he horror genre is gaining more and more critical acclaim, from thoughtful tales like Alan Wake to the more visceral experiences like Dead Space. Yet many malign horror for being cheap and fast thrills, using commonplace tricks at the expense of any story. Still, horror is popular for a reason and perhaps it represents something we don't find in any other genre: confrontation, on a human level at least.
In Modern Warfare 2 you may be confronting waves of deadly enemies but you're armed to the teeth and have a rare ability to shrug off otherwise fatal wounds. In horror games however you're usually an everyday man pitted against seemingly immortal and transcendental beings with only the smallest of arms. The stuff of nightmares.
Enemies in horror have always been simplified representations of real issues.Enemies in horror have always been simplified representations of real issues. The vampire represents lust. The werewolf is male aggression. Zombies are capitalist greed and social paranoia. It may not be immediately apparent but this is partly why horror stories have such a lasting appeal. The symbols featured in horror are reflective of our deeper fears, and what's better than crushing those very fears?
The stories within horror are becoming far more developed. The webs that are weaved grow and grow, trapping more of our emotions. It remains that horror games are few in numbers yet they gain critical acclaim. Surely we should see more of these?
In Alan Wake, we play as a struggling writer, his hand and mind at an impasse and suffering with writer's block. He's a completely average man, which makes living vicariously through the him all the more easy. The games inspiration is painfully obvious: Stephen King, The X-Files, Lost and Twin Peaks each have a hand in the game. All of which feature aspects of man versus God, or at least a God-like presence. In accordance with horror and its memes, the power to defeat the evil and rescue his wife is within him. As clichéd as inner struggle is, it's also very poetic.
The game achieved critical acclaim yet its sales were lackluster. A possible reason for the decline is a familiar cancer, "hardcore" games; wave after wave of first-person shooters placate a braindead audience, desensitizing them to originality and quality. The marketing campaign surrounding the game was brilliant, a well-executed series of shorts played out a chilling and enthralling story; much like the game itself. A cathartic journey that lets a man overcome his fears, its story is one of the greatest in this generation. A welcome respite, one that should return.
The more tangible the horror is, the greater its impact. Effective stories like Heavy Rain's are what gaming needs right now. Then we have titles like Heavy Rain, an extremely successful game. Its horror is more subtle, a subtleness shared by psychological horrors. An interweaving plot of kidnap and murder deviates from the common traits of horror, yet you remain genuinely fearful for the characters. The worry you feel for the child's life, while not apparently obvious, represents our own fears. Your child going missing is a very real horror, more so than being possessed by an ancient spirit. The more tangible the horror is, the greater its impact. Effective stories like these are what gaming needs right now.
The success of tales like Heavy Rain may be due to a familiar friend of gaming. The cinema. The average length of a film has increased in recent years, accommodating a brighter and more interested audience. Heavy Rain's creator David Cage even presented the title as an interactive movie. Perhaps it's this closing parallel that gives games like Heavy Rain their appeal. A well-written story trumps gameplay on many levels, this is what the industry needs right now. Developers need to take risks when it comes to story.
It's safe to say that horror is struggling, at least in the world of games. They seem to be more hit and miss than any other genre. With the arrival of Kinect and Move the market is at the mercy of the casual games, a sad fact which needs to change. Horror is part of the cure for gaming, and it's obvious it's underrated. As gamers, we need to realize this before it's too late.
Films and games will always be separate entities. Yet they're still two points on the same spectrum.
Cage's attempts may have been hole-ridden, but his heart's in the right place. The industry needs more of something, that's for sure.
I agree with the majority of points in this article but one thing that is mentioned has been bothering me for a while.
Is David Cage's bid to make games more like films really a good thing? I've been thinking about it for a while, and I'm still struggling to decide.
We want to be respected as an industry and art form, independent of everyone else. So why are we trying to muscle in on another audience? Another type of entertainment?
Then again, you're right. We do need better stories (something Heavy Rain aimed for but perhaps fell short of with the amount of loop holes emerging) and we do need greater depth.
I'm undecided. But, yeah. Alan Wake was good, eh?