Poll: Does a horror game need to be scary?

[Doopliss64]

But they aimed to be scary. You're right, the crappy reboots aren't scary but they want to be. They're just crappy horror. The attempt to be scary is still there, though.

Point taken, but I would argue generally that intent should not be taken into account when analyzing art.

As a further point, look at horror stories/books. They are a thing that exists, in the form of Stephen King, Lovecraft, et. However, there are very few that I would actually consider "scary," as in, "I dropped the book and literally jumped out of my seat scary." Creepy maybe, or disturbing, but not overtly scary in a fight-or-flight way, in the way that many horror games and movies are. Some horror media simply uses disturbing subject matter to make a philosophical point (for example, the original Frankenstein novel, which is considered "horror" but is not inteded to be scary in the traditional sense) or to provoke thought.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I've always considered horror to be based more on atmosphere than any scare factor. Take the old 80's horror classic, The Thing. Is it scary? No, not really. Does it have one hell of a tense and grim atmosphere, a hopeless vibe to it? Damn right it does, and it's all the better for it. Another good example are the first two (but mostly the first) Resident Evil games. Not really scary, but very atmospheric and dark. Struggling against all hope to survive in a very grim world. That's what I consider to be horror.

Cannibal Holocaust is another good example of a horror classic that isn't scary, but relies on atmosphere to ensure tension and hopelessness.

So in my opinion, no, a horror game (or film) does not require any scares, but the right horror atmosphere.

Man that one dog in The Thing's first act was SCARY. And the arms/torso/head scene? You know the one.

 

[TheSteeleStrap]

If you have to ask that question, then I think you should look up the word "horror" because I don't think it means what you think it means.

 

[Wilco86]

It's in the definition.. If a horror game isn't scary, then it isn't a horror game...

Next topic is "does a puzzle game need to make you think" or "does a love flick need to have a romance"...

Enough "player as übersoldat" -games in the market; I like to feel scared now and then, to get the adrenalin going with my imagination playing tricks on me, etc.

 

[Richard Keohane]

As anyone who's played The Walking Dead can tell you, a game can be horrifying without being scary. Dread and sadness make for something that is horrifying without being scary.

 

[darlarosa]

Uh, yeah? Isn't that the definition of horror? Now if you're asking does a game intended to be of the horror genre, need horror to be FUN, the answer is no. It can fail at being a horror game and still be enjoyable.

No it is not.

The horror genre in any medium tends to rely on fear, but it covers multiple themes that are woven together. Horror classically incorporates elements of suspense, mystery, occasionally the supernatural, and almost always reflect aspects of human psyche often in the form of fears, repressed desires, and the dark side of the human mind.
The Yellow Wallpaper and The Anatomy of Desire are both horror stories, but are not necessarily scary, so much as they are tense and filled with "horror of personality". The overarching theme of the Horror genre is the tendency and desire to make the audience uncomfortable or disturbed

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

I don't see how a game that isn't scary be called 'horror.'

The Horror genre is used for media seeking to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers.

Its like asking if a serious documentary about World War 2 could be called a comedy.

 

[Rariow]

Yes? I mean, that's what horror IS, isn't it? It's an extension of fear, and as such a "horror" game is a game that is scary. It's kinda the point. Me, I don't consider stuff like Dead Space 3, Castlevania, or FEAR 3 horror games. They definitely have elements typically associated with horror, that's for sure, but they're no longer being horror. I guess I'd call them "Gothic-style" games, or something along those lines (That term only really works for Castlevania).

The first three Silent Hills or Amnesia are horror games. They work on your very basest instincts to create a tense, scary, and well, horrifying atmosphere. Dead Space 2 (never played 1, haven't played 3 yet) is an action game: You're not fighting your fight-or-flight instinct, and you don't actively dread... anything, really. It's a fun stomp through creatures that look horrifying, but the feel of complete and utter dread, of danger way beyond your scope, of being a little worm wriggling against powers much greater than you is not there, and that's what horror really is.

 

[HeadMcGee]

I don't think there should be the term "Horror Game". Just as silly to say that's a "Comedy Game".. but what if I don't laugh.. Games can have elements of horror within them, but doesn't classify as a "Horror Game". There are some tense moments in a lot of games out right now which invoke similar feelings as if you're watching a "horror" movie; Nervous, Anxious, Creeped out, etc.. Dark Souls, Bioshock, Dead Space.. but those aren't Horror Games. I don't get the constant need to classify everything.. you know what I call those games.. "Video Games".