The Art of Fear: How Horrors Act on Players
B lately, the game choir market has been oversaturated by variations of one and thech also stories: abandoned houses with ghosts, horrors in cosmos, survival in forest, escape from monsters and next up to list. The creators look at stories from different sides, while continuing to use obsolete mechanics. And only units seek to create something new that can really scare the audience.
Fatal Framework, 2001.
The research topic was chosen based on interest in chorrorams, a also wanting to know why the game industry uses those or other methods of exposure to players and viewers. It was also interesting to analyse, based on the market, what other ways to cause fear might be present in play and have the necessary effect, but use less demand, in difference from, for example, already known screams.
Visual material for visual research was selected based on found game chorror, the fragments of which were used in far away in this work. All materials serve as a way to illustrate, add, and also serve as a source of analysis.
'Cause there’s not enough text material on this topic on and, much less, research, the whole text is based on a personal analysis and observation, a also a long game experience.
In order to reveal the topic in the most detail, the structure of the study was designed to first describe the chorror of the games in a goal and how they work and why they use popularity and the question. Then there are examples of how a typical chorororus affects the huhnbsp; players and huhnbsp; viewers and huhnbsp; it works with the huhnbsp; they’re psychotic; and the huhnbsp; it causes fear.
.P.T., 2014.
The following paragraph describes how game developers are gradually starting to introduce liminal spaces and the notion of liminality in the purpose and the effect on the viewer is already starting with the help of a new method, using it in the quality of the tool, and also about the way that elements of the game chorrorra can be introduced into the non-game space; and successfully working beyond its boundaries, such as in the quinematograph. The last chapter talks about how liminality from the instrument of exposure has become a full-fledged object of the game and the octopus for her.
Despite the relative stagnation of the game market, among the vast amounts of classical and typical techniques used to scare players, a large number of developers, not least, try to correct this situation and come up with new and new ways to keep scaring their audience and doing so successfully. So what’s the chorororus and how’s it gonna work?
Chapter 1
Outlast, 2013.
If you talk about the game chorra as such, then you can describe it briefly as a game that attempts to scare the player in a very different way, be then cheating expectations, turning to subconscious fears or banal scripts. In to also time, this concept is much broader than it may seem, because if in the chorror’s quinematograph is something scary and scary for counting its element of surprise, and triller — what works carefully with the spectator’s spectator’s psychic, then in playing space, these two concepts connect.
Good chorr of the game — this is usually a connection between chorororus and a timer where unexpected moments overlap with a persistent build-up of anxiety.
The best chorororrows are typically represented by famous games such as Outlast (2013), Amnesia: The Dark Discent (2010), The Forest (2018) and other giants of the industry. The three of them represent the main chorororor survival genre and they have a number of obvious similarities: complete history, danger and monsters, screams, atmosphere. But heaters, game elements and mechanics, and also causes, according to which cause fear, different.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent, 2010 / The Forest, 2018.
1.1. Screamers
One of the memoranda of how to influence the game and the interactions with — crimer.
B the core of the screams is the banal scare of — the instantaneous reaction of the body to the threat. It’s a way to scare you. It’s a very simple way to scare you. It’s a very simple way to scare you. And it’s not. There is a belief that starting the game from the screenr is a wire, but it’s a little more complicated than that.
SILENT BREATH, 2024.
SILENT BREATH (2024) — game from the EXODIAC STUDIOS developers. The story and the game of which is about that the player is coming to the the crime scene in stunning the woods, and the game is tasked with finding missing persons. Time: until morning. Each second spent in the forest is accompanied by completely different screams: be then suddenly the attacker from the darkness of the monster, or a stalker chasing the player who is getting closer and closer and closer; and, if the player does not scare him, he goes into a sharp attack on him.
SILENT BREATH, 2024.
The game also serves as a good game, and in to also a bad time, an example of the use of the script because it throws the player & laQ; to hold on without a piss; the whole game and to perform the task. But it’s not, as the experience of a multi-user game has shown, the endless run in the dark forest is quickly getting bored and the gamsp; the gample is no longer relevant.
Layers of Fear, 2016.
Leyers of Fear (2016) — an example of a game where the scripter is the main tool for scaring the player. The plot revolves around the artist with the the gaps with the the memory that is desperately trying to restore the chain of events and it comes across the the scary fragments of its own mind. Running down and down and down, the player often bumps into some triggers that always lead to the small, sudden cat scenes with the scripts.
Layers of Fear, 2016.
B the difference from the previous example, in the game Amnesia: The Dark Discent (2010) the criteria are always accompanied by persecution and hazard. If the player is scary, then next thing you know, something is definitely connected to the 'nbsp; i and when you catch it, it returns to the 'nbsp; the preservation point, before it’s not forgetting to scare again.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent, 2010.
1.2. Mechanics
Then not less than the popular smimmer — far from the only game mechanic of chorrows. Despite the those infinitely numerous, you can single out the basics most commonly used by developers.
Capture of the microphone.
Mechanics that were already present in one of the mentioned examples, a also gaining popularity among modern chorrors. The essence of the game is also that the game captures the sounds made by the player, and that depends on success. The quieter the player — the more he alive.
In Silence (2020) — a game where one of the players is a monster that only focuses on the sound, a the remaining — play for the survivors and are shared with each other with helping the microphone in the game. Objective: To survive, not drawing the attention of a monster so that he can hear.
In Silence, 2020.
Phasmophobia (2020) is similar to a previous example, but the computer itself serves as the monster. He hears players all the time, but he can read and sometimes answer questions. The main task of the players is to survive and not to die from the game; a ghost who hears everything the players say, a also their interacting with the game objects. In addition to mike capture mechanics, Phasmophobia also uses the mind scale and phonary.
Phasmophobia, 2020.
B Phasmophobia with game also has a 100 per cent scale of mind that falls down by the game’s going down, and also downwards with even more powerful in an incident if the player is long in dark. The lower the mind, the more vulnerable the player is.
The mind cycle.
Mechanics that directly affect the the game, and also its the visual, monster frequency, and also the corny end to the end of the game, because the character went off with um& raquao;.
Confabulation (2023) — similar example of using such mechanics. There’s a slightly different situation here: the lower your mind, the more a monster appears, the darker the picture becomes, and the more light turns off.
Conference, 2023.
Flashlights and other extinct light sources.
Mechanics, which is an integral part of the modern chorro game industry. With simple mechanics and a simple way to influence psychotics, it quickly became popular.
The reasons for this growth are simple: first, everyone, although whenever, especially as a child, was afraid of darkness and unknown beyond more. Second, by giving a flashlight in hands, the creator narrows the focus from all images in a small circle in front of his eyes that unties his hands and allows a variety of screams to be introduced into a game to direct the player and simply to create an atmosphere of mystery. Often, the creators also make these light sources extinct that not allows the player to stay at one place for a long time, and makes the player move constantly forward so that it is not it is in it is a dazzling darkness.
Options for what’s in how this mechanic is present in game space, plenty: most common flashlights, night vision cameras, old kerosene lamps, a also periodically switched off desktops and floor lamps and lamps in home.
1.3. Psychological pressure
Another method of — psychological pressure, which is a long-term effect on play by sound, text, environment. It’s often not okay for a player to look at some detail after a while. Like, « has there always been such silence?» or, vice versa, « You also heard this?». In addition to the sound effects, the player also plays a visual role, where, in site research, the player notes some creepy and unpleasant details: scary changing paintings, moving furniture, blood traces and strangely located things.
K for example, in previously destroyed SILENT BREATH, broken branches and dogs create an atmosphere, although they may also be scrimmers. In addition to having unpleasant and huge sounds, the player finds himself in the huhnbsp; not the most comfortable environment with the the most pleasant task is to find the bodies of people scattered over the huhnbsp; the dark scary forest, when there are only guns in the hrnbsp; the equipment working with the lanterns.
SILENT BREATH, 2024.
B Outlast psychological pressure is at least the location of the game itself: a mental institution where the pressure is reinforced by its abandoned, difficult to travel inside, and also the presence of a night observation camera that combines all the above and provides the player with discomfort.
Outlast, 2013.
B Dead Space (2008) so as well as in Outlast, discomfort creates the location itself: abandoned station and empty space, all of which is reinforced by walking through monster stations, the player’s absolute loneliness, and also color palette.
Dead Space, 2008.
Chapter 2 Elements of liminality
The long empty corridor is one example of liminal space.
B some time in the game industry was filled with screams and a also moving from year in year and iz games in game by mechanics. S time in playspace is beginning to introduce the liminality that has brought diversity to this medium.
Liminality, or also borderline — is a state of transition, object and in a goal of anything. If you look at this on the x conditional examples, there’s a kid, there’s an adult, and teenagers in the this chain — this is a border object. Also, the airport is a transitional space between the city and sky, hallways between rooms and so on to list.
Liminal spaces and all became an Internet aesthetic. Her can be described in different ways: it’s like a picture or picture that’s ripped out of the it’s a context, and it’s also it’s not logical for a set-up, there’s some kind of recursion, there’s a sense of loneliness, there’s a sense of unreality, and there’s a there’s a sense of discomfort from it’s seen. The right liminal space should be based on < <i was here once…».
.More examples of liminal spaces.
Gurry& rsquao; s mod (2006) — a computer game that allows a player to manipulate objects and to experiment with a physicalist whose realism is provided by the Source engine. The concept is simple: modify, create, build, and in the game has no clear instructions and any story.
source — game engine from Valve, the first thing that gives us the Internet. On we have such popular games as Half-life, Gurry& rsquao; s mod, Counter-Strike, Portal ½ and others.
Based on the possibility of creating their own cards, one of the popular ways of interacting with the game was a horror card created by players for players. It doesn’t make any sense for people to create their own, but there’s a part of the Internet that’s born by the 'nbsp; the reason that people really like to scare and 'nbsp; they’re scared. In links with there’s a legend that there’s a player on a closed server, an entity that can affect you, communicate, scare and other. It’s something like a kid’s game in a kid’s house when the kids run back and forth in a ghost hunt and a ghost hunt and a knbsp; scare each other.
Gurry~s mod, 2006.
In spite of the simple theory and its apparent fiction, it was in demand for because it was — an ideal example of liminal spaces. A sense of discomfort here is created by nostalgic spaces: midday, some kind of green area surrounded by buildings and garages, and also by water. On the street is n the soul, logic is absent, and in it’s also time for player on map — all alone.
SCP, or also Secure, Contain, Protect — an Internet platform that gathers in one place a bunch of different stories about objects with generic properties that can affect Earth and from that this Earth needs to be protected. The story of this fandom is quite extensive, and the most amazing — he continues to live until sic por.
Game SCP — Construction Breach was released in 2012 and collected many `laquo; objects» from the articles of her fandom. But in addition to the story about the anomalias, the atmosphere is also set by the corridors in the game: the map is always random, and the codes are similar to each other’s a friend, which makes it very easy to get lost, which only adds to the chorror.
SCP — Construction Breach, 2012.
The exit 8 — chorro game 2023 the year whose gameplay is the difference in the Japanese subway station. The player is at the zero station, his task is to reach the eighth. However, if he’s going to see an anomaly, he’s going to have to turn around, and he’s going to have to turn around, and he’s going to have to start over. In addition to the fact that per the anomalies themselves are frightening, the game is not rather, the effect is acceptable without purely white empty walls. This room may well be called a liminal space, as the corridor — endless, in which side of the player no go.
The exit 8, 2023.
Shinkansen 0, 2024 is a game with a similar gameplay, the essence of which is the search for inconsistencies.
The Stanley Parable (2013) — a game distinguished by its interaction with a player because it is the main hero whose actions are heard by the voice of the mind. And igrock can both obey this voice, and do what he wants. In the dependency on the player’s behavior changes the game’s outcome.
The game is a psychological chorr whose main mechanics is choice: the player can either follow instructions or depart from they. The atmosphere is created by, and was in some of the early games mentioned, corridors, empty office space, unexpected objects. A in differences from other examples, in The Stanley Parable do not exist.
The Stanley Parable, 2013.
Scanner sombre (2017) — game not being a chorro by definition, but still not less than in you have its elements and creating a sense of discomfort for players. Main mechanics and game-like chips — absolute darkness in front of the eyes, the surface of which has to be & laqua; scanned& raquao; on its own, in order to have an idea of the location and location of the objects.
As a rule, such games are full-fledged chorrors for their mechanics: around — complete unknown and the game has to reach a certain point of inflammation that in in turn opens up the space for a new type of scrimmer.
Scanner sombre, 2017.
It can be said that the player creates itself a script, starting to define in empty silhouettes. This mechanic scares not as a typical chorror, because the player is not can understand in which direction the object is moving, and per the player sees a picture with some delay, which makes tracking of the object not possible.
Sometimes liminality can be present in a view of a literal transition between the worlds, such as the OMORI game. The game periodically passes from the 'nbsp; the world of reality to the 'nbsp; the dream world of the main hero.
OMORI, 2020.
Another example of how liminal spaces — Garten of Banban (2023). Setting game — kindergarten. However, in the difference from used to us, in everything seems not as it should be: long empty corridors, dark spaces, strangely located toys.
Garten of Banban, 2023.
In addition, there are several other different examples where chorror effects are achieved in basic for weird locations.
Lethal Company (2023) — online cooperative game where the player needs to collect garbage in regardless of the final repeat corridors filled with monsters.
A also Poppy’s playtime (2021) — the live chorrororor s Haggy-Vaggi, where the chorororr effect on the greater degree is achieved by locations.
Lethal Company, 2023.
«Poppy’s Playtime, 2021.
Chapter 3 Liberarity as a primary instrument
However, liminality may not be an element, but only an element, and an independent chorrow genre. Let’s start from afar: Backrooms.
In a different way, snuffs, — active web-fenomen based on one photo only from Reddit Forum.Backrooms are very similar to the 'nbsp; earlier referred to by SCP. Both concepts are created from Internet sites, both tell stories about some secret organization that explores objects, and both are tied down by the larger part on chorrors. However, if in SCP the whole point was the original descriptions of monsters, document design, — what is missing in the concepts of Backrooms, — then in the case with Backrooms in is the core of the picture atmosphere.
.The example of Backrooms.
Backrooms are based on `nbsp; liminal spaces and Internet phenomen such as dreamcore, weirdcore and other surreal aesthetics associated with cosmars, fantasies, and dreams. In addition, the Backrooms refer to the Evil Valley’s Effect. Except usually this definition is used in the relationship of something more human-like.
» The effect of the sinister valley» — is a hypothesis about that a robot or any other object that looks or behaves as a person causes resentment and aversion to observer people. It frightens not very resemblance, a any deviation from norms in behavior — e.g. retarded mime.
B in the case of Backrooms, this effect works as follows: first, a sense of nostalgia; second, a sense of non-reality and exploding from context, and third, manipulation of human phobias.
Nostalgia is achieved by representing places that are familiar to many. These are often locations such as a residential home, a playground, a bedroom, stairs, and others. A also with helping to impose noise effects, deterioration of image quality, use of VHS filter.
Examples of Backrooms.
The sense of non-feasibility is based on the rip-off mechanic from the context. U we have an office-like location, in which there is absolutely no furniture, office workers, a also windows, doors, and other things that seemed to be supposed to be.
More examples of Backrooms.
In general, it can be said that the entire Backrooms universe itself is already a kind of game where players come up with a reality from the 'nbsp; even more images available, sharing with each other with the 'nbsp; another result.
Lower — several members of the games that take Backrooms and make from more research chorororor. The only difference is from the classic concept of — the locations are filled with monsters, but they are not they reverse the fear-causing space, a they are only complementary to they are.
Conclusion
Despite the that the market for horror games is stagnating and the industry is going through not the best times, there are a lot of things in this psychic that can really scare the players, using different properties of liminal spaces, developing them; and supplementing them. The creators of these games focus on `nbsp; mality and 'nbsp; already around it create a game, ' quao; building» mystery and terror.
To buy and to bring people into horror — that’s the best thing about not art. To achieve long-term and quality effect, you have to dig deeper into sudden screams and scary monsters than and part of chorrows.
Authogin. Confubulation. 2023 2.Blooper Team, Incuvo. Layers of Fear. 2016 3.Chilla’s Art. Shinkansen 0. 2024 4.Endnight Games. The Forest. 2014 5. Euphoric Brothers. Garten of Banban. 2023 6.EXODIAAC STUDIOS. SILENT BREATH. 2024 7.Facepunch Studios. Gurry~s mod. 2006 8.Galactic Cafe. The Stanley Parable. 2013 9. Introversion Software. Scanner Sombre. 2017 10.Kinetic Games. Phasmophobia. 2020 11.Kojima Productions. P.T. 2014 12.KOTAKE CREATE. The exit 8. 2023 13.Mob Entertainment. Poppy Playtime. 2021 14.OMOCAT, LLC, MP2 Games. OMORI. 2022 15.pgWave. 2023 16.Revenhood Games. In Silence. 2020 17.Red Barrels. Oh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh… 2013 18. Steelkrill Studio. The Voidness. 2023 19.Tecmo. Fatal Framework. 2001 20.Tensori. POLS. 2024 21.Visceral Games, Motive Studio, Sumo Digital, IronMonkey Studios, Firemonkeys Studios, Eurocom, Motive. Dead Space. 2008-2023 22.Xefier Games Inc. Hillcrest Games Inc., The Classrooms. 2022 23.Zeekers. Lethal Company. 2023 24. Jonas Rickkonen. SCP: Construction Break. 2012 25. Andrew Quiste. Anemoiapolis. 2020
