Horror Games: Why We Play Them

[haaxist]

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.

 

[zauxz]

Well they are just as fun as regular games, except they add the extra excitement and thrill.

 

[Christemo]

i played Fatal Frame 1, 2 and 3 just to get rid of the easy cheesy scares ive had in the past. most other horror games (im among others looking at you SH2) are less scary than a headless chicken now.

i wetted many pairs of underpants and shat many bricks, but now, the scares are over.

 

[TPiddy]

I'm a 28 year old male, and I play them because the interactivity allows you to get more in depth with the character.... when you affect the outcome it's much scarier than watching some bimbo get stabbed for showering in the woods.

 

[blackfrancis567]

I like the genre

 

[therandombear]

It could be that when scared and cramped monsters everywhere etc, you can get a rush. And if you survive then it feels great to have given the game a "in-your-face-I-survived-what-u-gonna do?"
Just what I think though.

And it can "cure" your fear for other things, by replacing it with something worse xD

 

[Silencer13]

Well i guess for me it would be the fact that killing zombies is freakn sweet. I think its like even though you know this is an impossible scenario, i might still be possible for zombies to take over or something like I Am Legend to happen. It puts you in this, what would i do situation. I really like RE5.

 

[BolognaBaloney]

It generally means a slower paced game, with more intense enemy encounters. At least the ones I like are...

 

[Kajt]

Tough question. Why do people play horror games? Why do they want to be scared?

I play horror games because I find it entertaining, but since that isn't good enough of an answer, I'll have to say it's because of the immersion. Unlike most other games, you actually feel like it's you walking down that dark, narrow corridor and not Master Chief or Gordon Freeman.

 

[DazZ.]

Adrenaline?

Same reason I do some other things I do for no other reason than fun, except if I'm playing a game/watching a movie there isn't a risk of getting hurt, so it's a more "mainstream" way of getting adrenaline.

/Theory

 

[Versagen]

I play horror games because I want to be scared. I want my hands to shake, I want my controller to be soaked with sweat, and after I shut the console off I want to remember the game and be afraid of the dark.

Why I want to be afraid is something I don't have the answer for.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

People like being scared for some reason. That's why they watch horror films and go on roller coasters and probably why there was that massive influx of Gorn movies a couple years back. It's a nice change of pace from being a super soldier or having a magic sword in a bright world.
I for one can't actually sit through a crazy horror film, but feel a little safer in a game because I get a gun (even that is nullified for certain games).

 

[Eldarion]

Horror games are fun.

There doesn't need to be more of a reason.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Horror games focus far more on the reasons for doing things, rather than just doing them, so you tend to get a stronger game flow, stronger backgrounds, more exhilarating music and, like science fiction, has a keen eye for including metaphors for the real world.

Zombie movies have shown us Alienation, Racism and a number of other "untouchable" subjects in a way that we can relate to them. Horror games often do the same thing. In The Thing, who can you trust?

 

[meat_muffin]

i think that the fear allows you to get more in touch with the character you're playing as. you get inside their heads and learn about their past, and the fear is like superglue, sticking you to their back the whole time. also, horror games like fatal frame and silent hill come with a different type of storyline. you have to do stuff like make keys out of things that are absolutely irrevelant, or walk around reading the bloody numbers on the wall so you can open a safe that's three floors up. it's so difficult sometimes that you start to get annoyed, but then the satisfaction of finding all the cpr dummy's organs and putting them in there right just feels soooo gooooood that you forget about how annoyed you were.

and then the nurse drops down from the ceiling and your adrenaline melts your brain.

 

[esperandote]

they are more exciting and they give us a feeling of adrenaline in a way we wouldnt like in real life.

 

[tehweave]

As a fan of the horror genre, horror games give the same reaction that horror movies give.

They keep us on the edge of our seats, and pin our urine to the walls when we are legitimately scared by something. It's an adrenaline rush to the brain stimulated by our emotion of fear.

What makes horror games better than horror movies is that you are in control of the character, and to a lesser extent, the fear. At any point, you can have your character stop dead in his or her tracks and just linger there, waiting for you to cool off, while a bloodthirsty freakasaurus waits around the corner to bite your kneecaps.

Giving you control of the main character adds a true element of fear because it's like YOU'RE ACTUALLY THERE.

So we play horror games for the same reason we watch horror movies. To be immersed in a scary but interesting environment, only its one that we can control.

 

[Mr Orange]

The adrenaline that a truly scary experience gives you (and I'm think along the lines of Penumbra: Black Plague here) can only be surpassed by going to an abandoned facility in Greenland and getting chased by horrible things.

 

[Dale Cooper]

It?s the complete immersion that interests me the most. I have not found a horror text scary since I was a child, with the exception of video games.

 

[Valiance]

The same reason you go on a rollercoaster...