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    Rules For Horror Games

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    pghazanfari
    The document provides rules and guidelines for designing effective horror games. It states that a single main enemy should not be shown until the end, creating fear of the unknown. Multiple threats can increase anxiety if they are caused by player mistakes. Fear factors should be unpredictable through dynamic environments and confusing events. Scary music intensifies to signal danger. Information and sensory details should be limited to increase fear while balancing gameplay. The player is generally alone to reduce comfort. Multiple fear types are needed, including jump scares, atmosphere, and common phobias. Gameplay must be carefully designed to avoid tedium from backtracking or puzzles. A balance of fear throughout provides the best experience, with no long lulls or completely safe areas.

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    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Rules For Horror Games

    Uploaded by

    pghazanfari
    583 views3 pages
    The document provides rules and guidelines for designing effective horror games. It states that a single main enemy should not be shown until the end, creating fear of the unknown. Multiple threats can increase anxiety if they are caused by player mistakes. Fear factors should be unpredictable through dynamic environments and confusing events. Scary music intensifies to signal danger. Information and sensory details should be limited to increase fear while balancing gameplay. The player is generally alone to reduce comfort. Multiple fear types are needed, including jump scares, atmosphere, and common phobias. Gameplay must be carefully designed to avoid tedium from backtracking or puzzles. A balance of fear throughout provides the best experience, with no long lulls or completely safe areas.

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    Rules for Horror Games

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    The document provides rules and guidelines for designing effective horror games. It states that a single main enemy should not be shown until the end, creating fear of the unknown. Multiple threats can increase anxiety if they are caused by player mistakes. Fear factors should be unpredictable through dynamic environments and confusing events. Scary music intensifies to signal danger. Information and sensory details should be limited to increase fear while balancing gameplay. The player is generally alone to reduce comfort. Multiple fear types are needed, including jump scares, atmosphere, and common phobias. Gameplay must be carefully designed to avoid tedium from backtracking or puzzles. A balance of fear throughout provides the best experience, with no long lulls or completely safe areas.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    583 views3 pages

    Rules For Horror Games

    Uploaded by

    pghazanfari
    The document provides rules and guidelines for designing effective horror games. It states that a single main enemy should not be shown until the end, creating fear of the unknown. Multiple threats can increase anxiety if they are caused by player mistakes. Fear factors should be unpredictable through dynamic environments and confusing events. Scary music intensifies to signal danger. Information and sensory details should be limited to increase fear while balancing gameplay. The player is generally alone to reduce comfort. Multiple fear types are needed, including jump scares, atmosphere, and common phobias. Gameplay must be carefully designed to avoid tedium from backtracking or puzzles. A balance of fear throughout provides the best experience, with no long lulls or completely safe areas.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    1|Page Parham Ghazanfari

    Rules for Horror Games


    A single entity is the main "enemy" of the game. o The entity must not ever be shown (at least not until the end of the game). This establishes the fear of the unknown. Ambiguity of the entities identity is a powerful tool of fear. Having it change forms (not visibly to the player) will limit the players knowledge of the capabilities of the threat. There can be multiple threats, but ultimately the player must escape the single entity. o These threats can be not only their own entities, but they can be the fear of a player making a mistake. i.e. Not doing/moving carefully will create noise and cause the entity to find u. This increases the players anxiety as they try to progress through the game. The factors that cause fear must not be predictable. o There are many ways to approach this problem. Dynamic environments/actions/events. Confuse the player. Scary music that intensifies usually signals that something bad is about to happen. Mix it up so the player cant tell what happens next. Information is the bane of fear. o Reduce information that the player has access to increase fear. Not only plot information, but sensory information as well. Dark lighting. Absence of (most) sounds. o Putting the player at a disadvantage will probably be more beneficial as a source of fear. Must balance disadvantage with frustration of play and the method of teaching the game uses. o Sometimes it is better to sacrifice lack of information for better gameplay. i.e. Maps The player must generally be alone. o Interaction with other NPCs, besides threats, significantly reduces fear. Either offers the player information, which reduces the stress of the situation, or gives the player a feeling of comfort/safety (which must be avoided). o Non-Interactive NPC use is allowed and encouraged.

    2|Page Parham Ghazanfari

    Rules for Horror Games


    There must be multiple types of fear in the game. o High stress/anxiety moments o Jump scares (classic) o Environment/Atmosphere o Themes that exist as fears for most people. Spiders Snakes Darkness Must be visually relevant to modern day standards. o Otherwise only jump scares will work. o Players will find unappealing visuals that attempt to be frightening as amusing. Gameplay must very carefully designed and not tedious. o Backtracking Useful for extending gameplay with little effort. Grows tedious as more backtracking (back and forth) occurs. Awareness of surrounding will become too good a tool for the player unless the environment changes drastically. Best implementation I can think of is to use numerous small common areas that lead to many different paths. o Puzzles Puzzles are more or less fun, but grow tiresome quickly. Having to get to an objective only for it to lead you to another objective for the same overall goal is extremely annoying. Puzzles will actually deter from the experience as it puts the player in a state of thought which rationalizes the players fear and his or her current state (Its just a game, its not that scary). o Although, luring a player into a false sense of security with a puzzle might be ingenious. Preferably, quick puzzles (possibly during intense moment of gameplay) would be best.

    Flow of fear throughout the game. (Mostly Speculation)

    3|Page Parham Ghazanfari

    Rules for Horror Games


    A balance of fear throughout the game is extremely important. A lull in gameplay that last a bit too long can deter the player from even finishing the rest of the game. The existence of safe areas (other than those determined by the player based on in game facts [If the ___ is in another room, it cant find me now]) is mainly based upon the intent of the game. Games that relate more to adventure/puzzle-solving will most likely have a lot of safe areas to allow players to solve the puzzles. o Not good for a horror game. Not having any safe areas at all will either be very good or very bad. o It will either make the game incredibly frightening or too intense for the player to continue. Player determined safe areas are the best option I can think of.

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