Game scare tactics

[Amplify]

Greetings

I'm planning a semi scientific project to do with gaming, but I need to ask a few questions of the masses first before I could really do anything else. I'm idealy looking for answers both from people who play "scary" games and those who don't.

What scares you, as the player, in a computer game? What was your scariest moment where you felt genuine fear?

For example, my scariest moment in any game I've played was actually in Bioshock. The game in general isn't scary, but rather Rapture feels run down and falling to pieces. However, downstairs in the medical pavilion there is a number of clinical rooms, most of which have a few Splicers and other enemies in them.
On the right hand side there is one room with a counter and till it in, with what looks like an examination room behind that. Go in and there's no enemies at all, just some money in the till and some ammunition on a table at the back of the examination room, plus a ventilation shaft nearby on to the next room. Here's the catch though: If you fiddle with the items on the table, then when you turn around there is a Splicer stood right there behind you. He's the weakest kind the game and he doesn't even attack you, rather he is just stood there two inches from your face leering at you close enough to see the cracks in his teeth without having made a single sound.
But by god, when it happened to me I lost it, if he had simply attacked me it wouldn't have been so bad, but he was just suddenly there, watching me intently out of nowhere. I proceeded to freak out and waste an entire machinegun clip on him

If you really want to go the extra mile, please answer this quick questionnaire, too.

1: What "non threatening" thing do you think would scare you the most in a videogame? I.e, some trickery with sound, lighting, or something happening to the level itself, that sort of thing. Would you be more afraid with or without a gun? How about a health bar?

2: What "minimal threat" thing do you think would scare you the most in a videogame? As in, using a single zombie for example, what would be the most effective way to use it against you and when?

3: What "large threat" thing do you think would scare you the most in a videogame? For example, hordes of zombies. Basically, what conditions would have to be met to make this a scary experience for you?

4: Do you play any horror games at all? If so, what type of them do you prefer?

Thanks you for any replies I get

 

[MarsProbe]

I've yet to find anything in a game that scared me as much The Shalebridge Cradle level from Thief : Deadly Shadows. As if the mere concept of an abandonded orphanage/mental asylum wasn't freaky enough, the way the areas were designed adds to it. The moment you step inside the place, (and even before) the use of sound creates a rather eerie atmosphere. Although I was pretty much on edge for the whole level, it was one of the early moments in the area that gave me a shock. As some things are better watched than explained, have just linked to a video [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8mQNTQCSaU&feature=related] of the level on youtube. Climbing up that stairwell, and not knowing what was going to be on the other side of that door was quite creepy the first time around.

Also, when you first enter the inner cradle, you see a shadowy figure slip past in the distance. It's an oft-used trick sure, but when I saw it there, it definitely made me stop and almost reconsider going any further. :O

As for the questions:

1. For me, the scariest thing in a game is a dark or poorly lit area, coupled with some suitably unsettling sounds. Anything that can make you constantly be watching your back for something leaping out at you. I'd be more likely to be afraid playing a game without a gun or any kind of weapon. Not having the means to dispose of whatever terrors you are likely to face makes things much more tense, I feel. Part of the reason why Doom 3 wasn't really that scary. The jump tactics used by the game may work initially but once you're used to that and realise you can can just shoot the demons down, the effect is basically gone.

2. As for a minimal threat, other than the Bioshock setup you have described above, I'm not sure of any other time such a thing would effect me. If they slotted such a thing in , again like a fairly low level enemy, and placed it in area where you weren't expecting to be attacked. You could be in a room where there are a lot of items worth investigating. Then, when you've let your guard down enough, some hostile appears out of nowhere.

3. A large threat would preferably have to be something much bigger than you could cope with and as such would have no other choice but to flee from. Although not a horror game, I always "fondly" recall the scene in Half-Life where you had to haved a Gargantua follow you into a room with two large Tesla Coils set up for frying the beast. Being able to hear that there is something terrible (and much stronger than you) pursuing you not that far behind but not being able to turn around to face it is quite the experience. As a matter of fact, I tend to get quite worked up whenever I am getting chased by something in a game. Even the Pursuit Cops in Mirrors Edge, they scared the life out of me.

4. Recently I haven't really played any horror games recently. They may have trumpeted Resident Evil 5 as being scary but as we all know, there weren't really any genuinely scary parts in the game. The closest I got to that was the panic that takes hold when one of the crazy chainsaw wielding Majini appears (not the normal ones, the crazy ones). Seriously, cannot stand those guys! I'd prefer a horror game that relies less on jump scares and more on the techniques used in the Shalebridge Cradle. Though I doubt they effect could be maintained throughout an entire game in the same way it work if contained to just one level.

 

[SecretTacoNinja]

Nothing gets me worse than screamers. But what's worse than that is the wait, like in Silent Hill. The sound effects and darkness in the school prevented me from playing it for a whole year.

 

[Amplify]

Pretty helpful Mars, anybody else?

 

[Motti]

[spoiler:stuff]I've yet to find anything in a game that scared me as much The Shalebridge Cradle level from Thief : Deadly Shadows. As if the mere concept of an abandonded orphanage/mental asylum wasn't freaky enough, the way the areas were designed adds to it. The moment you step inside the place, (and even before) the use of sound creates a rather eerie atmosphere. Although I was pretty much on edge for the whole level, it was one of the early moments in the area that gave me a shock. As some things are better watched than explained, have just linked to a video [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8mQNTQCSaU&feature=related] of the level on youtube. Climbing up that stairwell, and not knowing what was going to be on the other side of that door was quite creepy the first time around.

Also, when you first enter the inner cradle, you see a shadowy figure slip past in the distance. It's an oft-used trick sure, but when I saw it there, it definitely made me stop and almost reconsider going any further. :O[/spoiler]

This. The scariest thing about the first part of that level was that there was nothing there initially. No guards, no life at all. That and the fact I couldn't fight them meant that when I found the first zombie, I nearly shat myself. Still haven't finished that level.

 

[ganpondorodf]

The scariest moment in a videogame for me was... about 4 years ago. And it still hasn't been topped.

The regenerators in Resident Evil 4. I hadn't managed to kill the first one, just ran away. When I got to the second one, I absolutely unloaded my shotgun at it. I guess a stray shotgun pellet or six hit him in the leg, blowing it off and sending him straight to the floor. "Great!" I exclaimed. "It only took me 14 shotgun shells, but I finally killed him!". He writhed on the floor before doing what can only be described as a flop, latching onto my neck with his face, tearing me to shreds. When I finally shook him off, I fired every last machine gun bullet I had into him, before he finally bit the dust.

Urgh. It was 3 in the afternoon, in the middle of spring, and it still scared the crap out of me.

 

[JayTee]

I think the general idea of creating a shadowy figure/creature/anything creepy in the distance and forcing the player to go via that route makes it scary. Seeing something in the distance hanging around an object and knowing you have to visit that object adds a huge amount of scaryness to it. Prime example being FEAR always displaying something creepy off in the distance before you actually get there.

Also the music.

 

[manicfoot]

I've just started playing Condemned. I was investigating a murder scene when suddenly the lights went dead. Someone on the radio said loads of drug addicts had broken into the building so I started walking around quietly with my flashlight. I killed one of them fairly easily and went into the next room. I could hear loads of random grunts and hissing, but couldn't tell where they were coming from because it was so dark. I carried on walking and saw a corpse on the floor that wasn't there before. I walked up to it and investigated and it suddenly opened its eyes. It was one of the drug addicts playing dead to screw with me haha. Needless to say I beat his face in with a pipe.. Of course, I screamed like a little girl before I did that As for your questions:

1: I like having all the sense of security and safety obliterated. Take something away from the play that they've relied on for the whole game. If they have a gun, make them lose it. If they can see, turn the lights off. For me the scariest thing is being left on your own and your only weapon is your wit. I think you should never have a HUD in horror games. Its just you and whatever you have to face. No distractions, no escape.

2: Zombies have pretty much been used in every situation imaginable. I prefer the weird silent hill monster designs. They should be used when you're most vulnerable.

3: I've never actually been scared by a 'large' threat. Its always the little things that try and sneak up on me that I find scary.

4: I've recently started playing survival horrors like Fatal Frame and Silent Hill. I prefer the horror to be psychological and not literal. For example, in Fatal Frame the enemies are ghosts and can come at you from anywhere at anytime because they can walk through walls. I've only played a little bit of Condemned but the first person view point makes everything feel very claustrophobic. I also like how you can't run forever and get tired. Its the feeling of powerlessness that scares me mainly...

 

[JayTee]

We can learn many things from Condemned.

 

[SharPhoe]

The scariest moment in a videogame for me was... about 4 years ago. And it still hasn't been topped.

The regenerators in Resident Evil 4. I hadn't managed to kill the first one, just ran away. When I got to the second one, I absolutely unloaded my shotgun at it. I guess a stray shotgun pellet or six hit him in the leg, blowing it off and sending him straight to the floor. "Great!" I exclaimed. "It only took me 14 shotgun shells, but I finally killed him!". He writhed on the floor before doing what can only be described as a flop, latching onto my neck with his face, tearing me to shreds. When I finally shook him off, I fired every last machine gun bullet I had into him, before he finally bit the dust.

Urgh. It was 3 in the afternoon, in the middle of spring, and it still scared the crap out of me.

Would it make you feel better if I said you're DEFINITELY NOT ALONE? God damn, I hated those things. The way they walk, their shallow breathing, their surprisingly long reach... I didn't mind the Iron Maidens as much, mainly because you're (hopefully) equipped to deal with them by the time they come around.

 

[kjrubberducky]

For me, the four main things that make a horror game REALLY scary, and not just Halloween scary, are: Difficulty, Scarcity, Consequence for dying, and Realistic character control.

Difficulty: In general, if it can be beaten on the first try, it's too easy. If you spend more than a few hours on an area that is 10 minutes long, it's too hard. There should be many ways to die, with most easily avoidable, but with a few sneaky ones thrown in.

Scarcity: Scarcity goes a long way towards making a game "scary" and is seen implemented a few ways. Scarcity of enemies means that you don't know where they will come from. Too many enemies, and you soon know that every time you go into a dark room or around a corner, there will be something there. Scarcity also comes up in resources, like ammo, guns, and health items. You are less scared when you have 15 med kits, and 30 clips of machine gun ammo, along with your pistol, rifle, shotgun, and bazooka. Real fear starts the moment you are counting down the bullets in your last pistol clip, and only have one first aid to give you %10 health.

Consequence for dying: Limited save points/check points are a big thing. The quicksave is the destroyer of all horror games; constant reloading to get things "perfect" ruins any scares that were set up, and makes the whole thing to predictable. Your characters life should not be flippantly tossed away; the player needs to be aware that death will set them back a reasonable amount of distance or time.

Realistic character control: First, let me say that first person shooters typically don't have a realistic character control scheme; you can crouch while jumping, shoot from ladders with no loss in accuracy, run backwards while firing your weapon and not trip or stumble, and point your weapon anywhere withing 360 degrees instantly with the flick of a mouse. A basic concept is to make the player choose between fight or flight, and commit to one of them; for example, aiming your gun requires you to walk so you can aim, and running means dropping your weapon into a less ready position.

The scariest game I have played is Resident Evil 4; even though it's "horror" was cliche, and even funny at times, this game had all 4 of the elements above, and while not quite scream worthy, was definitely startling and tense.

To counter it, Dead Space was definitely more scary in the traditional sense, but it was too easy (point 1), and both resources and enemies were plentiful (point 2). This made it seem more run-and-gun than scary-spooky.

Anyway, this is all just my opinion; I don't play many horror games because many are based on a cliched or gimmicky concept, and I find myself rolling my eyes more and more...

 

[Amarok]

1: In Silent Hill 2, there's a part where you're running down a corridor in an abandoned apartment building, when suddenly you hear a scream coming from down the corridor, and your radio starts emitting LOTS of static (in this game, radio static detected the presence of nearby enemies), at the end of the corridor you can see a freaky looking creature just staring at you. But he doesn't attack you, and before long, he's gone.

2: Any effective "jumps". Most games use jump scares far too often, and it's the sort of scare that greatly suffers from diminishing returns (Dead Space for example had practically EVERY enemy jump at you, to the point where it was forumaic and not shocking in the slightest - if there was an air vent, there was a 100% chance something would jump out of it).
One such effective jump again appears in Silent Hill 2, there are monsters that crawl out from beneath cars and emit a horrible screech, but they can barley hurt you at all.
Heck, even in the not-scary-at-all Left 4 Dead, I occasionally got a shock when I turned around to find a zombie I hadn't spotted running towards me (the ordinary zombies are cannon fodder, taken down in the hundreds, so this was quite low threat)

3: There will be nothing scarier than the Hopeless Fight, these can be terrifying even in non horror games. Say, Half Life 2 Episode 2, a giant alien creature is pursuing you, and you're under strict orders not to kill it. It can run faster than you and your only hope of safety is squeezing yourself into small nooks and crannys where it cant reach you. Hearing it bounding closer and closer as you're desperately trying to crawl into a hole is horrifying, and especially the red flash of "it hit you! you're DEAD" half way through making it to safety, is like a miniature heart attack.

4: I recently played Silent Hill 2 - its an old game but I had never played it before. I found it to be most effective. In addition, Bioshock impressed me (though it's not really a horror game per se). Unfortunately it seems that most games which claim to be horror really just mean "shooters with more gore than usual"

 

[WeedWorm]

The scariest moment in a videogame for me was... about 4 years ago. And it still hasn't been topped.

The regenerators in Resident Evil 4. I hadn't managed to kill the first one, just ran away. When I got to the second one, I absolutely unloaded my shotgun at it. I guess a stray shotgun pellet or six hit him in the leg, blowing it off and sending him straight to the floor. "Great!" I exclaimed. "It only took me 14 shotgun shells, but I finally killed him!". He writhed on the floor before doing what can only be described as a flop, latching onto my neck with his face, tearing me to shreds. When I finally shook him off, I fired every last machine gun bullet I had into him, before he finally bit the dust.

Urgh. It was 3 in the afternoon, in the middle of spring, and it still scared the crap out of me.

The noise they make when they dont know youre there is terrify too. When I first heard it, I nearly shat myself and stoof there 5 minutes, too frightened to move.

 

[MarsProbe]

3: There will be nothing scarier than the Hopeless Fight, these can be terrifying even in non horror games. Say, Half Life 2 Episode 2, a giant alien creature is pursuing you, and you're under strict orders not to kill it. It can run faster than you and your only hope of safety is squeezing yourself into small nooks and crannys where it cant reach you. Hearing it bounding closer and closer as you're desperately trying to crawl into a hole is horrifying, and especially the red flash of "it hit you! you're DEAD" half way through making it to safety, is like a miniature heart attack.

Would you be referring to the part where you have to collect the antlion spores or whatever they were by any chance, while getting chased down by the Antlion Queen? That section was quite scary. What fond memories I have of running blindy through those caves searching for the next nook to hide in!

 

[Reep]

vulnerability is what gets to me, the beginning of bioshock was great since there was an incredibly violent splicer outside the bathysphere and you had absolutely no way to defend against that.

 

[Snuggle]

I remember a flooded room in Bioshock. In the corner there are some grenades so I walk over there to pick them up. When I turn around I notice there are three spider splicers in the room, they are not moving or anything just standing there. That's about the time you begin to think "Hmmmm.......were they in here when I got here?".

There was also another time where I was, again, looting something, I think it was a safe. When I turn around, a spider splicer is hanging in the air. That freaked me out. It didn't move or anything, it just hung in the air.

 

[jebussaves88]

Fear: Perseus Mandate had a good one. When you walk along, you often get suddenly pulled through the floor by what looks like Kerry Katona.

 

[ix_tab]

I was watching a friend play Bioshock (I don't do FPS personally) and there is just something about it that makes me so physically scared I may ill. The deranged steampunk setting may have something to do with that.

Also, the Iron Maidens/Regenerators from RE4. Listening for their breathing? Even the thought is terrifying.

Any sort of tension makes even the most mediocre of scares seem much more intense, which is why I think Bioshock as a whole uneases me. It's a very tense game.

 

[headshotcatcher]

1: What "non threatening" thing do you think would scare you the most in a videogame? I.e, some trickery with sound, lighting, or something happening to the level itself, that sort of thing. Would you be more afraid with or without a gun? How about a health bar?

A corridor in some high-tech lab or anything with a lot of metal and loud footsteps (your own). The light would flicker and you would hear some weird sounds that indicate something insect-like and big. That would scare the living shit out of me.

I would be more afraid in a game without a gun, for example if they'd do it so you have to use your environment to trap, burn or kill the enemy.

2: What "minimal threat" thing do you think would scare you the most in a videogame? As in, using a single zombie for example, what would be the most effective way to use it against you and when?

A dismembered and gruesome zombie with raspy breathing and it should be like only a bit taller than a normal human. It should be either very slow but strong or very fast and agile, capable of throwing stuff at you would also make it scarier (maybe it's own limbs falling off?)

3: What "large threat" thing do you think would scare you the most in a videogame? For example, hordes of zombies. Basically, what conditions would have to be met to make this a scary experience for you?

A horde of zombies that is TOO STRONG FOR YOU (not like in left 4 dead where dozens of zombies are no match for you and your bashing) that would require you to actually run and shoot (or if you don't have any guns just run)

4: Do you play any horror games at all? If so, what type of them do you prefer?

I am starting to do it, but I have yet to play an actually scary one. To date I have played 'Nightmare' (doom style game, was scary when I played it but I was like 8 years old back then ), Bioshock (not really horror though), Left 4 Dead (not scary at all..) and Alone in the Dark (not really scary either..)

I hope it's useful