Blips: Interactive Horror

Source: Are haunted houses the original horror videogames?
Author: Dan Solberg
Site: Kill Screen

Aaand we're back in business. Let's kick things off with another bit of self-indulgence. On Halloween, Kill Screen published my piece on haunted houses as horror video game precursors. Many players speak of an intensity to the horror in video games that is not replicated in movies due to their interactive nature. In these games, you have to actively move your character into the next terrifying environment, constantly reinforcing the notion that you are both in control and totally powerless at the same time. Haunted houses employ a similar design in that you only proceed to the next room when you physically walk there, and everything that happens, happens to you, not to a third-party for you to watch from a distance.

I'm not a horror guy and this was the first paid assignment Kill Screen gave me. It was an offer to go to a haunted house and report on my experience in relation to horror video games. I couldn't turn it down because I'm not in a position to turn down that kind of assignment right now, but I definitely hesitated. Not only would this mean going to a haunted house, which seemed like a scary prospect that made me a little uncorfortable, but I'd also have to play a horror game for research. I'd owned the notoriously scary Amnesia: The Dark Descent for over a year, but never played it, and now I had no excuse. I did, but by the end, I was left thinking that most of these "scary" experiences are not as frightening as they are in my mind before engaging with them. That's not to say I've turned into a horror fan (far from it) or that nothing scares me, but I think I've learned how to better enjoy interactive horror in general instead of steeling myself against such experiences.

Blips: No Escape

Source: Horror and the Oculus Rift Are No Joke
Author: Patrick Klepek
Site: Giant Bomb

I'm not really into the swath of Let's Play-ers out there who record themselves playing horror games and freaking out at the jump scares, but I do like Giant Bomb's Patrick Klepek, and find that he tries to put more emphasis on the games he plays, than himself. On a recent Spookin' with Scoops stream, a semi-regular live horror game showcase, Klepek strapped on the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset and played a series of titles formatted for the device. The results were, of course, wonderful to watch, like those flashbulb photos from haunted houses that are taken right when a big jump scare happens, capturing the contorted faces of the recently terrified. On the other hand, the VR nature of the Oculus Rift seemed to amplify what would normally be decent enough scares into truly terrifying scenarios that, according to Klepek, may be too intense for some players.

I'm working on an interactive horror feature for another site right now, and played Amnesia: The Dark Descent to get some perspective. While the game was certainly scary at times, I definitely took comfort in specific coping tactics that would not be so readily available in a VR setting. First, the Oculus screen is right in your face, meaning you can't turn away and even if you close your eyes, the glow of the screen will still resonate. Even worse, with head-tracking, surround sound changes dynamically as you twist and shy away, which makes the game world feel even more like a real, constant place instead of an easily pausable rectangle. Speaking of pausing and keyboard controls in general, you can't see your hands or anything outside of the Oculus headset, meaning you would have to actively take off the contraption to look around you in real life, something typically done to reassure yourself that it's "just a game." Lastly, you also leave yourself very open to being messed with by anyone else around you.

All that said, I really want an Oculus Rift when they hit the market in their final form, and will certainly give games like Dreadhalls a shot. I might just need to lock myself in a secure, isolated room first.