I could talk about the whole Zoegate
scandal, but honestly I don't care. So let's talk about horror games.
The reveal of Silent Hills generated
some buzz, and while I'm interested in Kojimas take on horror, I'm
also sceptical. Not because I don't trust Hideo Kojima, but because I
don't think that big AAA Horror games work very well. The last “AAA”
Horror Game that worked for me was Dead Space 1 and you could argue
that it wasn't really AAA. Every other big horror game fell flat on
the horror aspect. My hope now rides on the shoulders of The Evil
Within, but the previews I've seen don't fill me with much
confidence.
But why do AAA horror games don't work?
Horror is a niche genre. It's that
simple.
True Horror doesn't have a mass appeal.
The ordinary human just doesn't like beeing scared. And how do you
expect to get back all your investments on fancy graphic engines,
motioin capturing, voice work and marketing, if you can't sell your
product to at least two million people? The answer is simple. You
can't! And that is why you focus test the hell out of your product to
find the biggest mass appeal. That's why RE 6 was a watered down,
action mess.
The solution to this is simple and I
already talked about in another blog post. Know your audience! I just
don't think that horror games work on the current AAA market. But
luckily we live in a time, where digital distribution makes it
possible to produce smaller games. I think horror games coud thrive
best in this environment. Just like Call of Juarez Gunslinger or
FarCry Blood Dragon.
If you buy an AAA game for 60 or 70
bucks you expect a minimum value and play time, or you won't be
satisfied. And rightfully so. But a long game time works against the
ideals of horror games. The longer you play, the more you get
accustomed to the situation. It becomes familiar. You know what to
expect. And that's the greatest enemy of horror. There is a german
saying: In der Kürze liegt die Würze, which means, roughly
translated of course, keep it simple.
Fear is a basic human emotion. Normally
it's a short an powerful impulse that wears down over time when we
grow accustomed to the situation. Slender worked so well, because it
didn't take more than half an hour to play and complete the game. But
if you make your game an AAA experience you can't say stop after an
hour. You have to provide more content. You have to provide variety.
Different locations and different enemies. My fist encounter with a
Necromorph in Dead Space was memorable. And this intensity remained
for the first 1-2 hours, but after that, and with the inclusion of
new monsters, they became just an nuisance. Isn't that the death of
horror if your audience reaction is: Eh not those monsters again...
BORING!
But the new monsters fill up that spot,
don't they? Yes and no. Yes they're frighting at first, but in the
back of your mind the image of the first enemy lingers. With becoming
just simple cannon fodder they destroyed the picture of all monsters
in the game. If they can be killed that easily, then everything can.
With your horror game you want to keep
the player on the edge of his seat the whole time. At no time he
should feel safe or relaxed. You don't want him to get accustomed.
Yes I've said that a lot in this post, but it's important. You can
keep him from growing accustomed with different means. Change the
environment and the monsters constantly. Keep the game short. Create
an environment in which he can't trust nothing(Eternal Darkness comes
to mind). These all work if executed properly, but I think the best,
and most cost efficient, way would be a short game.
For 10 bucks no one will complain if
your game is only about two hours long. Well but some may complain,
but they always do. With that you can keep the horror fresh without
spending thousands of dollars on different locations and so on.
So that's my opinion on horror games
and a possible future in which they could thrive. I just don't think
that a game can carry true horror over an extended period of time in
today’s industry. Of course you may disagree, so what are your
thoughts on this subject? Are you huge fans of horror games? What was
the last game that truly chilled your bones from start to finish?
Well anyways... thanks for reading
and... boo
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