103 - Horror is subversive

[matt]

In this developer diary, I talk about how horror can be subversive.

[RightClickSaveAs]

Horror can be very subversive, which is one of the things I love about it. This is especially true in films, I haven't found a ton of games that really take advantage of the medium, which is why I'm glad you're making this one.

Silent Hill 2 was the first one to really blow my mind when I got to the point in the game where I began to realize what was going on. The constant descent, the themes of guilt and punishment, there was so much under the surface of the game. I remember discovering a website that had a breakdown of all the creature designs and the different things they represented, and that was even more mind blowing.

Actually I just dug into my bookmarks and this is the site here: http://www.translatedmemories.com/ It's a translation of a Japanese guidebook that was published with detailed commentary on the creatures and characters in the Silent Hill games. See specifically the Silent Hill 2 creature page here: http://www.translatedmemories.com/bookp ... eature.jpg
"Abstract Daddy - On top of its bed-like form are two covered reclining figures. A symbol of Angela's past" - Very dark and disturbing stuff. And it just keeps going, each creature is some manifestation of a theme - guilt, fear, sickness, etc.

[matt]

Yeah, they really did an amazing job making everything in Silent Hill 2 further the themes. We are doing the same with Neverending Nightmares. All of our enemies and set ups convey something psychological about the main character. I am always on the fence of how much I want to reveal. One of the interesting things about David Lynch is he never says what anything means, which mean people can debate about it forever. I guess I'm already on the hook with the developer commentary and the designer's notebook to reveal all my secrets. Until then, discuss! haha

I'm surprised no one has started a thread to speculate what the story might be and what it might mean. I love to read people's speculation. heheh I really enjoyed reading this article because of the speculation.

[RightClickSaveAs]

Nice article, they were very complimentary! And it's good to see someone promoting the alpha content, most articles I see online are just from the Kickstarter launch.

Hah yeah David Lynch is an interesting guy to say the least. On one hand that's an admirable stance to take as an artist, but on the other hand, his movies are so filled with dream logic and symbolism that I find them pretty impenetrable personally, and I have to read other peoples' analyses to get anything out of most of his movies (except Eraserhead, I took that one as a movie about the fear of marriage and fatherhood). I'm usually really bad about interpreting film and other art, so sometimes it's nice when the creator just comes out and says what it's about.

But on that note, what do you think about Death of the Author in general? For example, when Neverending Nightmares comes out, if someone plays it and is convinced that the game is about alcoholism or something (that'd be a really tough case to make at this point, but who knows what will be in the final game ), would you be OK with that or do you hold to the idea that art is generally "about" whatever the creator intended it to be?

[matt]

I *think* I figured Mulholland Drive, but it took a couple viewings. I thought it was the exact opposite the first time I saw it. It's my favorite movie. So brilliant!

Personally, I think as long as someone gets something out of Neverending Nightmares, I think it served it's purpose. Actually my favorite article about Neverending Nightmares is this one on gamespot.

I'm no stranger to depression: the early '90s were a blur for me after a suicide attempt that led to over a dozen hospitalizations for mental illness. After speaking with Gilgenbach, I returned to the Neverending Nightmares demo once more, my memories of those difficult years fresh in my mind. There comes a moment when you head back down the hallway, though the trek is much longer than before. You use the bloodied axe to smash open a barrier, hoping to escape from the darkness that's growing and filling the space behind you...

This endless hallway, this encroaching murk--they reminded me of all those times I could feel the terrifying thoughts creeping up on me. And just as you use an instrument of violence to find respite in the game, so too did I pick up a sharp object in hopes of relieving the pain.

I thought this was really great the theme of depression resonated with someone else who suffered from it. While the axe in my mind wasn't intended as a metaphor, I've been in a similar boat regarding sharp objects, so maybe the message was subconscious? I don't know, but I'm happy about it. I think with great art, it can mean more and different things than the author intended, which I think is great.