Poll: What is your rank on the 'spook meter'?

[AmrasCalmacil]

Given your scale I'm a seven. I look over my shoulder but I can play games alone, sometimes I have to quit because I get too uncomfortable, not pleasant.

I do not handle horror well at all and am generally not subjected to it unless it's something that greatly interests me.

 

[Twilight_guy]

9. Most of the time I'm not scared by games mostly because I can identify the particle effects, skeletal meshes, and animations that make up the smoke and mirrors. Also, the scariest thing ever isd that first time going through the example vault from the museum in Fallout 3. That was the scariest thing ever and everything else is far less. Not one single thing in there... but the atmosphere... oh god.

I used to be in 1-2 but then I moved and I think the first horror game I played was L4D (if you can call it a horror game - whatever) and basically after that I became less cowardly.
I think my next horror game was Fatal Frame 3, which I played with friends and I couldn't understand why they found it so scary.
Meh.

Oh god, your avatar! That's truly the scariest thing ever! My eyes, somebody gouge out my eyes! That picture is just so wrong.

 

[LooK iTz Jinjo]

I like your example for 10. Fits me perfectly, I used to play F.E.A.R at 2, 3, 4 in the morning and then go to sleep with the lights off. I thought that was normal?

 

[Doctor VonSexMachine]

I am an intense coward. After the Dunwich building (which I happened upon wondering the wastes) I put that goddamn game away for more than a month.

And I was about to roam that area too, looks like I'll stay away for a short while.

Fallout always scares you anyway. With a world that depressing, prepare to see a new horror at every corner.

You know, it's not all that scary. While I do not like how fast both Ghouls and Death-claws decend upon you, the atmosphere is no where near as desperate as the original. That said, I love fallout 3 like a fat kid loves cake - a large part being that it manages to have FPS elements and not scare the pants off of me.

See also: TF2 and the L4D series for bearable FPS.

ETA:

Also, the scariest thing ever isd that first time going through the example vault from the museum in Fallout 3.

Dear god, that was terrible. Although the Dunwich was worse. (Check out the lower left region on the map)

Penumbra scares the shit out of me, but that's honestly the only time I'm scared.

FUCK PENUMBRA. Oh god, I was literally shaking as my BFF played the first 2 hours through with me, although he had figured out the weaknesses of the first enemy type. (Ambiguous to avoid spoiling this pants-shitting game.)

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Only two games have ever freaked me out, the first being System Shock 2 and the other being Metro 2033. I can't really play either of those games for more than an hour or so before I start getting freaked out at everything. Other than those two, I only get mildly anxious playing them in the dark, but they don't affect me much after I stop playing them.

And lets not talk about the time I was playing SS2 and my cat rubbed against my leg right as I turned around and some hybrids were standing RIGHT behind me to eat my face, and I proceeded to shriek and flip out of my chair onto the ground.

cats are the devil when it comes to gaming

fucking quiet stealthy ass ninjas that rub up against you..

i have had numerous occasions kneeing the shit out of my desk from my old cat

 

[Tony2077]

I'm a 10 or maybe higher i may jump if something pops up but that about it

 

[Shockolate]

I'm both a 9 and 10.

I'm always tense while player horror games, but that won't stop me from playing Fear at 3 in the morning.

 

[Kapol]

I'm not really freaked out by a game at all during the day. But at night, with all the lights turned out and the house is silent, I begin to feel the unease creep in. I remember one time playing Alan Wake when I was running through the forest where there was no trail because I was looking for collectibles. I nearly jumped as a shadow looked like, as Yahtzee put it "A murderer with an ax and a massive erection." But it takes some real atmosphere to actually creep me out at all, though Dead Space did a good job I thought.

 

[Kud]

I'm a seven...

My neck starts to hurt after a while because I look my shoulder so much...

 

[DarthFennec]

I don't think cowardice has much to do with it, and FEAR really isn't that scary. So I guess I'm a 9 or 10.

 

[saintchristopher]

Ordinarily I'm an 8. However, I rented Fatal Frame recently and almost immediately went, "Nope! Not happening! see YOU in the morning."

 

[Berithil]

I would probably be a nine. I love horror movies/games, but I usually don't play video games in the dark (sharp contrast between dark room and bright screen can't be good for your eyes) and I've never played F.E.A.R, soooo....

 

[Zap Rowsdower]

I can play scary games when there is more than 1 person with me in a well lit room, but alone and/or in the dark I am the world's biggest coward.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

it just depends, i play video games for relaxation and fun, so i just dont care and dont like the environment of horror games, but i can play them, and be fine, so im usually around a 7 or so, sometimes an 8, just depends on the game

but like i said, i dont like to play horror games much at all, (suprisingly i like horror movies for some odd reason), so i drop down to a 5-6 on occasion, if i really want to enjoy the game.

 

[silentsentinel]

Atmospheric horror I can stand. I just don't like things jumping out at me.

 

[MattyDienhoff]

I'm a 10. Just the other day I did lab X18 in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in the middle of the night with all the lights off.

 

[Mstrswrd]

Around 7, or just slightly before it (like 6.7 or something). I'm not fond of horror games, and will not actively seek them out, but if I end up playing one, I always make it through.

 

[Dr. Danger]

Apparently my Spook level Doesn't Exist. Played Silent Hill 1 with my brother at 1-2 in the morning and slept like a baby. Of course i often have dark.....DARK! thoughts so really videogame and movie horror doesn't scare me.

Your spook level does exist and it's currently a six. Playing horror games with someone else in the room isn't an amazing feat so I'd be curious to hear of another example from you.

OP: My spook level is about a six to zero. I could play a horror game with someone else in the room fine but otherwise, I'm keen to stay away from them. I get spooked very easily and have Hypnagogia (waking / dream related hallucinations) six out of seven nights. The last thing I need is for more material to feed into it.

 

[squid5580]

The one game that scared the piss out of me was Resident Evil 3. Walking along the dark deserted streets waiting for a zombie or a dog to jump me when I hear SSTTTAAARRRSSS. Damn near crapped my pants. I did find Alan Wake and Singularity (this far anyways) has great atmosphere which leaves me with a creepy feeling but not full on scared. And I waited for a dark and stormy night to play Wake (Singularity for me was surprising on how creepy it is)