survival horror, does it have to be limited to fictional oogedy boogedies?

[shootthebandit]

i just found out about that game that puts scuba divers against sharks and a thought came to me. why is survival horror limited to some sort of supernatural oogedy boogedy when the world we live in has alot of scary creatures that we can relate too.

often a fictional monster is just silly because we cannot relate to it, whereas something like a shark or a bear we can relate to and we fully understand there strength and abilities

i have came up with 2 examples that encorporate real-life:
1: you play as a pilot shot down in enemy territory. you must survive against enemy patrols using the little equipment you have. i know arguably this is not a horror game but surely there is an element of HORROR as that 12 man patrol is alerted of your presence and you must try and evade them

2: you are part of a research team and you find yourself shrunken down to 1/1000th of your size and you must survive against various insects that inhabit the world

i just think that real-life can often be more terrifying than the fictional world as you can relate to the threat and you understand its power

 

[Subbies]

Well both heavy rain and condemned (the first one) are survivals without the fictional monsters
so that makes at least two games that contradict your point of view

 

[scnj]

Well, there's the level in Condemned 2 where

Spoiler

you fight a motherfucking grizzly bear

 

[VaudevillianVeteran]

2: you are part of a research team and you find yourself shrunken down to 1/1000th of your size and you must survive against various insects that inhabit the world

Actually, I think I've seen a few mini-games based on that, but it would be interesting if they made a whole game based on the theme of being shrunken down and having to face seemingly harmless bugs.
I like where you're going with the whole 'realistic' fears thing.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Horror implies a Horror theme, which is easiest accomplished using monsters. I don't like using the term 'survival' in relation to most games since there are very few that actually draw on survival elements, and using the most basic definition can incorporate nearly every game.

 

[Azure-Supernova]

Given that fear is entirely subjective anyway there are a massive range of settings and entities which could present themselves as horror. The reason it tends to lean more towards the unknown and fictional creatures is because it's an attempt to put a human being out of their comfort zone by presenting something they wouldn't see in their lifetime.

So for example creating an entire game that involved traversing rooms of mirrors whilst escaping superhuman clowns would terrify me. But to many others it would simply be dull.

 

[Phlakes]

Fear of the unknown is one of the biggest fears in the world.

 

[burningdragoon]

Simply put, oogedy boogedies are just easier.

 

[Alex Berry]

So intrigued was I by the 'scuba divers vs sharks' bit that I found a gameplay video for the indie game known as 'Depth'. This looks intense.

 

[imnot]

I think a game where all the enemys are bloody goblin sharks should do.

 

[Zydrate]

Well. You need -something- to run away from.
So. Yea?

 

[Sad Face]

I don't think they have to be fictional enemies, no.

 

[scnj]

Well, there's the level in Condemned 2 where

Spoiler

you fight a motherfucking grizzly bear

You don't fight one, you run from it (as you should) and then shoot at something to make it explode...

Well, alright, I was summarizing. But the example still stands.

 

[sheah1]

Why has no-one suggested humans? Imagine a game where your house is simply invaded by balaclava clad bastards, you have no way of attacking them so you simply have to hide and avoid them, surely they're more terrifying a lot of fictional nasties, where the fear is in the first shock, after that you can kill them easily, you simply couldn't do that in a home invasion game, especially if the point was to try and call the police, or save a family member by putting yourself in danger or something like that.