Category: Horror Game Design
Research Log
Disorienting the Player: The Power of Non-Euclidean Horror Spaces
Introduction Horror games thrive on subverting expectations, unsettling players by disrupting their sense of control and security. However, when the environment itself becomes the antagonist, fear reaches an entirely new level. Non-Euclidean horror spaces—environments that defy conventional geometry—are a powerful tool for crafting immersive, mind-bending terror (Osudin, Denisova, & Child, 2024). By manipulating space in…
Research Log
The Architecture of Fear: Why Certain Spaces Feel Wrong
Introduction The unsettling nature of certain architectural space, and architecture of fear if you like, is an interesting topic and has, for a long time, been a point of discussion in fields such as psychology, phenomenology, and horror studies. Some environments evoke a primal fear that seems disconnected from any immediate threat. Architectural spaces have…
Research Log
The Future of Horror Gaming – BAFTSS Horror SIG Panel
This week, I had the honour of chairing a panel discussion for the British Association of Film, Television, and Screen Studies (BAFTSS) Horror Special Interest Group. It was an incredible experience to explore the evolving relationship between horror games and screen media, diving into how aesthetics, narratives, and technology shape interactive fear. I was privileged…
Research Log
From Dreams to Nightmares: The Role of Surrealism in Horror Games
Surrealism, an avant-garde movement emerging in the early 20th century, sought to unlock the creative potential of the unconscious mind by juxtaposing irrational images and concepts (Gürelli, 2022). While its initial applications were predominantly found in literature and visual arts, surrealism’s influence has permeated various media, including cinema and video games. In horror games, surrealism…
Research Log
Exploring Player Isolation: Horror in Open-World Environments
Horror in gaming as we have spoken about before, is the perfect medium for engaging player emotions. This week I want to think about open-world environments which offer a canvas for exploring fear through isolation. Unlike confined linear games, expansive, eerie landscapes stretch the psychological parameters of horror, allowing players to experience the dread of…
Research Log
Dynamic Weather: Amplifying Atmosphere in Horror Games
Dynamic weather systems have revolutionized the interactive world of video games. Weather is bigger than us, it has no sympathy for or fear of us and regardless of how powerful we become as a species, weather still has the power to crush us like ants! This makes the inclusion of weather systems in horror games…