Ben-DutkaWell, considering that with every passing day consumers become more desensitized and more jaded, his statement is true in more ways than one.
In speaking to Edge , Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami says it's harder than ever to scare gamers. His reasoning is that for the most part, most of us have become accustomed to the common fear-causing tactics:
"Not much has changed when it comes to instilling terror in the player. But people have got used to the tropes of horror and they know what’s coming next, so in that sense it is harder to make them afraid.”
Mikami is currently working on The Evil Within , which is supposed to return to the roots of the survival/horror genre. Basically, it's designed to make the player feel powerless. Ammo won't be plentiful, the environments will be restrictive and foreboding, and some of the enemies can't even be killed with a gun. You might have to be inventive and that's very difficult when you're scared sh**less.
Fans of the niche category, who say the horror genre has shifted to become more action than anything else, are counting on Mikami to bring back the fear. But as he said, it's getting tougher to scare us, so he's gonna have to dip into his bag of tricks… The Evil Within will release for current- and next-gen consoles some time next year.
My advice, throw someone in a big arse mansion with nothing but a pistol and 2 clips. No auto-aim, or aim assist. No killstreak bonuses and multiplayer. Man that would scare the crap out of people. Everyone knows exploration and using your head is the cardinal sin of video games.
Of course… but in my opinion, it is better to unnerve players with a genuinely creepy atmosphere than it is to try to scare them with monsters that jump out at you. What you can't see CAN hurt you – If I sought to make a horror game, that's the motto that would drive the design process.
Fans of the survival/horror genre aren't desensitized, we've grown accustomed to the same cliches used over and over again. Time for something new – think outside the box approach. I've always considered Eternal Darkness for gamecube to be the most inventive way to portray horror in a video game.
I want to play a game that takes those ideas one step forward.
This. Give us something new and fresh and with the right atmosphere and investment in the characters and story we will be ready for some horror!
Well he's right but we have to remember that current tactics are being implemented improperly. You don't shove as much "scary stuff" into the game as possible and hope it ends up freaky, you need to strip everything out of the game and leave the gamers with the fear in their own imagination. There is nothing you can show them or build into a set piece that can compare to what the mind generates in the proper environment with the right sounds and limited supplies.
I can't wait for his new game.
Black Out!
very good that he try's to make a horror game
with the gameplay that this sort of game needs[survival horror],and not like dead space3 or res.evil6 action games with some creepy visuals,i hope that he succeeds
oh bullsh*t!
if anything people are easier to scare now than ever because of the lack of proper horror material.
hell look at slender, one of the most popular indie titles and all that does is a weird looking dude following you in the woods and thats scaring the sh*t out of people!
outlast same thing, open the door its dark so you turn on the night vision and boom theres 100 hanging dead bodies.
im sorry but scaring people is about the easiest thing to do!
How hard can it be?
Games like Outlast, Amnesia and Slender are scaring the crap outta people despite being low-budget games.
Scary games ain't all about creepy monsters or jump scares.
It's about making players feel useless, defenseless and alone.
Publish a game with a lengthy campaign, no microtransactions, no DLC (day one or otherwise) and no multiplayer. Gamers might not be scared but publishers would be wetting themselves!
Last edited by Kryten1029a on 12/7/2013 3:20:10 PM
focus on the scary music….that always enhances the scare factor
Just pump up the music volume to 11. Also add loud siren sounds the player can't mute. That shi* scary.