Haunting moments in videogames?

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Grabthehoopka
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Haunting moments in videogames?

Post by Grabthehoopka »

So, last night, during the 4th of july, I was at a park in San Jose with my girlfriend for a fireworks show, and when they started going off, I realized that they were being launched from probably less than 100 yards away. While I'm sure there were safety precautions taken beforehand, we were close enough to hear the mortars and see the sparks whenever they launched something, and every time one went off, you could feel it, in your eyes, your sinus, your teeth, your privates...anyways, the safety of it was questionable, but everything was going fine until they started launching the "falling leaf" ones. Ordinarily, they look pretty from far away, where they kind of poof in the air and sparkle on the way down, but when you're that close, and you can see the particles of burning magnesium raining down and just how long it takes for them to burn up, I suddenly had a flashback to Spec Ops: The Line and the white phosphorus, so I grabbed my girlfriend and I was rearing up to start running away, but she held me in place and I started having an anxiety attack. And then, my old friend OCD kept me thinking about it, made the connection with Spec Ops: The Line, and the horrible guilt came back. So, I thought everyone was going to die a horrible, fiery death, and not only could I not stop it, but it was all my fault. Over and over, all night until I drank myself to sleep.

So, last night I found out that Spec Ops: The Line mentally scarred me and I didn't even realize it!

Since making a thread just to tell you all this seems like a waste, is there any time the experience you had playing a game came back up when you least expected it?
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matt
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Re: Haunting moments in videogames?

Post by matt »

I don't think it's a waste! I think it's really interesting that the game was so emotionally resonant that it had such a strong effect.

I can't say I've ever had something from a video game that haunted me at least not that I can remember. When I was much younger, I read about a scary scene in a movie - the villain was hiding behind the shower curtain (I think it was Freddie Kruger), and for like a year I was terrified if the shower curtain was drawn because I "knew" that there would be someone behind it. (The sad part is I didn't see the movie - I just read about it. It was just the idea that someone could hide there that was so terrifying)

It's crazy how OCD works and weird stuff just sticks in your mind and torments you - sometimes when you least expect it. Anyway, I'm sorry to hear you had such a difficult 4th of July!
-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
Grabthehoopka
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Re: Haunting moments in videogames?

Post by Grabthehoopka »

Thanks, although the funny thing is, the whole time all this was going through my mind, I kept thinking "Damn...that was a really good game." Ha ha ha! I want to contact the devs and tell them they should be proud that they made something that gave someone an anxiety attack 2 years after they played it. Making a piece of art that affects someone psychologically and emotionally on that level is my goal in life. I want to make something like Jaws, where everyone who sees it is afraid of swimming, something that will stick in people's minds.

I've only made one film to date that tried to be creepy and suspenseful, but limitations for time and our location robbed it of most of its suspense. But, there was one little sequence in it that people said did give them the creeps, so it's a start.
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miumiaou
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Re: Haunting moments in videogames?

Post by miumiaou »

I feel the same way! (but me for video games) There's so much great people I have in front of me (both in a fictional and in a real way) I want to make things that are as great as what those people made. I wish you luck since I can understand how difficult is the way we choose :D
Harry Sunderland
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Re: Haunting moments in videogames?

Post by Harry Sunderland »

I think in general, the violence in video games has made me really sensitive to certain stimuli. For example, I think I worry about being shot much more frequently than most people...just because being someone who plays games that's an outcome of situations that frequently occurs.

There was a day at work where we had a tornado "drill" at my office, but they didn't tell us the drill was for tornadoes. They just told us this was an emergency, to stay away from windows and make your way into an interior office building. I was so shaken up worried that there might be a gunman outside our office!

I can't think of any specific moments in games that have haunted me, though.
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miumiaou
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Re: Haunting moments in videogames?

Post by miumiaou »

I don't understand some things because of the cultural difference:
Is the fear of being shot that common in your country? (I'm sorry, it must be an idiotic question but because I live in a country where to possess guns is illegal, I don't understand that well)
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gagaplex
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Re: Haunting moments in videogames?

Post by gagaplex »

Haunting moments... well, Dead Space is full of jumpscares and whatnot. But one of the most effective parts for me was finding the dead cultists, with the spikes through their skulls, serenely poised, unbound. Being killed is one thing. But killing yourself/letting yourself get killed because of your immense conviction, that... I mean... it was actually one of the least violent scenes in the game, yet it left the biggest impression on me because of what it implied had happened here. Kind of like how, say, Jonestown wasn't a bloody place. But what happened there was worse than a couple buckets of gore could ever be.

EDIT: Actually, in a similar vein: The suicide cult's headquarters with the children's graveyard from SWAT 4. I mean, just... damn.

Image

No blood here either, by the way. But awful, awful implications. I dunno, I really "prefer" (odd word in this context) it when people use horrible implications that let my brain fill in the horrendous details over in-your-face types of horror. Make my imagination scare me.
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matt
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Re: Haunting moments in videogames?

Post by matt »

Personally, I worry about a lot of things (obsessively so), and I am not the least bit concerned about getting shot. There are places (like South Central in LA or parts of Detroit, MI in my home state of Michigan) where I would be concerned, but most people avoid those places.

I would say the average American doesn't worry about guns or getting shot. I can't speak for Harry, but I suspect his point was that playing shooters put the thought or worry in his head - not living in America. My wife is scared of sniper fire - not because that is a real concern here - but because we watch a lot of crime shows (NCIS, Criminal Minds, CSI, etc) where they have snipers taking out unsuspecting victims.

At least for me, movies, TV, and games can put scary ideas in your head and then I worry about them.
-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
Harry Sunderland
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Re: Haunting moments in videogames?

Post by Harry Sunderland »

Matt's guess was correct. To this day, I am very jumpy at the movies after that horrible tragedy during the batman film in colorado. Gaming had instilled a sort of gun paranoia bc my hobby often involves virtually getting shot!

Living in Texas where people aren't shy about their guns doesn't soothe me either.
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JPrice
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Re: Haunting moments in videogames?

Post by JPrice »

First of all, hell yeah SWAT 4! That game is awesome haha :D And yes that scene is pretty creepy

More to the point, I can't really think of situations where a game has horrified me to the point where it has impacted me in real life. I mean I remember some silly things when I was younger, like when my brother used to play Cool Spot on the SNES. For whatever reason I found the death/game over sequence unpleasant, it's kinda stupid looking back as it's not scary in the slightest :lol:
The only other major thing of something like that happening was when I saw one of the Chucky movies when I was like 10-11 years old and it scared me quite a lot, to the point where I couldn't really sleep. Thankfully I outgrew that though so :P

There's something else that's not exactly a horrific moment but something interesting that's happened though related to games. Just for context, I had an epileptic fit in a car around three years ago (I wasn't driving that fast though thankfully!) but it was the first time I've ever had one, so I figured it was because I was staying up so late on my computer during that time. But because it was my first ever one, they classed it as a one off, couple of weeks later I had another. This time though it was when I was at my computer late at night and I think I had just finished playing some Team Fortress 2. Apparently when I was coming around when my mother and brother asked if I knew who they were I said that they were a Medic and a Soldier. I don't remember saying that myself so I guess I was still out of it :?
But I thought it was rather interesting that a game was a primary thought in my mind during that episode. Naturally after that I don't stay up late on the computer anymore and I have epilepsy medication so I've been fine ever since thankfully haha :)
"Always look on the bright side of life"
Check me out on Steam if you like! - http://steamcommunity.com/id/JPrice321/
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