BA7 | Concept and Pre-Production #26

“Horror Video Games: Essays on the Fusion of Fear and Play” (Bernard, P. 2009)

Here are the notes that I took whilst reading influential essays that helped me resource and write my research report draft.

“Gothic Bloodlines in Survival Horror Gaming”  By Laurie N. Taylor

(Bernard, P. 2009) 

 

“Patterns of Obscurity: Gothic Setting and Light in Resident Evil 4 and Silent Hill 2”  By Simon Niedenthal

(Bernard, P. 2009)

BA7 | Concept and Pre-Production #25

Environment Location Mood Board #1 - Sewer

The environment will begin in an underground tunnel system, hypothetically underneath an abandoned science laboratory or mansion. The area would serve as an environment connection whereby the player leaves the  upper level and delves into the haunting depths of labyrinth like tunnels. This underground section could simply be an derelict mining tunnel or link into the areas sewer system but common attributes will include: 

Man holes

Circular/curved walls

Bars shutting off tunnels the player can’t use

Long dark tunnel corridors

Limited lighting

Foggy atmosphere

Ladders

Doors

Heavy machinery/pipes

Lose wires

Valves

Dirt/grime/rotting/derelict

Water damage history, mould, rust

Claustrophobic confined areas

Vents

I decided the best way to illustrate my thought would be to create a mood board of influential/inspirational images that I have found during BA7. This way I will be able to give a clear visualisation of my ideas. This will help the production pipeline with regards to progressing into BA8 because I will have a set of images that will illustrate my ideas and prepare and inform for the design phase in BA8. Here are the image I have found…

 

Environment Location Mood Board #2 - Visual Semantics

This section will be the joining scene between the dark, eerie, uncomfortable sewer/tunnel area. While it will still appear to be set in the sewer, it will house strong visual semantics which narrate and inject strong themes of horror to the audience. I have been studying visual semantics in games for most of this project, understanding that it is a method in communication between creator and audience. As my project it focussed on the ways in which environments display, communicate, inject and illustrate horror, I thought it would be good to create a mood board of influential ways in which horror themed visual semantics work so that the reader of my research and development document can further visualise my idea. Elements include:

Blood stains

Visual narrative assets

Broken assets

Gore

Signs of violence and decay

Signs of pain and torture

Broken ladder

Uncovered manhole with bloodstains

Hole in the wall

Shovel 

Assets that force questions (what happened here, is this safe, am I in danger? Etc)

I used all my own screen shots for this mood board as I wanted to portray how visual semantics were used to communicate themes of horror in games, I felt in game visual examples would work best to communicate and help visualise/portray my idea.

 

Environment Location Mood Board #3 - Psychological Horror Room

Once the player has made their way through the haunting and decimate sewer/underground tunnels and analysed the visual semantics “centre piece” of the environment, they will come across a door which leads into a room.

I have named this room the “psychological horror room” because it will encompass and illustrate the research I did for the appropriately (and successfully) used horror game environments. 

I plan to take a few core themes from these environments and built an incredibly sinister looking room that takes visual core references from the environments research I did. Here are examples of themes, assets and room aesthetics to help illustrate the look and feel of the “psychological horror room”.

Abandoned hospital/asylum/prison room

Dirty walls, unsanitary (juxtaposition from clean, safe comfortable hospitals)

Decay

Confusing mechanical machinery

Disgusting and un private bathroom assets (toilet, sink, mirrors etc)

Clutter and rubbish

Dirt, grime and rust, unclean

Confusion

Unease, anxiety, eerie, haunting, vacant. 

 

Aesthetics Mood Board #1 - Look and Feel

A few weeks ago I created a visual style guide to visually demonstrate to one of my tutors the way I wanted my environment to look and feel. Unfortunately at the time I didn’t make note of the image sources but they were mainly Google image and Pinterest searches. Here is the Look and Feel Style Guide to how I want my environment to look over all, this refers to textures, types of assets, colours, tone, hue etc.

 

Aesthetics Mood Board #2 - Environment Atmosphere

This mood board is comprised of screenshots I have taken whilst playing the horror games I feel have influenced this project the most so far, they are Outlast , Dead Space and Amnesia. I have used screenshots that I have taken whilst playing that I feel really communicate a horrific environment and portray the type of atmosphere I want my environment to replicate. 

 

Aesthetics Mood Board #3 - Environment Lighting

This mood board demonstrates the types of light I hope to be able to replicate in UDK for my environment. I feel they illustrate lighting that compliments horrific and eerie environments which is what I am trying to visualise. Techniques will include:

Strong patches of light contrasted against harsh darkness.

Spotlights

Light coming through cracks, door, windows

Low key high contrast

Limited visibility

 

Aesthetics Mood Board #4 - Environment Surrealism

One of the key and most important aspects of my project is that I don’t want my environment to look like a carbon copy of other psychological horror games. Whilst it will borrow and re create important, appropriate and effective methods employed by successful psychological horror games, it wont directly copy them, I want my environment to have a unique flare to it. As I have illustrated in my research, the way in which I plan to do this is by incorporating surrealism. 

The surrealism will affect both the environment aesthetics and assets because the surreal element can be applied to both. I have been looking at haunting and obscure surrealism to help me achieve this look visually and, in BA8, when it comes down to modeling the assets and environment, I will revise the surrealism research to ensure I capture and communicate the correct aesthetics. 

This mood board portrays how surrealism can be used in environments to enhance the aesthetics and further communicate themes such as horror. Its all about incorporating surreal elements, whether they are obvious or subtle, to enhance and infuse the horror themes. They will promote obscurity and distortion; both massive theme influences throughout my research. 

BA7 | Concept and Pre-Production #24

Research Report

As I begin the write up of my professional research report for the studio portion of BA7 I am still missing a few areas of information. To begin with, I wanted to include some more introductory based research into the design of horror games. Whilst I have looked at this already for the project, I want to include a formal write up of notes to introduce the topic in my report and the studies I have done so far just sort of “jump straight in” so to speak. 

Horror Design Video/Tutorial

Here is a really good video I found on YouTube which discusses the designs of horror games. I thought it would be good to watch and take notes to include in my report introduction.

 

“Tutorial - Basic Design of Horror Games” by YouTuber danpaz3d

VIDEO SOURCE 

As I began to watch the video, the first key design element discussed is OBSCURITY. This is perfect because one of the key texts I have been analysing for BA7 is “Gaming After Dark” by Ivana Muller who states that horror can be communicated through visual obscurities. Both the video and Muller refer to similar techniques used in horror games to intensify the horror which are: 

• Darkness
• Fog
• Camera angles
• Screen effects
• Blood and gore
• Distorted visuals

• Leave the player guessing and wanting more,  don’t give everything away, leave elements open to question.
• Getting the player to use their own imagination to fill in the gaps can heighten the horror.
• Interaction with the game world between the player, avatar and world are key to drawing them in and ensuring they feel fully immersed within the game.
  
  
• Too much information being revealed can be limiting to emotions for the player, but too little information can be confusing. Relating this to environment, the player should be able to find enough visually to question whats happened but not leave them confused. Make them question the narrative behind that environment, force them to ask whats happened.

World of Level Design (.com)

I then went to the amazing and influential website called “World of Level Design” who have a guide to creating horror/survival game levels. Chapter 1 focuses on the clichés horror games seem to follow and how they can work when re used properly. This backs up my project as I want to utilize a variety clichés psychological horror environments in my scene (such as the abandoned school/hospital, asylums, mansion, bathrooms etc).

"Clichés do work.

Even when we know what is going to happen, there are certain psychological triggers that make us react. That is why they are clichés, because they have been proven to work." (World of Level Design, 2009)

Chapter 2 discusses anticipation and pacing. My project isn’t about making a playable horror experience, its about creating a visual horror experience (that is game ready). So elements such as pacing and anticipation don’t necessarily relate to my work, however, there are interesting parts to the chapter which I find helpful when applied to environment design. 

“Build it up to something great and then release hell. If the player survives then it is something to remember. Never introduce and give away everything in the beginning. Wait till later. And build up your pacing slowly by introducing anticipation.”
(World of Level Design, 2009)

“Using clichés. Recognizing what they are and knowing how the audience will react to it, because over the years they have been conditioned to know what is going to happen.” (World of Level Design, 2009)

“Create enough space between each event to let the player breath before the next even happens. Next one comes, should be harder and more interesting and challenging then the previous one.”(World of Level Design, 2009)

 

Chapter 3 is the most relevant to me as it focuses on storytelling and environment. It confirmed my ideas and theories in my head with regards to the design options available to me when it comes to actually concepting and designing my horror environment whilst also challenging my thoughts. 

“There are certain environments that are more effective in communicating horror and fear then others. For example abandoned buildings and old hotel rooms are scarier then brand new office buildings. Reason is because they have history and past associated with them. There are traces of human history in the environments. Brand new spanking environment doesn't have that. So we already are seeing traces of clichés in the story of the environments.” (World of Level Design, 2009)

“Identify the Environment

•What is the location?

•What is the setting?

•Time of day? Season?

What is the mood you want to communicate? The environment has to compliment the story and the purpose you are trying to achieve. It also has to drive the story forward.”
(World of Level Design, 2009)

“You have to create an environment that players can relate to. They need to identify with the location in order to feel anything towards it.”
(World of Level Design, 2009)

Gamasutra: “An Investigation into the Effects of Horror Games”

Darren McKettrick writes an article onGamasutra which analyses the effects of horror games. The article has some fantastic quotes in which will reinforce the research I have done for my studio project and help further explain my ideas, themes and notions towards designing and injecting horror into environments. I have underlined key points that solidify the ideas, themes, notions, theories and ideals I have made so far throughout this project. 

 

“Ambiguity – In horrors it is the things that are left unsaid that will engage the player’s imagination. The player must be guided through key areas and key points of information, but they should have a hunch that something just isn’t right.”

“Strong Sense of Place – Within horrors there is a wide array of places that the player will instantly understand as a dangerous and spooky, for example abandoned schools, hospitals and hotels. If there is a ‘safe place’ within the game, this should not be used by the player as a hub or base, but as a place for them to cower in a corner and to contemplate the next horror. […]”

“The player must never feel as if they have mastered the environment.”

“[…] grounded in reality so gives the fear a purpose; it creates a strong sense of place and has excellent ambiguity, just what is out there in the fog?”