Fear of water in games

[Biosophilogical]

Half Life 1, Ichthyosaur. That is where all video game water phobias come from.

Actually, I get a water-phobia in games, it made my pulse speed up a bit in Monster Hunter Tri when I first went swimming. My fear source is the N64 Banjo-Kazooie game, where there was a beach level where swimming involved being hunted down and killed by sharks. On top of that, I was young and the 'hunting' music that played when you were getting chased was rather unnerving.

By the way, I managed to get over my water-phobia in monster hunter when I realised everything that was in the water didn't appear out of nowhere and wasn't invincible like those damn banjo-kazooie sharks.

 

[KiruTheMant]

Ugh,Damn shitty water controls.

 

[daftalchemist]

I can't say what started my game water phobia, because I honestly don't remember any huge water enemies I've encountered that would have frightened me in the past. But I also don't like going in water. It's probably just my own fear of drowning couples with my fear of sharks that makes me fear large enemies lurking in water, even when there aren't any.

 

[superbatranger]

What about the fact that in half of games water means instant death

Kind of left that one out...

I never understood that. I mean, did all those video game characters never learn how to swim?

 

[Gigaguy64]

Sea Hats, Big Octos, and cyclones in Wind Waker.

Normally, I love sailing the big open world, but when any of those three things show up, I remember my fear of sea travel.

Not to mention THOSE F***ING SHARKS.
And i actually thought the Ghost Ship was pretty freaky and a little scary...

OT:Aside from the few Zelda games the only times im afraid of Water in Video games is in Horror Games.

I dreaded going in the water in Left 4 Dead 2, especially in the Swamp Campaign, those Mudmen.....

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

They always have the nasty surprises in the water.
So yes, I share this fear.
Plus... drowning is so easy.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Sea Hats, Big Octos, and cyclones in Wind Waker.

Normally, I love sailing the big open world, but when any of those three things show up, I remember my fear of sea travel.

Not to mention THOSE F***ING SHARKS.
And i actually thought the Ghost Ship was pretty freaky and a little scary...

The sharks are mildly nerve-wracking, but once I figured out how easily they fall before the might of the boomerang, I managed to conquer that (the freaking sea hats outnumber you, the big octo creates its own whirlpool, and the cyclone...<url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrEzZzEJcYY&feature=related>is a fucking waterspout).

I'm not sure why the ghost ship doesn't freak me out more. Probably because I'm usually expecting it, it's relatively benign, and you only see it at night. For some bizarre reason, daytime in Wind Waker scares me more than night.

EDIT: Heh. I'm actually in the middle of an LP of that game. It's decent so far.

 

[NoNameMcgee]

Wow yes, me too. I thought I was the only one. Its because I've come to accept that in video games a short swimming section almost certainly means water-based enemies that are probably faster and harder to kill, and can sneak up behind me easily. Plus my vision becomes lessened by the water effects.

It probably harkens back to playing Half-Life during that level with the Ichthyosaur and the underwater cage with the crossbow.

Edit: ah, someone already mentioned it

 

[Hashime]

Oblivion + Slaughter fish.

I was about to say that, but with Morrowind, since I haven't played Oblivion much due to not having anything that actually can play it. "But you have a computer!" you say. "Yes, but it's a laptop, and thus would likely struggle with the beautiful landscapes in Oblivion." I respond.

Ya, even if on paper your laptop can run oblivion (like mine), and your friend with a much cheaper laptop can, your chipset can still cause all source and Bethesda games to BSoD your computer! Fortunately I built a gaming rig.

 

[Gigaguy64]

Sea Hats, Big Octos, and cyclones in Wind Waker.

Normally, I love sailing the big open world, but when any of those three things show up, I remember my fear of sea travel.

Not to mention THOSE F***ING SHARKS.
And i actually thought the Ghost Ship was pretty freaky and a little scary...

The sharks are mildly nerve-wracking, but once I figured out how easily they fall before the might of the boomerang, I managed to conquer that (the freaking sea hats outnumber you, the big octo creates its own whirlpool, and the cyclone...<url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrEzZzEJcYY&feature=related>is a fucking waterspout).

I'm not sure why the ghost ship doesn't freak me out more. Probably because I'm usually expecting it, it's relatively benign, and you only see it at night. For some bizarre reason, daytime in Wind Waker scares me more than night.

EDIT: Heh. I'm actually in the middle of an LP of that game. It's decent so far.

The Sea Hats pissed me off more than anything.
I found the Big Octo's pretty easy, and the prizes you get for defeating them are awesome.
Though one did catch me off guard and i was like "WTF? WHIRLPOOL OUT OF NOWHERE!!!, OMG WHAT IS THAT!?"
And the Cyclones, once i got to ride them it was awesome.

As for the Pirate Ship, i dunno i guess things like that freak me out.
It was really creepy and the music that played when you were in it was like the tune that played in the Great Deku Tree and when you went underground in Loz:OoT.
That tune still freaks me out to this day.
Also, it could be that you would encounter a lot of Poes and ReDeads in the ship.
Getting possessed by a Poe and then accidentally run into a ReDead.....
scary and annoying.....
EDIT:Ill check out the LP, some of the Pics on that page were awesome.
Link on a King of Red Lions Motorcycle?
Hell yea.

 

[Kamukazi]

Ah the water doesnt scare me
i think that developers dont put enough effort into swimming mechanics cuz yeh cant really do mutch in water in games, yeh ur kinda vulnerable in their so they either decide to make the character allergic to water or to leave something in their to discourage u to swim. Anoyin really

Dam Jak sharks got me every time....

 

[Yoshemo]

Dude.

The sewer level in Shadows of the Empire ruined me.

To this day I don't think I've ever been more creeped out or apprehensive during a game.

Come to think of it, a horror game that focuses on spending the lion's share of the gameplay in dark, murky waters would be downright terrifying.

Oh god that gave me nightmares as a kid! I remember dreaming I was stuck on a platform with those freaky tentacle things in the water all around me doing that roar for days

 

[Hiroshi Mishima]

Same here. I think my main fear is that A) Some of the biggest, freakiest things that can't stay on land, stay in water, and B) That I have to look in front, to the side, above me, and below me. That's what really freaks me out.

Basically this. I think it FF7 that introduced me to how unbelievably disturbing (not scary but mindfuckingly unnerving) underwater areas of 3-D games can be. I will never forget the lurking horror that was Emerald Weapon when I first got the Sub in that game. I don't care how easy some people found him or how easy it eventually became... all I know is that it could show up out of NOWHERE (just friggin materialize it felt like) and rip my ass inside out.

After that, it was Tomb Raider and it's murky water with sharks swimming around, or the fact that you could never see very far so you had no idea how deep you actually were going or if in fact you were even where you were supposed to be anymore. To some extent Silent Hill 1 and games like Soul Reaver 1 had similar effects on me.

I'm trying to get over it (but it's certainly something that may never leave me and could even influence me IRL), and with games like Endless Ocean, I'm able to explore deep water areas with a bit more courage lately. But it's still capable of giving me the jibbles sometimes.. just looking over the side into the abyss...

EDIT: I have to say, it isn't the creepy looking levels that bother me, so games like Shadows of the Empire where there isn't anything really DEEP per say that I can fall into (and not see more than a couple inches away) doesn't bother me. Now, looking into those bottomless pits.. kinda creepy.

I think this whole thing may be an extension of my agoraphobia though...

 

[Ryktes]

Yeaaaah, I'd have to say Morrowind for one reason: DREUGE

My buddies and I all use to play Morrowind on our own, sometimes on multiple systems in the same building/room, and then tell each other about any good treasures/quests/dungeons/ester eggs that we would find. (we still do the same thing now in Obllivion and Fallout, its always awesome when you get to show off some new Mother Lode >)

But anyhow, I had never gone in the water too much in Morrowind up to the point this story happened, mostly just crossing rivers, or some minor flooded areas in dungeons, NEVER in the oceans. But one day I'm haullin up the wester coastline, I check my map about every 5 minutes or so to keep track of my position and bearings, and suddenly I see this bay, not huge but still a descent dive, almost entirely surrounded by mountains, and I'm set almost straight for it, so i decide to check it out. I get there, but to an opening in the mountains, and have a look down the hole; place turns out to be a ruin of some sort. Now I'm thinkin "YATZEE" cause this is obviously a loot den, and I just dive right in and start lookin for a door..... I think you can see where this is going. -_-

My first encounter with a dreuge was conducted thusly:

I spot a vague blur moving fairly quickly toward me through the murky water, "what the hell is tha... OMYSHIT, ITS CTHULHU, GET THE FUCK OUT, RUUUUN..... T_T

And then when I get back to shore I turn around and the fucker is just right there, STARING AT ME...

So I took a few minutes to get used to the thing, and then jumped back in and kicked the living shit out of it >:O..... ended up making a candle out of the basterd (dreuge wax has 'light' as one of its alchemy properties XD)

 

[Pipsquid]

Yeeaahh, i fear water since i think something is going to come out and swallow me. I remember farcry 2, the water is all murky and when you dive you cant see ANYTHING so i was scared some alligator or something was going to pop out and munch on my malaria-infected body.

PS: Same thing as the guys above, jak.

 

[Cain_Zeros]

Ya, even if on paper your laptop can run oblivion (like mine), and your friend with a much cheaper laptop can, your chipset can still cause all source and Bethesda games to BSoD your computer! Fortunately I built a gaming rig.

I just tend to do the safe thing and stick with older games. Especially since the whole audio/video mis-match issue with Prototype (where the audio was 10-20 seconds ahead of the video in some cutscenes). Bioshock runs beautifully though.

 

[Striker501]

Sometimes, it depends on the type of game im playing.

 

[Count Igor]

I just hate the water, still do, but less so. I was SO relieved when I found out Half Life 2 wasn't a water monster game, when it came out.

 

[JakCurse]

Crysis. Water travel is the absolute best way to move around. Super speed, submerge yourself, hold shift, win. Hit Z before you enter the water and you'll lie down when you hit a shallow area/bank, meaning you can still move at super pace while crawling. Also, enemies barely ever see you in the water.