets Plays (mostly old horror games) so if that's your thing then click here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/godi3400
Everyone who clicks will not win a million dollars!
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A little about me:
I am mostly a story person, good mechanics are good mechanics but button pressing never does anything for me. I like Horror, I like Cyberpunk, I like Neo-Noir (especially crossed with Cyberpunk), I like good art and good writing, I like games that cut against the grain or choose to challenge social or industry norms in some way.
I don't have a single favourite game but I am a big fan of the MGS games, Snatcher, the Forbidden Siren series, Silent Hill 2, the old-school Resident Evils, Advance Wars and Power Dolls, among many, many others.
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Critical Pieces:
How ugly should Horror really be?
Of Inventories and Horror Games
Crafting A Good Game of 'The Thing'
Alien(s), Creative license and Borrowed Ideas
Crossing from TV/Movie to Games
Scope and Depth in the world of gaming
Boss Battles - When do they ever make sense?
Survival Horror Essentials
Colonial Marines: Well, that kind of sucked...
Disability, Disease in Games
Blood 2 and Post-Modernism
Topics, Tropes and Atmosphere in Horror games
Realism Vs. Fantasy - Who Wins?
The gradual drift away from the mainstream
Is There Horror in The Ugly...?
The Fourth Wall and taking games seriously
Are You Always Online?
Hype: Aliens Vs. Predator
To shoot stuff or not to shoot stuff?
Character Design and Choice in Games
Culture Vs. Creativity: Where do Stories come from?
Where you go Isometric-Strategy Games?
What's the Point of Games?
Do Horror games even still exist...?
Why are Characters Always so White...?
Choice in Games: Heavy Rain
A Magical Dolphin Plays:
Claire
Sepulchre
The King of the Wood
Retrospectives:
Resident Evil Remake
Aliens Vs Predator 2
Sweet Home
Forbidden Siren
System Shock 2
Pick up and Plays:
Call of Cthulhu and the Spectre of Good Horror
Story Books and Nightmares in Rule of Rose
B-Movie Bliss: Extermination
Along for the ride with Michigan: Report From Hell
Some thoughts on Wargame: European Escalation
Skyrim: Impressions
Funny/Less Critical Stuff:
Get Yo Summer Game On
Lazyblog: Box Art
Escaping into the Darkness of Hellnight
Diversity what what?!?: Black Mamba Edition
Why Do We Still Have Exploding Barrels...?
Art:
Dead Space 3, in a nut shell.
CROSSOVER: Mario X Siren
Boss: Learning the Tools of the Trade
Front Pages:
Tales from Skyrim: The skinhead shopkeep