What Makes a Great Horror Game?

August 29, 2007

This week on Wired, author Clive Thompson asserts that videogames make better horror than Hollywood. I'm inclined to agree; I'm not a big fan of horror movies but I eat horror games like candy. What is it about games that make them so effective at making terror entertaining? The simple act of inserting YOU into the action is a big part of it. Thompson also has some other thoughts:

"Games already seem like dream states. You're wandering around a strange new world, where you simultaneously are and aren't yourself. This is already an inherently uncanny experience. That's why a well-made horror game feels so claustrophobically like being locked inside a really bad -- by which I mean a really good -- nightmare." -Clive Thompson, Wired

There's something fascinating that goes on when you play a horror game. You dread what's around the corner but at the same time you're dying to see it. (Hopefully not literally.) I'm waist-deep in BioShock this week and I still jump out of my skin whenever I hear a noise. One time a neighbor knocked at the door and I jerked my head up. My first instinct: They're coming to get me. Play the BioShock Demo to get a taste for yourself.

Not all horror games are created equal. The real secret is creating tension and dread. What are the key ingredients? Here's a quick rundown of what I think makes a horror game stick out. Am I missing any? Mail me!

Use of Sound: Many games forget how important sounds can be, but they can't be overlooked in a horror game. The tension of hearing something scuttling in the dark is so much more terrible than seeing it. And horror is all about tension.

Limited Resources: In an action game, I expect to tear through a dozen enemies with my machinegun blaring away on autofire. But that would take away the tension of a horror game -- by tightly constraining things like heath and ammo, horror games force you to creep along more cautiously, and to genuinely fear what's up ahead.

A mystery to plunge you forward: Sure, things are trying to kill you. But WHAT are they, and why are they trying to finish you off? The mystery makes your enemies seem more terrible and also drives you to keep on playing.

Use of Lighting: It's not about horror games being dark -- it's about the mix between light and shadow. The dark isn't scary if that's all there is. It's all about forcing you, the player, to make the decision to leave a well-lit place and descend into something uncertain that creates such great tension. Besides, enemies lit in the half-light or silhouetted against a backdrop are more mysterious or terrifying -- that's true of both movies and games.

A Theme You Can Identify With: Invasion of the Body Snatchers was a statement about the Communist threat. Dawn of the Dead was a veiled statement on consumerism. Similarly, BioShock explores our fears about genetic modification or technology being applied without morals. The citizens of Rapture just wanted to make themselves more beautiful or powerful -- who wouldn't? But you the player get to witness the consequences of their actions. No matter how unreal the horror is, if it's something we can relate to, it makes it more gripping.

BioShock succeeds on all fronts, which is probably among the many reasons it's getting such rave reviews. If you play it, make sure you have clean underwear handy.

      -Fargo

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