There is a difference between terror and horror, and I talk about that distinction and how it is applicable to horror game developers.
166 - Terror vs. Horror
166 - Terror vs. Horror
-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
Re: 166 - Terror vs. Horror
Hm. But terror is a very strong word. Mostly, in scary games, I feel apprehension rather than outright terror. It is important to create that feeling of expectation, of coming horror.
Speaking of revulsion, Dead Space certainly relied on that a lot (transformation scenes, blood, amputations, puke, tentacles, visceral gurgling and screams, "meat" on the walls and floors etc.). Funnily enough - because of its reliance on jumpscares - the apprehension I experienced was less terrifying and more "man, I hope I can aim at the next monster that'll jump at me quickly enough".
One thing I find interesting when looking at System Shock 2 (again, yes
) is that - while it employs a lot of gross stuff with The Many, the worms, eggs, fleshy growths, mutants etc. - some of the to me most apprehension-inducing situations were much more... clean. Some of the scenes fighting/hiding from robots or cyborgs are not revolting but still manage to ramp up the worrying.
But then I guess King put revulsion as the lowest of his three rungs of horror, so it makes sense that it's really not necessary to get the desired effect. It's a "backup".
Speaking of revulsion, Dead Space certainly relied on that a lot (transformation scenes, blood, amputations, puke, tentacles, visceral gurgling and screams, "meat" on the walls and floors etc.). Funnily enough - because of its reliance on jumpscares - the apprehension I experienced was less terrifying and more "man, I hope I can aim at the next monster that'll jump at me quickly enough".
One thing I find interesting when looking at System Shock 2 (again, yes
) is that - while it employs a lot of gross stuff with The Many, the worms, eggs, fleshy growths, mutants etc. - some of the to me most apprehension-inducing situations were much more... clean. Some of the scenes fighting/hiding from robots or cyborgs are not revolting but still manage to ramp up the worrying. But then I guess King put revulsion as the lowest of his three rungs of horror, so it makes sense that it's really not necessary to get the desired effect. It's a "backup".
Re: 166 - Terror vs. Horror
In the Philosophy of Horror, which is a really great read if you are interested in horror as a genre, it talks about how it is necessary for the monsters to be unclean, impure, unnatural, repulsive, etc, so at least that author thinks that revulsion in some level separates horror from just suspense. It's interested to see the argument defended with examples like Jaws. Jaws wasn't JUST a shark - it was an extra smart manhunting shark, which makes it a horror villain.
If you just have a crazy person hunting a young woman alone in her house, I think it could classified as horror or suspense. If you make a point about how evil that person is, and he gets up after you shoot him (ala' Halloween), it's definitely horror. If he's just a regular serial killer, then it's more suspense.
It is an interesting distinction to make, and I think shows that revulsion does have a role in horror as a genre although isn't really important.
Had I stuck to my original idea of making Neverending Nightmares not gory, I think the game would be much less effective. I realize that you (Gagaplex) weren't overly impressed with the buckets of blood, but some people do feel that it adds to the atmosphere, and I think it works especially well for the death sequences. I don't think I'll ever try to make a non-gory horror game. In hindsight, it seems really hard. haha
Well, my two cents anyway!
If you just have a crazy person hunting a young woman alone in her house, I think it could classified as horror or suspense. If you make a point about how evil that person is, and he gets up after you shoot him (ala' Halloween), it's definitely horror. If he's just a regular serial killer, then it's more suspense.
It is an interesting distinction to make, and I think shows that revulsion does have a role in horror as a genre although isn't really important.
Had I stuck to my original idea of making Neverending Nightmares not gory, I think the game would be much less effective. I realize that you (Gagaplex) weren't overly impressed with the buckets of blood, but some people do feel that it adds to the atmosphere, and I think it works especially well for the death sequences. I don't think I'll ever try to make a non-gory horror game. In hindsight, it seems really hard. haha
Well, my two cents anyway!
-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games