On this week’s PGL Lobbycast (which is my second time on, so yes, I really like this show and you should be subscribed to them on iTunes) we have a brief discussion of scary games. Ok, very brief, and it’s mostly me saying I can’t play them.
I’m having a hard time letting go of my own admission that I’m a giant scaredy cat when it comes to games. Genuinely, scary movies can’t touch me, but I pop in the likes of Bioshock 2 and I can barely make it through a chapter. It’s enough that I invariably give up on the game, which is my greatest disappointment. After all, games like Bioshock (2) aren’t worth playing because they have pee-your-pants potential. No, they have great style, a story, excellent gameplay – all things that I really want to experience.
This critical difference for me (between movies and games) speaks volumes about what is so great about games and their potential. Games are scarier to play through because I have trouble disconnecting myself from the experience – which makes sense. In order to achieve my objective I have to be pretty darn invested in seeing my PC through to safety.
It is not necessary for games to go down the road of torture porn, though I know some folks are into that level of quelle horreur. With masterful environments and audio, the small task of traversing a hallway can terrify and thrill in ways that other media cannot. Well, not since L’arrivée d’un train à La Ciotat.
I’m Community Manager and Admin for the NewsBoiler Network, home to N4G, TechSpy, AnimeShinbun, FilmWatch and 11×2. I also write for network editorial site, ZTGD.
Geoffrey said...
1This reminds me that I have a perfectly good copy of Condemned sitting in the game room. Maybe I will finally get to it, now that I am done with Assassin’s Creed II. Probably not, but maybe. It may just end up keeping my unopened copies of Frontlines and Hour of Victory and my copy of Dark Sector company.
03/22/10 6:02 PM | Comment Link