Why do people enjoy horror games?

[Turbo Kid]

It's not the getting scared part that I like about horror, it's the mystery of the supernatural. It's what I like about both horror games and horror movies. Peaking beyond the veil, seeing things that mankind wasn't meant to see, and questioning the true nature of our reality.

It's why I enjoy youtube content focused on real life supernatural or scary experiences that people have had.

In a way, it's the same reason I like sci fi. The mystery of other planets and alien species and the mysteries of what is truly possible through science and technology.

Basically it's about escaping bland and boring reality.

 

[Maximecool]

For me, the reason I enjoy horror games is all about the atmosphere that tension and immersion you can only feel in the dark. That’s why I used to play games like Alien Trilogy and Alien Resurrection on PS1 with the lights off.

I’ve never really been a huge fan of Resident Evil. Instead, I always preferred Alone in the Dark, especially the fourth game, Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare. Honestly, I think people underestimate how important the Alone in the Dark series was.

And let’s not forget: Capcom was clearly inspired by Alone in the Dark 1 when creating the very first Resident Evil back in the 90s.

Alone in the Dark 1 (by Infogrames, 1992) already had fixed cinematic camera angles, polygonal characters over pre-rendered backgrounds, and true survival-horror vibes.

It featured limited inventory management, puzzle-solving at the core of the gameplay, and tank-style movement all mechanics that Resident Evil later reused.

Shinji Mikami himself admitted that Alone in the Dark served as a reference during Resident Evil 1 development.

So in a way, the French were actually ahead of the Japanese in this genre. Without Infogrames ’Alone in the Dark', Resident Evil probably wouldn’t exist in the same form we know today.

 

[Retro Doomer]

Ironically its less playing them myself that I enjoy but I do kind of love watching lets plays of people playing them and getting scared I know that doesn't sound quite wholesome

I don't know why the same with rage clips that made me laugh like suffer like I have in certain games.

I can't say why I find it so endearing

(but I am otherwise a good guy)

 

[Repoaccount1]

I like the feeling of surviving shit. Planning, stocking up on shit, trying to think ahead. That shit is exciting to me.

 

[Questless Knight]

beats me I think horror games and movies are boring becuse they are never scary and most horror movie are just Thrillers that try to nasty or they are movies that make your head hurt because they psychological.


But people love that mumbo jumbo. So not gonna judge I just don´t see what good with them.

 

[Repoaccount1]

beats me I think horror games and movies are boring becuse they are never scary and most horror movie are just Thrillers that try to nasty or they are movies that make your head hurt because they psychological.


But people love that mumbo jumbo. So not gonna judge I just don´t see what good with them.

I wish we had a "

"
Emoji
Because you definitely got me thinking

 

[petran79]

Video games are tense as it is.
Horror of losing my progress overwhelms the horror of the game

 

[Sfjeov]

maybe the same reason why i like stealth games cuz horror games can be pretty thrilling and you tend to have some sembalance of vulnerability.

 

[Graves Ruinwalker]

For me its more the simulative aspects and its written setting in horror-games that sparks my interest towards those games .

Silent Hill :
Being in a foggy ghost-town that has monsters crawling through the streets and areas that absolute horrific on its own and then getting a more twisted version of it .

ObsCure :
Being trapped in a huge school with some school-mates and discovering the horrible experiments and survive the monsters that roam through the halls of the school .

System Shock :
Surviving the Chaos of the space colony station that is ruled by an misanthropic AI with sci-fi weapons and tech shenanigans .

While the story of those games enchance the experience , its still limited in simulative aspects thanks to its story-focused design and i always hoped that we finally get more horror-games that are more system shock (but not so over the top) and have more the exploration in the core-gameplay than linearity .

I like to dwelve myself in those horror-settings instead being more passive like watching a movie . That makes me so enthusiastic towards horror-games .

 

[ThirteeTooBeets]

I like the art direction, and the unique way the medium of gaming lets you experience the horrors yourself. I'm not sure what it is about it, but I find easier to immerse in horror games, maybe because fear is universal and the most common emotion we can relate to?

 

[diet_orange]

It's weird. I'm not big into horror films myself (more into psychological horror), but if anything, I'm more intrigued by the story of "how it happened to people and why" (especially with Videodrome and the first two Hellraiser movies). I also always had kind of had a fascination with Silent Hill 4: The Room in a way that I couldn't really ever describe. I think mainly the sense of isolation that's so reflective of the series from what I understand

 

[Badseed]

I agree somewhat with you as I find jumpscares the most unscary and honestly stupid thing most modern horror games rely on and why would people like this garbage. (modern horror movies fall into the same trap). The rich narrative, story and setting is what does it for me. Look at the Resident Evil series or Eternal Darkness on the Game Cube

 

[Mini_Man.XW]

It's fun to be scared in a controlled environment! I personally don't enjoy the use of jumpscares, It kills the horror for me and then I can't take it seriously anymore. Specifically with games I prefer survival horror, it adds that very important layer of decision making that actually immerses me in the game. Hot take of mine would be that any horror game without that important layer of decision making is just a glorified (or gore-ified) walking sim.

 

[Xdqwerty Xdqwerty]

Dunno how to word it but its probably due to the "thrill"

 

[RocketPowered]

It's the sheer adrenaline and thrill of it.

 

[DjQuick2008]

i found the saw game funny i used to laugh at horror films when my weird friends would put them on i guess life was funnier in my 20s lol

 

[Dany28]

I think Hooror games are really exciting and somehow challenging I think that's good.

 

[HITMAKER_99]

@RageBurner because they are scary.