Yes, going under water in any game without a guaranteed supply of air subconsciously makes me hold my breath... I'm not afraid of water in real life, but deep water's a big NO, so...
My only phobia is heights, and I have no problem with them in games. In fact I relish being able to do things in games I would be terrified to do in real life, like base jumping in GTA/SR.
Oh, yeah. Big-ass bugs, especially spiders, will ruin certain areas in games for me. Those damn mutated ants in Fallout 3 were the worst things I've ever encountered, I think. About fell out of my chair when one rounded a corner while I was in first person mode. Had to close my eyes and blind-exit the game.
And yes, I said "blind-exit." That's when you know a phobia has reached epic levels of pathetic.
I had to answer yes, for one very specific incident in Amnesia: The Dark Descent. I have this thing about teeth, anything to do with them freaks me right the hell out. And since your character grinds his teeth as your sanity drops in Amnesia, I'm sure you can see where this is going.
I don't think I have any major phobias. I don't like spiders, but usually when they are in a game, you're being allowed to squash them with the utmost prejudice. So, that's always a good thing.
I don't think there's anything I'm unduly afraid of. I'm not afraid of heights, but anytime I am in a high place, I tend to be cautious. And in a game, I would probably jump just to see if there was fall damage. Not really afraid of the water, either. Unless we are talking about that damn dam level in TMNT on the Nintendo. Screw that level!
I'd like to say no, but in truth I haven't explored much of the sea in GTA V because of the sharks.
It's a funny phobia, because despite the Gurkha Cougars and Ninja Bears in Red Dead Redemption posing a similar threat, they didn't phase me at all, probably because they were on land and easy to shoot and evade.
The sea in GTA V on the other hand... well the sea in GTA IV was bad enough even though you couldn't dive, drown or get eaten, so the sea in GTA V is a nightmare waiting to happen by comparison, made even worse by the fact that I know there are sharks in it that will kill you.
I'm even reluctant to explore the extremities of the map in a helicopter or plane in case it breaks and leaves me stranded in the ocean.
I suppose the feeling of helplessness and inevitable doom evoked by deep, dark shark infested water is quite a rational fear in real like, but a phobia in games.
If only you had an underwater gun and an underwater Dead-Eye like ability in GTA V, so you weren't so helpless and could face the doom with a fighting chance, then I wouldn't be scared of the sea at all.
I am much more afraid of snakes than spiders...at least snakes are lethal. No healthy adult has been killed by a spider in 30 years (in Australia).
Spiders also just stay where they are for hours or days...they don't bother me so I don't bother them. Snakes though...you turn away for a second look back and they're gone!
but really I have no real phobias I can think of...so no I have never avoided a game based on what might be in it.
I get grossed out by the thought of the Bloatfly's from Fallout, their ranged attack is actually an infestation bug that feeds on hosts till they mature and become more Bloatflys. I always get my companions to deal with them, thankfully their aggression radius is smaller than most enemies.
Levels that take place deep below the water's surface, where the light fades, and your movements have been slowed down due to the weight of the surrounding pressure. You have limited air and there are large, unknown, unnameable things lurking below you that you have no chance to flee from or fight because when God told nature "Let there be no more monsters", the sound did not travel very well underwater. Things that evolved to be quick, agile, and lethal in an environment that you can hardly move in. Things that evolved just to fuck you up for even having the hubris to think that mankind has any business being below the waves.
Granted, it's not a very intense fear - I've been whale and shark watching, snorkeling, reef diving and can appreciate a boat ride here and there, but I never want to find myself alone in the middle of the open ocean. In games like Skyrim and Oblivion before it, the places I never went were the large bodies of water, the sea and that one cave where it was full of slaughter fish and limitless depth.
Edit: Oops, forgot to put those images in spoilers. Makes my post a little shorter.
While I never really had much of a problem swimming in real life, I always got a little... uneasy about giant things underwater in games. Two of my more favorite examples being
They never caused me to quit playing or anything severe like that, but always made me a little weary when they popped up for some reason.
Also, chalk up another person for arachnophobia as my good friends wife won't play anything resembling a spider in it. I tried to coax her into DOTA 2 and Broodmother absolutely ruined any shot she had of playing it.
While I never really had much of a problem swimming in real life, I always got a little... uneasy about giant things underwater in games. Two of my more favorite examples being
Fuck you, guy. Fuck you. All those years of therapy and repressed memories FOR NOTHING!
*Starts crying while punching himself in a mirror*
But being serious for a sec - I can't believe I missed the opportunity to post those images. I was having so much fun in Banjo Kazooie way back when... Until that guy showed up.
You might want to add "no phobia" options to your poll. I have no phobias, just a very healthy hatred of snakes, so I said no. It also helps that in every game I can think of with snakes in them you can kill the snakes. I find it immensely satisfying. Fucking snakes. Fuck 'em.
Well I hate roaches (its not fear through its disgust) but in Fallout 3 the radroaches were pretty meh and also weak I always killed them unarmed so I never wasted bullets and weapon durability on them.
I guess my character had hes hands dirty with insect guts.
Anyway I'm curious OP...
Which game do you find more scary?
Skyrim with the realistic spiders mods? And lets say a mod to increase their spawn rates.
Or Amnesia: The dark descent?
Spiders as well. Thankfully I don't have a problem with videogame spiders except the ones from Skyrim. There is something about that spider that scares the bejesus out of me (like my heart will start racing), particularly if it gets close. If I can take it down from range im fine.
But man...playing videogames would suck if my fear of spiders directly translated into videogames considering how popular giant spiders are.
I knew a girl that was afraid of dinosaurs. Couldn't watch Jurasic Park. She would actually crawl into a ball and wouldn't stop shaking when that movie came on. In her defense, my friend...MAY have purposely stopped the movie right at where the T-rex roars in a close up shot and then played it when she came into the room.
Anywho, in WoW there is an area called Ungoro Crater that is full of dinosaurs. Now this place is kinda of rite of passage for new players as there are elite T-rexs that wander around and will destroy any appropriately leveled character in the zone (the ground also shakes when they walk near you). Pretty much every WoW player gets ambushed and destroyed by these creatures. So yea, guess what happened with her there.
i have a phobia of needles, and i have a really bad issue with eyes being damanged, wounded, pulled out. all those wonderful things.
Dead Space 2, a scary but fun game with a NEEDLE IN EYE CUTSCENE YOU CANT GET AWAY FROM! i from this day can not get past that part and beat the game fully on my own because of that cut scene. its just. . .so fucked up.
As long as I can convince myself that the spiders aren't real and will never exist outside the game then i'm usually fine, if I can't then yeah, i'm going to have a little trouble.
I don't have a phobia, but if I did I know it would ruin a game for me. I HATE being afraid and scared, so I tend to stay away from horror-focused media (keeps me off of SyFy...). So I can relate, a bit.
I am also very squeamish, which is another reason I stay away from horror games. And I can't stand being powerless. So in many RPGs, I'm fine, because I can defeat the enemies with at most some difficulty.
But, yeah, if I did have a phobia, it would make any game that includes it unplayable for me.
THIS. This is the only one that ever actually made me physically ill and stop enjoying myself. I'm not a big fan of needles, but more than that, the thought of anything getting jabbed into an eyeball terrifies the fuck out of me. Fingers, needles, anything, I don't care. It's fucking terrifying.
When I played this, I actually had to cover all but the upper inch of the screen with my hand so I could see what color the laser was. And thank God I got through it the first time, because I would have quit right there and never touched it again. I was shaking so badly I had to stop playing for five full minutes.
I get grossed out by the thought of the Bloatfly's from Fallout, their ranged attack is actually an infestation bug that feeds on hosts till they mature and become more Bloatflys. I always get my companions to deal with them, thankfully their aggression radius is smaller than most enemies.
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