Tag: horror game design
Research Log
Why the Scariest Moments in Horror Games Are the Ones You Don’t See
The Terrifying Power of Implied Horror A creaking floorboard or a mysteriously flickering light, these moments, where nothing is seen but something, not quite right, is felt, have the power to unnerve players more than the most bloodthirsty monster encounter. So, why does absence of horror sometimes feel more terrifying than its presence? What is…
Research Log
The World as the True Antagonist: Conceptualizing Hostile Environments in Horror Game Design
Introduction Horror games traditionally frame their antagonists as tangible threats, monsters, murderers, or supernatural entities. However, some games subvert this paradigm by making the environment itself the primary source of terror. In such cases, the setting is no longer a passive backdrop but an active agent of dread, fundamentally shaping the player’s experience. This post…
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
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
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…