What Was That? (Why video games are more terrifying than movies)
As some of you may or may not know I am currently playing Silent Hill 2 for the first time on PS2, well first time properly since I tried before many years ago and got terrified so I turned it off. Now, I’m further in the game than ever but I’m still terrified, the fog hides any creature that can attack me, every strange footstep coming from behind me makes my hairs stand on edge and the sudden sound of a metal gate slamming in the distance has me on edge.
And it’s not just Silent Hill that’s done this, Bioshock has me creeping alongside the wall, keeping an eye around corners for Splicers. In Fallout 3 I flat out refuse to go into the Dunwich building and it’s sequel New Vegas, every time I see Deathclaw or Cazador I’m running for my life, firing every bullet I have at these monsters.
Call me a wuss if you will but it’s only video games that cause this kind of terror, I can watch The Shining or The Exorcist and be scared but not for long and not to the same degree of a video game. The reason for this is the fact that games create a deeper emotional response with the player character, whereas movies will have you act as a third person, watching these people make their own choices and their own mistakes a game has you controlling the protagonist, it’s your choices, your mistakes and for a few moments you believe that it’s you wandering the foggy streets where anything at anytime can reach out and kill you.
This emotional connection means that even the simplest of thing can terrify you when you’re playing a game, a sound from behind, a shadow in the distance, blood stains on the floor, all of these are things that can be and are in a lot of horror films and yet they don’t have the same impact. Because you have that connection with the player character your mind messes with you more, something movies can never do as well (Books probably could, it’s the same problem with movies in that you’re a third person watching these events unfold but at least a book allows your imagination to run wild).
It’s strange though because a video game character is invincible, with checkpoints and auto-saves a character can die and come back just as quickly and yet you don’t want them to die. You’ve immersed yourself into this world, you’ve become this character so when they die, for the briefest of moments you think that it’s you. It’s a testament to how video games can make you think, make you react to something you’ve seen a thousand times in film with the same terror as seeing it in real life.
If there ever was a conclusive argument to the ‘Video Games As Art’ argument the survival horror genre is the answer. No other genre in any other medium has the same emotional power.
Surprised
When I was younger my buddy's older brother had SH 2 so we decided to play it one night thinking we could handle it. We were wrong.
yeah I think it's because you are the character, you are controlling him, you're in control of whether he lives or dies -- and you know it can ACTUALLY happen at anytime, whereas in a movie for the most part you know that even while there'll be scares, tension and threat the main character is very likely to survive until the end at least.
Silent Hill does have some good scares and a lot of potential, but the controls were so stilted that it just brought me totally out of the experience and I just felt frustrated more than into it and tense.
Bioshock I do agree there were some pretty creepy moments and for the most part it really worked, some great scary bits. The only thing that turned me off about the game was that it got pretty repetitive by the end, still it did a good job earlier on with the creepier moments.
you should check out FEAR 2 (or start with the first, though I haven't played it it's supposed to be good) that's a great game for what you're explaining, really makes you feel the stuff you're talking about. Nice post!
@G-Funk - In the MAKING OF SH2, the game designers explain how they intentionally made that part exceedingly long and drawn out so the player wouldn't feel like turning back. A risky move on their part they admit, but it payed off.
You nailed it right on the head, the interactivity of video games puts you in the character's shoes to create a fully immersive experience unmatched by other forms of storytelling media. Movies only allow you to be a bystander observing characters rather than actually being one of them, and actually IN that situation yourself. Experiencing the things they see and hear, and as one has discovered with SH........it's quite unsettling at times.
There are many video games that transcend the medium to become a true work of art, but the SH games may just be the very best example of that notion. Certainly in terms of horror. Fear is a palpable and key element as to why those earlier SH games work, but not to be overlooked is the way they deal with another important emotional component - Love. SH2 may be one of the greatest love stories of all time.
@Cochise - So, you're going to give up on one of the greatest stories ever told through gaming just because of a bit of stale gameplay and control scheme? You do realize that's kinda the point of playing as a normal average person, not a trained specialist like a cop or commando type right?
@Yosh - you can't pass off the stilted, confused controls and character animations as 'part of the experience' or purposefully like that because the character you're playing is an 'average person'. There have been plenty of games where you are a relatively average person and the controls haven't been like SH's.
and yes, I am going to give up on it because of that. Game's are about more than just the story, they're equally about the interactivity/gameplay and when the gameplay suffers (or even vice versa) the experience can be greatly damaged.
First time i played Silent Hill 2 with surround sound I almost chickened out before reaching the town. That sequence at the beginning walking along the forest path is freaky as shit.