Horror Games: Why We Play Them

[Proteus214]

I formally deny that any other series apart from Silent Hill is Horror.
Anything else is just zombie shooters or alien wankfests. Why? Atmosphere. Ambience. The omnipresent feeling that you are alone.
It is very psychological. Fear that is. Also it's a rarity.
Western countries don't have what it takes to make a frightening game or movie. For the good stuff, look to the east and see Japan.

You should give Fatal Frame a go. I'm assuming you haven't yet, since I personally don't see any reason why you would not mention it if talking about great games for atmosphere and ambience, etc. If you have already played it and still disqualify it from your definition of horror, I'd be very interested to hear why you felt it failed at its goal.

I will also throw Penumbra onto that pile. That game also pulled off atmosphere in a really great way.

 

[paasi]

I formally deny that any other series apart from Silent Hill is Horror.
Anything else is just zombie shooters or alien wankfests. Why? Atmosphere. Ambience. The omnipresent feeling that you are alone.
It is very psychological. Fear that is. Also it's a rarity.
Western countries don't have what it takes to make a frightening game or movie. For the good stuff, look to the east and see Japan.

You should give Fatal Frame a go. I'm assuming you haven't yet, since I personally don't see any reason why you would not mention it if talking about great games for atmosphere and ambience, etc. If you have already played it and still disqualify it from your definition of horror, I'd be very interested to hear why you felt it failed at its goal.

I have been told about it, but have not played it yet. Basically sounds nice and possibly even worth the praise. It sounds a bit silly though, from what i've heard, to take on ghosts and spirits with only a camera.
Bah, wiki says it's only for PS2, xbox and wiiwii. Pity, as I only support PC. Viva la PC gaming master race etc. I know it limits my spectrum, but THAT is the shame of Japanese game industry; Games made solely for console platforms and releases only within JP borders (fatal frame 4). Bastards. BASTARDS!

Yes, the Fatal Frame series is extremely good, for atmosphere, ambience, and even story. Combat can be a bit sketchy at times since most enemies can come at you through WALLS, but other than that, it's amazine. You won't get attacked by more than, say, 3 or 4 enemies at the most (I'm looking at you, Resident Evil), and it's always obvious when you get attacked. Speaking of Fatal Frame 4, yes, I'm pretty sure it's only for the Wii, and it's not getting released in North America, however I heard some pople are working on an english hack for it, so you can but it Japanese and instll the hack. The voices will all still be in japanse (to the best of my knowledge), but apparently all the books and stuff will be translated. It is too bad that there aren't many good games for PC, but if you just want a scary game, Doom 3 is pretty good. Not much story to speak of, and there's those mutations, but it has atmosphere.

Doom 3 is hardly scary. Unsettling at best, thought it was kinda neat when the berserk helmet was taken. Plot was pathetic, level design very annoying at times. When it comes to horror, it takes much more than winking lights, a few sounds and a makeshift atmosphere.

Also, I have seen Penumbra. Not too bad, but not worth the time really. Alien plague translates to a sad attempt at a nice story and that pretty much ruins everything from there on.
This is what I mean. Really good horror games are a rarity.

 

[Jedamethis]

To prove that you don't squeal like a little girl when scared.

 

[badgersprite]

You know how in nearly every slasher/psychological horror movie all of the protagonists are a bunch of snotty arrogant dicks or unlikeable whiny tossers who you can't wait to see get a chainsaw through the face, and how the main villain is usually the only person/spirit/'ambiguous force of the universe' that has any personality worth rooting for? Well, in a game, you actually get attached to your normal character - firstly, because they're you, secondly, because, under your guidance, they don't do the idiotic things most characters do in movies, and, thirdly, because you actually want to see them triumph, because getting a chainsaw to the face would mean you lose.

I've got to say that I prefer the more old-school 'Silent Hill' brand of horror where it isn't deformed enemies attacking you that makes the game scary, it's sneaking around an empty town knowing that there are monsters there and not seeing them that makes a game scary. I also like it when games take advantage of the interactive nature of games and decide to really fuck with some heads. That's precisely why some of the best horror experiences I've had in games weren't actually in horror games.

Okay, maybe I'm overstating that a little. What I'm getting at is that some non-horror games, Fallout 3 in particular, are incredibly good at manifesting that atmosphere of 'You are going to die' and 'This place is extremely fucked up' and 'Oh my God what's happening to me' that you're supposed to get in a horror game. The first Condemned understood this, with its flashes between reality and what I at the time thought were fear-induced delusions on Ethan Thomas' part.

It's not about having waves of enemies relentlessly attacking you and you having to fight your way out - it's about knowing there's a bad guy just around the next corner, because you can hear them, and you've seen their shadow run across the screen, and - wait, what was that noise behind you? OH MY GOD! There's a murderer in the house with you right now, hiding behind your couch, but don't look because, if you do, then he'll really be there! AAAAAGH!

 

[Thaius]

Because I look at games as a form of storytelling art. And scaring people effectively is a tough thing to do in games, movies, or anything really. To see a game that does a good job of scaring me is pretty awesome, because it's well-made.

Fatal Frame, for instance, was brilliant in every way, really. But the main thing it did right was the battle system: the game was shown from very well-produced camera angles, but in order to fight the ghosts that showed up (and freaked the crap out of you), you had to go down to a first-person view. You had to go down to the level of the very thing that was scaring you like heck. It was amazing, really.

Anyway, I play them to see how well and artistic being scared out of my mind can be.

 

[sgtshock]

I guess for the same reason people like roller coasters: that split-second feeling that you are about to die a horrible death, only to snap back and realize that you're okay.

 

[haaxist]

I formally deny that any other series apart from Silent Hill is Horror.
Anything else is just zombie shooters or alien wankfests. Why? Atmosphere. Ambience. The omnipresent feeling that you are alone.
It is very psychological. Fear that is. Also it's a rarity.
Western countries don't have what it takes to make a frightening game or movie. For the good stuff, look to the east and see Japan.

You should give Fatal Frame a go. I'm assuming you haven't yet, since I personally don't see any reason why you would not mention it if talking about great games for atmosphere and ambience, etc. If you have already played it and still disqualify it from your definition of horror, I'd be very interested to hear why you felt it failed at its goal.

I have been told about it, but have not played it yet. Basically sounds nice and possibly even worth the praise. It sounds a bit silly though, from what i've heard, to take on ghosts and spirits with only a camera.
Bah, wiki says it's only for PS2, xbox and wiiwii. Pity, as I only support PC. Viva la PC gaming master race etc. I know it limits my spectrum, but THAT is the shame of Japanese game industry; Games made solely for console platforms and releases only within JP borders (fatal frame 4). Bastards. BASTARDS!

Yes, the Fatal Frame series is extremely good, for atmosphere, ambience, and even story. Combat can be a bit sketchy at times since most enemies can come at you through WALLS, but other than that, it's amazine. You won't get attacked by more than, say, 3 or 4 enemies at the most (I'm looking at you, Resident Evil), and it's always obvious when you get attacked. Speaking of Fatal Frame 4, yes, I'm pretty sure it's only for the Wii, and it's not getting released in North America, however I heard some pople are working on an english hack for it, so you can but it Japanese and instll the hack. The voices will all still be in japanse (to the best of my knowledge), but apparently all the books and stuff will be translated. It is too bad that there aren't many good games for PC, but if you just want a scary game, Doom 3 is pretty good. Not much story to speak of, and there's those mutations, but it has atmosphere.

Doom 3 is hardly scary. Unsettling at best, thought it was kinda neat when the berserk helmet was taken. Plot was pathetic, level design very annoying at times. When it comes to horror, it takes much more than winking lights, a few sounds and a makeshift atmosphere.

Also, I have seen Penumbra. Not too bad, but not worth the time really. Alien plague translates to a sad attempt at a nice story and that pretty much ruins everything from there on.
This is what I mean. Really good horror games are a rarity.

Well, it was the first "scary" game I ever played. I'm not allowed to have my games or music up too loud in my room, so I had to use my headphones, and my sister is pretty loud, and so are my parents, so I had to turn the volume up pretty loud. I know it's not a horror game in the best sense of the word, but it still scared the crap out of me. Some pople are hardcore fans of horror. That's not a bad thing. But to say something isn't scary just because it didn't scare you personally isn't fair to all the people who were scared by it. For instance: Nobody would say that Jurassic Park 3 was a scary movie. However, the first time I watched it (I was about 11) I had nightmares for weeks. I don't know why, probably because of the raptors, but my point is that just because you aren't scared by something doesn't mean it isn't scary. Who knows? Maybe some people absolutely love the games with the alien plague plotlines.

 

[Ryuk2]

As somebody somewhere said, we play horror games because we get emotions from them. They make us scared, they make adrenalin pump in our bodies. Basically old people watch soap operas, because they make them feel warm, loved and caring, while younger people get adrenalin from horror games or action packed games.
Some play them because they feel the need to see all the gore, the monsters and other horror stuff.
Good horror game is a game, where the horror works. If your immersed, scarred or just pumped with adrenalin, the game has done it's job right. If you can even for a moment forget anything but the game and play it like it was real, then it's excellent at it's job. It lefts an impression after you finish it, it sucks you in, but your afraid to continue the game.
When i was 12 years old and i got DOOM 3, i was scarred of it, but i couldn't stop playing. I played one stage, non-stop for 1 hour in a very slow pace, when i finished it, i turned it off and gone out to clear my head. One guy who i know never actually played it, because he was too afraid. I took the game to his house, installed it and he was afraid to look at it. When i got to the first zombie, he was like ''Omg! What's that>'' and he went out of the room and never looked back at the game.
Bad horror is a game were none of this happens.

 

[Frybird]

Last Horror Game i've played: Dead Space

Why? Because i love cool, giant spaceships

If Dead Space would have put you in the shoes of the mechanic Issac Clarke in Order to find a clogged sewage pipe on the Ishimura, i'd still considered playing it.

(In fact, it would be really cool to have a game that plays in a location like the Ishimura or Bioshock's Rapture before these places get all sorts of screwed up)

...i rarely play horror games because they are horror games. I just happen to care about the story or setting of these games.

 

[happyagentman]

I'm writing a paper for school, and I need to know why people play horror games. This question can be kind of tricky to answer, since "Because I like them" doesn't count. I need you to tell me what it is you like about them, and how they affect you. Your age would be nice too so I can make charts and stuff, but it is not mandatory. Also, I would like you to tell me which horror game is your favourite. If you guys could help me out, I would really appreciate it.

EDIT-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New topic. What exactly do you classify as a horror game? Is there certain criteria that have to be met? What differentiates a "good" and a "bad" horror game? What makes a horror game cliche? What do you never want to see in a horror game? And please, for the love of god, NO ONE SENTENCE ANSWERS. I am writing an academic paper. One sentence answers don't help me at all. And I will be sourcing this thread for my bibliography, so nothing too profane.

Im 23 years old, Male, and I played most of the franchises from Resident Evil, to Silent Hill, to Clock Tower.
Why I play horror video games is the same reason I watch horror movies. They are different. We're in a 'mostly' safe world and horror offers the same kind of outlet as most extreme potentially hazardous activities. It gives you a rush. It gives you an emotion that your rarely experience, fear, while maintaining a safe environment. While no one wants to live a real life horror movie, the horror genre allows us to simulate that experience and get that heart a racing with no consequence other then your character being chopped up into bits, and thus restarting the level over.
My favorite horror series is Silent Hill, but the scarest game I played is Fatal Frame, for reasons I will explain below.

A horror game is classified as a game designed to give you sensations of fear as you play. The game will have themes of helplessness, the unknown, the unseen, deadly dangers, lonliness, uncertainty, and the odd that are meant to shock, oppress, and bring about a sense of unease. It may not sound like it but this is what a true player of the horror genre wants.
A Good horror game gives you fear. It makes your afraid to open that door or walk down that hallway. A great game has atmosphere. That game scares you without even anything happening. It is also a well thought out balance between difficulty and power to the player. It cant be impossible, but it also cant be easy. Keeping the game fresh is another issue. Short games lack appeal but prevents stagnation. Best way to get over this is a broad array of dangers and situations. Time limited puzzles offer some much needed tension when in a bland area. Silent Hill works wonders by essentially throwing you in an other worldly ghost town filled with unique nightmare creatures representing the characters personal failings, and each character is braving that deathtrap to save a loved one. Again the atmosphere is dark, dreary, and oppressive, making it seem like the entire town is out to kill you (which it is). They're not many ghost games, which is why Fatal Frame stands out. Sure its a haunted mansion, but the character is a young girl looking for her brother and her only protection is the camera. Another mention goes to Condemned, saddly the 2nd game ruined it. Condemned is great for the reasons above, with immersion being the best. It really screwed with you and kept it realistic. A fantastically unique touch is that things are going to hell, and there is absolutely no explanations. Its a seriously 'wtf!' game all the way though. These three games become unique mainly because of the terrifying atmosphere and great use of light, shadows, mist, unique dangers, immersion, likable realistic characters, and errie environments complete with audio, or lack there of. All of this comes together to make great horror games.

A Bad Horror game is reptitive and doesnt offer those moments of pauses because the game gave the player too much confidence. This is a problem I have found with Resident Evil Games. I found the RE1 and RE2 scary in the beginning for reasons that RE1 offers little resources and thus making you dread every enemy you encounter. RE2 started the game with you being hopelessly surrounded by an army of zombies and very little defense. That was frightening. But eventually your arsenal becomes so large and so well stocked that suddenly you can clear hallways almost effortless with a few well placed grenades. The following RE games completely botched the horror aspect by giving you over powered weapons from the very beginning. A good portion of RE5 even took place in broad daylight, with a companion. Having big guns, companions, and areas where you can see everything that coming out you turns the game into an action genre rather then horror.
It doesnt matter how many zombies or how big the monsters are if you have a grenade launcher with 30 or so incendiary rounds. It gives the player confidence rather then uncertainty which is what kills a horror game.

What makes a horror game cliche is the same dangers, same places, and same story. Story has to play a part. It allows the player a more immersive situation. A survivor in a zombie apocalypse caused by radiation or a virus has been done to death. Spice it up with difference to make the game unique. Maybe they arent zombies, maybe they are pyschos that work together to trap you. Things like that. Another cliche is violence. Ultra Violence gets some people to turn heads, but just because its bloodier than a slaughter house doesn't make it horror. In fact, over doing just makes it revolting, or sometimes silly. A great example of proper violence is Dead Space, in which dismemberment is the best way to slay your foes. A bad one is Dead Rising or Ill Bleed where people bleed in copious unnatural amounts and dismemberment is just for immature boyish fun, and thus a distraction from the horror elements.

What I never want to see in a true horror game is comedy. Dead Rising is not a horror game considering the game is about having fun killing zombies in unique ways. Stupid dialogue (In RE1) that tries to be funny is also a distraction away from horror elements. The game must be made to be serious and extra care needs to be taken to make sure it doesnt become just a bigger joke. Nothing is more pitiful then a corny movie that was supposed to be serious.

 

[Howlingwolf214]

Why play them: Adrenaline.

Good Horror Game: Psychological. Makes you search every inch of your room. Including Narnia.

Bad Horror Game: Just makes you jump. Then makes you jump again. Etc etc.

Cliche: Anything to do with Zombies or psychic powers really.

I've already written a 3 page essay today, so that's all you're getting outta me.

 

[paasi]

I formally deny that any other series apart from Silent Hill is Horror.
Anything else is just zombie shooters or alien wankfests. Why? Atmosphere. Ambience. The omnipresent feeling that you are alone.
It is very psychological. Fear that is. Also it's a rarity.
Western countries don't have what it takes to make a frightening game or movie. For the good stuff, look to the east and see Japan.

You should give Fatal Frame a go. I'm assuming you haven't yet, since I personally don't see any reason why you would not mention it if talking about great games for atmosphere and ambience, etc. If you have already played it and still disqualify it from your definition of horror, I'd be very interested to hear why you felt it failed at its goal.

I have been told about it, but have not played it yet. Basically sounds nice and possibly even worth the praise. It sounds a bit silly though, from what i've heard, to take on ghosts and spirits with only a camera.
Bah, wiki says it's only for PS2, xbox and wiiwii. Pity, as I only support PC. Viva la PC gaming master race etc. I know it limits my spectrum, but THAT is the shame of Japanese game industry; Games made solely for console platforms and releases only within JP borders (fatal frame 4). Bastards. BASTARDS!

Yes, the Fatal Frame series is extremely good, for atmosphere, ambience, and even story. Combat can be a bit sketchy at times since most enemies can come at you through WALLS, but other than that, it's amazine. You won't get attacked by more than, say, 3 or 4 enemies at the most (I'm looking at you, Resident Evil), and it's always obvious when you get attacked. Speaking of Fatal Frame 4, yes, I'm pretty sure it's only for the Wii, and it's not getting released in North America, however I heard some pople are working on an english hack for it, so you can but it Japanese and instll the hack. The voices will all still be in japanse (to the best of my knowledge), but apparently all the books and stuff will be translated. It is too bad that there aren't many good games for PC, but if you just want a scary game, Doom 3 is pretty good. Not much story to speak of, and there's those mutations, but it has atmosphere.

Doom 3 is hardly scary. Unsettling at best, thought it was kinda neat when the berserk helmet was taken. Plot was pathetic, level design very annoying at times. When it comes to horror, it takes much more than winking lights, a few sounds and a makeshift atmosphere.

Also, I have seen Penumbra. Not too bad, but not worth the time really. Alien plague translates to a sad attempt at a nice story and that pretty much ruins everything from there on.
This is what I mean. Really good horror games are a rarity.

Well, it was the first "scary" game I ever played. I'm not allowed to have my games or music up too loud in my room, so I had to use my headphones, and my sister is pretty loud, and so are my parents, so I had to turn the volume up pretty loud. I know it's not a horror game in the best sense of the word, but it still scared the crap out of me. Some pople are hardcore fans of horror. That's not a bad thing. But to say something isn't scary just because it didn't scare you personally isn't fair to all the people who were scared by it. For instance: Nobody would say that Jurassic Park 3 was a scary movie. However, the first time I watched it (I was about 11) I had nightmares for weeks. I don't know why, probably because of the raptors, but my point is that just because you aren't scared by something doesn't mean it isn't scary. Who knows? Maybe some people absolutely love the games with the alien plague plotlines.

Ok. granted, it's a "scary" type of game just as say L4D is a scary type of game because there are zombies, but my point was that it is not a game that was made with the intention of being an epitome of cranium drilling fear, but blasting brains off of everything that moves.
To put a dot here, it's a question of preferences. I can't consider something so cliché as aliens as a proper scary item in a game.

 

[haaxist]

I formally deny that any other series apart from Silent Hill is Horror.
Anything else is just zombie shooters or alien wankfests. Why? Atmosphere. Ambience. The omnipresent feeling that you are alone.
It is very psychological. Fear that is. Also it's a rarity.
Western countries don't have what it takes to make a frightening game or movie. For the good stuff, look to the east and see Japan.

You should give Fatal Frame a go. I'm assuming you haven't yet, since I personally don't see any reason why you would not mention it if talking about great games for atmosphere and ambience, etc. If you have already played it and still disqualify it from your definition of horror, I'd be very interested to hear why you felt it failed at its goal.

I have been told about it, but have not played it yet. Basically sounds nice and possibly even worth the praise. It sounds a bit silly though, from what i've heard, to take on ghosts and spirits with only a camera.
Bah, wiki says it's only for PS2, xbox and wiiwii. Pity, as I only support PC. Viva la PC gaming master race etc. I know it limits my spectrum, but THAT is the shame of Japanese game industry; Games made solely for console platforms and releases only within JP borders (fatal frame 4). Bastards. BASTARDS!

Yes, the Fatal Frame series is extremely good, for atmosphere, ambience, and even story. Combat can be a bit sketchy at times since most enemies can come at you through WALLS, but other than that, it's amazine. You won't get attacked by more than, say, 3 or 4 enemies at the most (I'm looking at you, Resident Evil), and it's always obvious when you get attacked. Speaking of Fatal Frame 4, yes, I'm pretty sure it's only for the Wii, and it's not getting released in North America, however I heard some pople are working on an english hack for it, so you can but it Japanese and instll the hack. The voices will all still be in japanse (to the best of my knowledge), but apparently all the books and stuff will be translated. It is too bad that there aren't many good games for PC, but if you just want a scary game, Doom 3 is pretty good. Not much story to speak of, and there's those mutations, but it has atmosphere.

Doom 3 is hardly scary. Unsettling at best, thought it was kinda neat when the berserk helmet was taken. Plot was pathetic, level design very annoying at times. When it comes to horror, it takes much more than winking lights, a few sounds and a makeshift atmosphere.

Also, I have seen Penumbra. Not too bad, but not worth the time really. Alien plague translates to a sad attempt at a nice story and that pretty much ruins everything from there on.
This is what I mean. Really good horror games are a rarity.

Well, it was the first "scary" game I ever played. I'm not allowed to have my games or music up too loud in my room, so I had to use my headphones, and my sister is pretty loud, and so are my parents, so I had to turn the volume up pretty loud. I know it's not a horror game in the best sense of the word, but it still scared the crap out of me. Some pople are hardcore fans of horror. That's not a bad thing. But to say something isn't scary just because it didn't scare you personally isn't fair to all the people who were scared by it. For instance: Nobody would say that Jurassic Park 3 was a scary movie. However, the first time I watched it (I was about 11) I had nightmares for weeks. I don't know why, probably because of the raptors, but my point is that just because you aren't scared by something doesn't mean it isn't scary. Who knows? Maybe some people absolutely love the games with the alien plague plotlines.

Ok. granted, it's a "scary" type of game just as say L4D is a scary type of game because there are zombies, but my point was that it is not a game that was made with the intention of being an epitome of cranium drilling fear, but blasting brains off of everything that moves.
To put a dot here, it's a question of preferences. I can't consider something so cliché as aliens as a proper scary item in a game.

Well, thanks for clearing that up. I wasn't sure if you were just bashing people's tastes. Sorry if I was rude or anything.

 

[paasi]

I formally deny that any other series apart from Silent Hill is Horror.
Anything else is just zombie shooters or alien wankfests. Why? Atmosphere. Ambience. The omnipresent feeling that you are alone.
It is very psychological. Fear that is. Also it's a rarity.
Western countries don't have what it takes to make a frightening game or movie. For the good stuff, look to the east and see Japan.

You should give Fatal Frame a go. I'm assuming you haven't yet, since I personally don't see any reason why you would not mention it if talking about great games for atmosphere and ambience, etc. If you have already played it and still disqualify it from your definition of horror, I'd be very interested to hear why you felt it failed at its goal.

I have been told about it, but have not played it yet. Basically sounds nice and possibly even worth the praise. It sounds a bit silly though, from what i've heard, to take on ghosts and spirits with only a camera.
Bah, wiki says it's only for PS2, xbox and wiiwii. Pity, as I only support PC. Viva la PC gaming master race etc. I know it limits my spectrum, but THAT is the shame of Japanese game industry; Games made solely for console platforms and releases only within JP borders (fatal frame 4). Bastards. BASTARDS!

Yes, the Fatal Frame series is extremely good, for atmosphere, ambience, and even story. Combat can be a bit sketchy at times since most enemies can come at you through WALLS, but other than that, it's amazine. You won't get attacked by more than, say, 3 or 4 enemies at the most (I'm looking at you, Resident Evil), and it's always obvious when you get attacked. Speaking of Fatal Frame 4, yes, I'm pretty sure it's only for the Wii, and it's not getting released in North America, however I heard some pople are working on an english hack for it, so you can but it Japanese and instll the hack. The voices will all still be in japanse (to the best of my knowledge), but apparently all the books and stuff will be translated. It is too bad that there aren't many good games for PC, but if you just want a scary game, Doom 3 is pretty good. Not much story to speak of, and there's those mutations, but it has atmosphere.

Doom 3 is hardly scary. Unsettling at best, thought it was kinda neat when the berserk helmet was taken. Plot was pathetic, level design very annoying at times. When it comes to horror, it takes much more than winking lights, a few sounds and a makeshift atmosphere.

Also, I have seen Penumbra. Not too bad, but not worth the time really. Alien plague translates to a sad attempt at a nice story and that pretty much ruins everything from there on.
This is what I mean. Really good horror games are a rarity.

Well, it was the first "scary" game I ever played. I'm not allowed to have my games or music up too loud in my room, so I had to use my headphones, and my sister is pretty loud, and so are my parents, so I had to turn the volume up pretty loud. I know it's not a horror game in the best sense of the word, but it still scared the crap out of me. Some pople are hardcore fans of horror. That's not a bad thing. But to say something isn't scary just because it didn't scare you personally isn't fair to all the people who were scared by it. For instance: Nobody would say that Jurassic Park 3 was a scary movie. However, the first time I watched it (I was about 11) I had nightmares for weeks. I don't know why, probably because of the raptors, but my point is that just because you aren't scared by something doesn't mean it isn't scary. Who knows? Maybe some people absolutely love the games with the alien plague plotlines.

Ok. granted, it's a "scary" type of game just as say L4D is a scary type of game because there are zombies, but my point was that it is not a game that was made with the intention of being an epitome of cranium drilling fear, but blasting brains off of everything that moves.
To put a dot here, it's a question of preferences. I can't consider something so cliché as aliens as a proper scary item in a game.

Well, thanks for clearing that up. I wasn't sure if you were just bashing people's tastes. Sorry if I was rude or anything.

No prob, it is a nice and civil dicsussion about the load on our brains after all.

 

[haaxist]

This isn't really about a video game, but it is related to the topic of this thread, so I decided to post it here.

On Friday I went to the theatre to see Paranormal Activity. It was only rated 14A, so I thought I would be fine. I haven't been that freaked out in years. At first it was just a subtle sense of "Something's not right here....", with atmosphere and ambience and everything. Near the end of the movie they started throwing those "Holy shit what the hell?!" moments at you, and at the very end of the movie they threw two freak out moments at you. I literally put my hands over my ears, closed my eyes, and screamed. I don't do that easily. Actually, that's the first time I've ever done that in a theatre. Nobody really noticed, though, since they were all screaming too. That was the best horror movie I've ever seen. I was afraid to go to sleep that night, which kinda sucked since I worked the next day. But if you're a fan of horror, which you probably are if you're reading this thread, I heartily recommend this movie. Just don't go alone. And if you buy popcorn, near the end of the movie put it somewhere you won't spill it on the person next to you.

 

[ItsAPaul]

Don't assume everyone likes the horror genre. Personally I would never pay for a horror game (or movie) since it makes no sense to hand over money for that kind of thing.

 

[Thisbedutch]

I believe it's called Visceral Pleasure. Gets the adrenaline going and people enjoy being scared. I like them because they usually have more interesting stories and, as a psychology student, I like dissecting what it is that makes them scary.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

Same reason people like riding roller coasters? Some people like to be scared for some reason. Roller coasters are more explainable (adrenaline rushes are fun). Maybe they like the idea of having to fight for your life? Maybe it's a nice change of pace compared to being Super Soldier 117: Master Chief all the time. Instead, you're just a guy with a gun tossed into a horrendous situation. That's why some people don't think RE4 is true horror. It skews too far to the action side and you become too powerful. By the end of the game, you're packing a handgun, a sniper, a shotgun, a TMP, and a magnum (and maybe the Mine Launcher). Ammo is by no means scarce if you're any sort of competent.

People classify horror by the atmosphere. RE4 was creepy at times, but it wasn't enough to offset your massive sense of power. In the first act, you fight off an entire village for 5+ minutes with a pistol and shotgun. Overwhelming, but not scary. Later on, you just get bigger guns. Demon dog, meet shotgun. Plagas, meet sniper rifle/flash grenade. Zerg Rush, meet magnum, TMP, and grenades. Regenerators were creepy because your power didn't mean jack if you weren't on a New Game+. Some enemies were disgusting, but some players are more tolerant of that stuff, rendering it moot.
(Sorry that I can only mention RE4. It's the only one I've played myself. You can use this for contrast against traditional horror I guess)

Edit: actually, I just remembered that I played Dead Space. There, the sense that you are alone and in a royally screwed up situation is more complete. Admittedly, some of the weapons (mining tools!) do get a bit too powerful for mining tools, but I never really lost the feeling that something bad was going to happen every time I went into a new room. Atmosphere does everything for a horror game. Now we need someone to give you a small paragraph on Silent Hill and the older Resident Evil games.