"Scary games aren't fun." Really?

[Ragsnstitches]

It just seems like people are either playing games that they don't like for some reason, or are being obtuse specifically to back up a pointless argument.

Thoughts?

Horror games and films and stories are kind of an unusual form of entertainment. If they're ineffective, they're boring and unpleasant. If they're effective, they're scary and extremely unpleasant.

Presumably it's the adrenalin rush people get when they're scared that they're coming back for, not the actual "being scared" part, which is actually a fairly miserable feeling while its going on.

I think this pretty much nails it.

It isn't fun that makes you come back to genuine horror in any medium, it's the rush. Being scared is a horrible feeling, but overcoming that fear (via adrenalin) gives you a natural high which is hard to match without going beyond your comforts.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

They are not fun.

The whole point is that they are trying to get a different emotional response than joy. They are trying to terrify you, trying make you fear them, trying to get the most base emotional reaction that humanity has.

Being fun and being a good game aren't the same thing.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Say they can be fun because horror alone does not get rid of that. A game like Resident Evil or Dead Space is fun because of the weapons and the ability to explore creepy enviroments. Like having to horde my supplies and waiting to see what the game is going to throw at me next. Even though I might be tense as I walk down a scary hallway, I am still having fun. Sorry but I won't play a horror game that was designed poorly simply because it is alot scary than the others. Many good horror games find that balance and they are no different than any other genre. A racing game that gives you a ton of options, but is slow as dirt is not going to be as fun as the others. Not really sure why people are comparing scary games to movies, last time I checked you didn't play a movie, you watched it.

This. This is exactly what I've been trying to say. And people are comparing games to movies because the new artier than thou thing is games that aren't fun, but otherwise "engaging," the way a serious movie like Schindler's List is engaging, and horror games are being used as an example of an already extant genre of games that isn't fun, but is still good.

 

[Keoul]

I wouldn't say games are meant to be "fun". Games are meant to be distracting, just a time sink to give us something to do, them being fun is just another reason why they're an effective time sink.

Saying Horror games are fun just because games are "supposed" to be fun is entirely incorrect. Being designed to be fun doesn't automatically make it fun, there are failures. Not that I'm saying horror games aren't enjoyable, just that they lure people in for reasons other than fun, e.g the reason BloatedGuppy gave, an adrenaline rush.

 

[Risingblade]

Not everyone finds the same things fun, it's as simple as that.

 

[CleverCover]

Maybe it's because the definition of fun and enjoyable are different for people.

The thought of fun is usually something like a day at the beach, hanging with friends, or something generally not meant to be frightening.

Horror games are enjoyable after the experience when your heart stops racing and you had time to go over what just happened, but during it I can't say it was fun. It was great/awesome, but to call it fun just seems out of place.

TLDR: Fun creates different mental pictures than what horror games give, so they don't call it fun but give it another adjective. They mean the same thing, but bring up different mental pictures.

 

[Unsilenced]

There are different types of horror games just like there are different types of horror movies. Something like Dead Space... yeah, "fun" could work. Something pops up, you jump and shoot the crap out of it, and then maybe you have a nervous laugh. Fun.

I'm not sure that would apply so much to games like Amnesia... at least not for most players. Compared to Dead Space, Amnesia is more about making the player paranoid and uneasy. These are emotional reactions, sure, and people like the adrenaline they get from them, but unless you want to describe "fun" as "any sort of enjoyable emotional reaction whatsoever," I wouldn't really say it's the same.