BA7 | Concept and Pre-Production #10

Sub Genres of Horror

I need to determine what genre of horror I want my hypothetical horror game environment to be placed in. To do this, I thought I would research into the varying forms of horror games there are and try to determine the standard sub genres. Once I have done this I can do more specific research and studies into the focussed sub genre of horror games.

I found it surprisingly hard to  locate a source that gave me concrete evidence in the multiple and varying sub genres in horror games . The best I could find was this website (https://www.worldswithoutend.com/resources_sub-genres.asp) which lists sub genres of horror typically associated in films of a sci-fi, fiction or horror category. What I think will be more beneficial to me is to list off the ones I know relate to horror games and post visuals along side them so that both you and I can get a better understanding of how these different sub genres of horror look aesthetically; because ultimately, picking a subgenre of horror will help me further determine how my 3D environment is going to look!

Lovecraftian Horror: Call of Cthulhu Dark Corners of the Earth

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is a “survival horror game” developed by Headfirst Productions and published in 2005 by Bethesda Softworks with 2K Games and Ubisoft for the PC and Xbox. Although the game does fall under, and can be associated with, the survival horror genre, I have included it as a sub genre known as “Lovecraftian horror” which is something I have been researching for my dissertation.

As I have stated in previous posts, Lovecraftian horror comes as a result of direct replications of H. P. Lovecrafts horror fiction (which is true of Cthulhu) as well as work that is strongly influenced by it.

Main themes include the destruction and overcoming of humanity by godly beings, the concept that humans are but mere specs of dust in comparison to what goes beyond our galaxy, civilisation and understanding of life, the loss of mental stability, demonic families, depression, mythos and magika.

  Trailer for Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth VIDEO SOURCE   

 Various screenshots from Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, all from IGN 

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Post-Apocalyptic Horror: Fallout 3

Fallout 3 was released in 2008 and was developed by Bethesda. The official genre of the game is “Action RPG” but there are certainly horrific and scary environments within the game that could be quite suited in any other horror game.  Dark mysterious buildings, severely limited light sources, disfigured “mutants” (links in the Ivana Muller's theory that audiences are scared of creatures that are closely associated with human figures) such as ghouls, abandoned areas and many other scenarios make for environments and play style which is strongly reminiscent of horror games.

E3 trailer for Fallout 3

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Screenshots from Fallout 3 demonstrating how the post apocalyptic horror is presented, all images from IGN 

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    "Dunwich Ruins" are an example of how Fallout 3 can quickly transofrm into something closely reminiscent of a horror game VIDEO SOURCE  

Splatterhouse Horror: Splatterhouse

(The game is called splatterhouse and the sub genre is also called splatterhouse, it basically means strong intense violence, blood, guts and gore). Splatterhouse was developed by Namco Bandai, and formerly BottleRocket (until 2009), it was released in 2010. The game is technically a “beat ’em up” game but there are strong elements of horror in the game which are closely associated to the sub genre of horror “splatterhouse”.

  Splatterhouse launch trailer VIDEO SOURCE    

 Various screens from Splatterhouse, all from IGN

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Zombie Horror: Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead was released back in 2008 and developed by Valve. Officially the game is a first person shooter but it is also labelled under the horror/survival horror sub genre because the idea is to survive a horrific zombie outbreak, the FPS elements only really refer to HOW you’ll be playing the game. Left 4 Dead is quite comical and the acting between characters is often amusing but there are some sinister moments and darker characters within the game that push it firmly into the horror game category. 

Official L4D trailer

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 Various examples of how horror is injected into the environments of L4D, these are screenshots I have taken whilst playing

Action Horror: Resident Evil 6

Sadly, in my opinion, the Resident Evil series has gone the wrong way in terms of horror as the franchise has evolved over the years. Less emphasis on the horror and a lot more focus on the action, guns and cool heroic moves the macho main characters can do (here’s lookin’ at you Chris). Resident Evil 6 is a prime example of a “horror” game which is infused with action. The game is still classed as a horror but with the dominant action packed features, it falls under the sub category of the same name. 

 Various screenshots from RE6, all from IGN

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Psychological Horror: Silent Hill  4: The Room

Silent Hill 4: The Room was first released in 2004 and was developed by Konami. The game is officially classified as a survival horror game but as I have previously stated, this refers more to the gameplay mechanics and what the player will be doing -surviving - throughout the game. There is a sub genre of horror associated with the psychological affects driven upon the audience and that is why Silent Hill 4: The Room falls under the sub genre. The game aims to affect the player psychologically, by this I mean that the Mise-en-scene, visual semantics, style of play and narrative of the game all seek to manipulate the players emotions an don't always in a positive manner. Psychological horror is supposed to get under the players skin, bring our fears from deep within and force overwhelming senses of anxiety and terror.

    Silent Hill 4: The Room trailer VIDEO SOURCE   

 Screenshots taken from Silent Hill 4: The Room, from IGN

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Sci-Fi Horror: Dead Space 2

Another example of sub genres found within horror is sci-fi, this means a strong association with space, aliens, technology and the future. Dead Space 2, developed by Visceral Games and released in 2011, and has a heavy focus on the sci-fi  sub genre. Although the game is primarily an action horror, with a lot of priorities on action based gameplay, this is still only a representative description of what the player will be doing whilst playing the game. They will be witnessing action. The game still falls under the sub genre of sci -fi horror because of its location, settings, narrative, gameplay, assets and much more.

Launch trailer for Dead Space 2

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 Various screenshots I have taken whilst playing Dead Space 2

  

Surreal Horror: Alice Madness Returns

Alice Madness Returns was developed by Spicy Horse and released in 2011. The game falls under the overall genre of “platformer” but again, this refers to what the players actions more so than the underlying themes of the genre. It is a horror game with strong psychological and surreal twists. The environments are beautiful but also create a feeling of uneasiness and confusion; they are mesmerising.

 

     Official Alice Madness Returns trailer VIDEO SOURCE   

 Various screen shots I took whilst playing Alice Madness Returns which display the surrealism communicated through the environments

Conclusion

I am really happy that I produced research because in doing so I have firmly grounded my idea under a sub genre of horror which enables me to push forward with my main research. Firs of all, lets just briefly recap the subs just incase any were missed and to generally round up the post… 

• Lovecraftian horror: themes include loss of sanity, mental incapability's, the loss and destruction of human kind, other worldly/god like beings, humanity is but a spec of dust in comparison to everywhere else, magika, the unknown and mythos.
• Post-Apocalyptic Horror: themes include the world ending and nuclear war.
• •Splatterhouse Horror: themes include intense violence, gore, blood, bones, death, bodies and more blood.
• Zombie Horror: themes include…well, zombies? ;)
• Action Horror: themes include over powered characters and weaponry, too much ammo and health, no real threat or danger, the ability to kill most obstacles, anything considered “scary” doesn’t stay scary when you have a fully powered hydra in your hands…hmm slightly biased here :’)
• Psychological Horror: themes include mental decay, loss of sanity, intense emotional control over player, uncomfortable situations, anxiety and severe obscurity.
• Sci-Fi Horror: themes include space, galaxies, aliens, technology, the future, time travel, other planets, space stations and other worldly cultures.
• Surreal Horror: themes include surrealism, incorrect proportions, distortions, confusion, unbelievability, clashing colours, mind tricks, optical illusions and other forms of visual trickery.

For my project I intend to create an environment focussing on the blend between psychological and surreal horror as the two tend to mix together in various ways anyway. I want to build an environment that confuses the player with visual trickery but not in an awe inspiring sort of way, rather in a confusing and un nerving way. I want the surrealism to cause the player to feel insecure and out of control within the environment and I want to ensure that it doesn’t seem quite right. These emotions are also portrayed through psychological survival horror games such as Silent Hill and Eternal Darkness. So I guess my sub genre is “psychological surrealist survival horror“.

 

BA7 | Concept and Pre-Production #09

Horror in 3D Environments

As you know, my project is focussed around building a 3D environment for a hypothetical horror fiction game. As I have been focussing on my research report studies I haven’t posted much about the post production work associated with the creation of said environment (although all the research I have been doing is beneficial because my projects are so closely aligned). 

Following on from my Outlast environment study that I completed recently, I asked myself, “what do I want my horror environment to look like?” The idea of the project is to look at how the genre of horror is injected and captured in 3D environments so I really need to begin to narrow down on an area of horror that I want to focus on in order to produce my research document that acts as the basis for my pre production work towards BA8 where I will actually build the environment. 

The Many Faces of Horror Fiction in Games

To kick off this fresh batch of research I need to take a step back from my Outlast environment study and prose the question “what type of horror environment do I want to create?”. To do this I need to study the different varieties of horror genres found in video games and also dive into what makes a horror game. Answering these will mean I can have a grounded concept for the beginning of my environment design. 

Common Horror Game Environments

First things first, I figured that I should probably look into the common environments that horror games use (all genres of horror included) as I’m not sure where my environment will actually be. I found this video which takes a slightly comical look at 10 commonly used horror game environments.

Top 10 Scariest Video Game Environments by ‘dogcyn’

I found this video to be a good starting point. It covers horror games as an overall genre and depicts specific locations that are commonly used in a wired variety of horror games ranging from action horror to survival horror. I though this would be a good place to start gathering my research and pushing my design forwards in terms of pre-production.  I watched the video and took notes containing my own thoughts on the environments being discussed as well as noting down any key phrases used that I could quote in terms of reference material for my research report. 

 "Top 10 Scariest Video Game Environments" by "dogcyn"
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#10: Libraries

• The furniture within a library can often be scary because the shelves in libraries are high, they limit visibility and can hide monsters or other nastiest from the player.
• Libraries are known for being quiet, any noise made in a dark empty library is going to give anyone goosebumps and cause for suspition and nerves.
• The layouts of library interiors is often tight and densely compact areas with filing cabinets, desks and books. 

A good example of a horror game that uses a library to create an environment of horror is Capcom's Resident Evil 1 whereby the player is led down to an underground library as part of the game progression. You can see that a mixture of fixed camera angles, tight corners and severely limited visibility makes this environment super creepy and almost threatening to the player which causes fear.
 

 Example of a library environment in horror game Resident Evil 1 (skip to 1:42 for library)
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#9: Schools

• By theory of juxtaposition, schools should be a place of learning and progression, not hindrance and pain. Most schools in horror games display a compete array of juxtaposed visuals to confuse the player and spark fear and confusion in them. Schools should be bright and colourful to stimulate learning, however, when a school is covered in blood and is broken, it communicates a completely different message to the audience.
• Many people have fears of children, it’s why a lot of horror films and games use young children to provoke fear related emotion into the audience. Schools are obviously associated with children which may cause the player to feel uncomfortable.
• Schools are supposed to be lively and full of people, most schools in horror games are empty and desolate, abandoned with no one to comfort the player.
• Schools also contain other creepy areas within them such as locker rooms.

Konami’s Silent Hill 1 shows a good example of how a school can be used as an environment for a horror game.

 Example of a school environment in horror game Silent Hill 1
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#8: Space Stations

• Remote.
• Empty.
• Abandoned.
• Miles away from the comforts of “earth”.
• Could contain environments such as 9 & 10 in various forms.
• Space stations are interesting to create horror environments for because you can literally do anything inside them, they can contain sub environments that promote fear in alternate ways.
• They have the element of surprise on the player constantly due to the removal of environment association between the player and the game…no ones been on a space station unless they are an astronaut…so how do we know what to expect? 

A good example of a space station used in a horror game is EA’s Dead Space franchise and most specifically, Dead Space 2. I am showing this clip because it relates to the “you can design what you want” theory, and in this example you can see a nursery environment has been included on the space station. 

 

 Example of a space station environment in horror game Dead Space 2
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#7: Abandoned Areas

• Completely and utterly 100% alone…or are you ;)
• “Being alone in circumstances involving horror is a major benefit to scaring your crowd…”

Most horror games have environments which seem abandoned at one point or another because forcing the player to feel alone and helpless is a major feature in provoking fears and emotions such as depression and terror. One of the games which uses an abandoned area really well is upcoming psychological horror game Asylum whereby the game takes place in a seemingly abandoned asylum.

 Exaple of an abandoned area used in upcoming horror game Asylum
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#6: Vents

• Extremely claustrophobic.
• Limited visibility.
• Dark.
• Awkward movement.
• Lack of equipment, safety or places to hide.
• The player feels trapped.

Vents are used in FEAR 2 whereby the player can only move forwards and backwards when traversing through. They are dark and every creepy often directing the player to specific points of view, like when the player see’s the figure walk past the window after the vent. This is because that’s all the player really see’s as they crawl through, their line of sight is focussed on that area.

 Example of vents used in horror game FEAR 2
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#5: Hospitals

• A hospital is associated with people getting better and recovering, being helped by professionals and feeling safe. Hospitals in horror games communicate the polar opposite of these themes.
• Hospitals are supposed to be clean and safe but often horror games manipulate this fact with blood stains, grotty textures and dirt to create fear.

One of the best examples  of a hospital environment in a horror game is found, once again, in Silent Hill. Silent Hill is notorious for its super creepy and tense environments and this is no different when it comes to exploring the hospital found in the game. 

Example of a hospital environment in horror game Silent Hill 3
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#4: Hallucinogenic Environments

• •This is more the way the environment can become effected by mechanics in the game.
• Often causes severe obscurities with dire player related consequences (lack of control, limited vision, distortion etc).
• Makes the environment confuse the player.

A really good example of this can be found in Dead Space 3 where the two main characters, Isaac and Carver, experience hallucinations the further into their space mission they go. It is supposed to represent how mentally unstable they are becoming as “the marker” takes a hold of them.

 Example of hallucinogenic gaemplay in horror game Dead Space 3
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#3: Elevators

• Player feels trapped.
• You don’t know where you are going, the elevator could take you anywhere.
• Gives the game the elements of surprise.
•  Claustrophobic small space, threat of being ambushed or attacked inside leave little safe options to the player.

A good example of how an elevator ride can go wrong in a horror game can be seen in Dead Space 1 when the player controls avatar Isaac into an elevator only to have the doors forced open by a terrifying and screaming necromorph. The elevator leaves the player no escape which is terrifying. 

Example of how elevators can be horrific environments in horror games
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#2: Darkness

• Severely limited visibility, if any at all.
• Fear of the unknown and what you cants see.
• General phobias of the dark.
• Lack of control over surroundings.
• Reduces senses. 

Most horror games that are scary will be set in dark places or have environments of severe dark. A very popular horror game named Slender the Arrival knows that the player will feel scared in the dark and does a fantastic job of using darkness to provoke emotions of fear. Especially in the wooded environments of the game.

 Example of how darkness is used in horror game Slender the Arrival
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#1: Bathrooms

• This relates back to the mirror mechanic that I discussed previously in my last blog post, how apprehensive audiences have become towards bathrooms, they automatically feel nervous which has become a fantastic trope for horror fiction.
• Bathrooms are meant to be relaxing…they clearly aren't in horror games.  
• They are also supposed to be clean and sanitary, but most of the time they are built to look the polar opposite with dirty floors and walls, broken mirrors, blood stains, grime and other dirty juxtapositions.

 

One example of a bathroom environment being used in horror games can be found in Silent Hill 3. 

Example of an horrific bathroom environment in Silent Hill 3
VIDEO SOURCE