Horror Games that are More Frightening than Movies

Computer games are for kids, right? Anyone who really thinks that has either spent the past 30 years hiding in a cave or has an exceptionally liberal idea of what is acceptable entertainment for youngsters. The fact is that a statement like this is practically meaningless. Say the same about books or movies, and you would get the response “it depends on the type,” and of course the same applies to modern gaming.

In fact, there are plenty of games that are specifically aimed at the adult market. You wouldn’t see a 12 year old strolling in to a casino on the Las Vegas strip for a game of blackjack, and the same applies to the many online casinos in the UK and across the globe. When it comes to horror, there is an even larger gulf between games for kids and adult entertainment.

Drawn into the nightmare

Nobody in their right mind would let a minor watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but when it comes to gaming, the stakes, as well as the stress levels, are escalated. After all, it is one thing sitting on the sofa watching some hapless fool stumble down endless corridors attempting to escape a knife-wielding maniac. But in a game, you actually adopt the role of the unfortunate protagonist.

A well-designed horror game can reach deep within your psyche to play on your most primal fears. When you are no longer a simple spectator but instead are the one who is responsible for whether your character will survive, the danger feels real, and the situation can cause genuine feelings of dread and panic.

Take Amnesia, for example. Here, you must hide, unarmed and defenseless, in a dank, ill lit chamber, hoping against hope that the half-glimpsed creature will pass safely by and allow you to progress. Watch a similar storyline in a movie and you can at least come up for air, or have a laugh with friends. In a game like this, there is no such let up.

Upping the ante with Virtual Reality

While Amnesia has been terrifying the life out of gamers for a few years now, the whole notion of being “inside the game” is being taken to new levels by Virtual Reality. Perhaps the best example here is in Resident Evil 7: Outbreak. The game has been credited with single handedly prompting a massive increase in the use of PS4VR, but gamers are strongly advised to limit their time in this virtual environment.

Spend too long in there, and you are in danger of losing your grip on reality and thinking you really are in the haunted house. Now we have all seen some scary movies, but surely there are none that actually threaten your sanity in this way.

Whether that is a good or bad thing is open to debate, but one thing is clear. The way games are continuing to evolve with every passing year, the scares are only going to get bigger.