Mindmap
Above is a quick mindmap I have created to help me have a clear reference of key characteristics which are present in horror or mystery games and maybe even both that will be useful for me to research and consider throughout the project, Since I want to do more horror than mystery I put focused more on that area of the mindmap but still put some thought into mystery since I hope to be able to add a good narrative to my game as a secondary goal since creating a good horror experience will be my primary goal due to it being a horror game.
Primary
In order to help me create my own horror game I played games that were horror games or contained horror elements to help me understand the mechanics, settings/themes, sound and story found within horror media.
Scpcbgame.com. 2021. SCP – Containment Breach. [online] Available at: <https://www.scpcbgame.com/> [Accessed 2 November 2021].
SCP Containment Breach
I played SCP containment breach which is a survival horror set in a science facility, the game manages to create a really scary and creepy environment which it does in varies ways the main way being the use of dark lighting in most areas of the facility which limits the players visibility which when mixed with how the player is in danger most of the time causes a constant feeling of dread and anxiety. The setting being a science facility means the game mostly takes place in small corridors or a small room meaning it can be quite hard to avoid the AI at times and since each of the different zones you must escape from all have a unique look for the entirety of that zone it helps make the layout feel very restricting since everything looks the same and it can feel like your going in circles at times, the game also utilizes the setting to create some really good environmental story telling which the player could if they chose completely ignore an example of this is the many documents detailing some of the things that were contained in the facility that the player may or may not find while trying to escape. There is also a feeling of loneliness since the only people you see throughout the game are either dead, die in front of you or are actively trying to hunt you and the SCPs down, it works even better since throughout the game you get to see the full size of the facility and all the work areas which helps you get a feel for how many people would have been working there when the breach happened which furthers your feeling of isolation. The game also uses sound really well, the varies sound effects that are constantly heard throughout the facility add a lot to the atmosphere and given how tense you usually feel could manage to scare you at times, the sound design of the actual SCPs is also amazing as each has a unique sound so that you if you are paying attention you can identify what SCP is near you based on the sound which is something I would like to add into my own game.
Store.steampowered.com. 2021. We Happy Few on Steam. [online] Available at: <https://store.steampowered.com/app/320240/We_Happy_Few/> [Accessed 3 November 2021].
We Happy Few is a survival horror game set in an alternative Britain, while it is quite different to what I aim to create there are still some elements of it that I could use. The game doesn’t try to be scary and instead goes for a more creepy aesthetic that is masked by the joyful look of everything while also retaining some unsettling things such as the mask everyone wears including yourself, I really like this as it makes the player wonder about what exactly is going on and while despite how I want to go with a more upfront creepy approach to my game this is still a great example of how to create a creepy environment since despite how everything looks you know that something isn’t right. The game also utilities stealth mechanics to avoid enemies and to enter areas that you aren’t allowed in, if the player is caught doing something wrong then in most cases you are outnumbered greatly meaning you can either decide to try and fight your way out or try and hide whether that be in a designated hiding spot like in a bin or if its just by crouching behind a corner hoping that nobody finds you which at times can be terrifying since you actively know that you are being hunted by such a large group. While an approach to stealth such as hiding in objects like bins would be something I would like to implement I don’t believe it would really work with the type of game I currently have in mind, I do still hope to have basic stealth in my game since hiding from something can be a great way of creating horror since you know you are powerless against it and hiding is your best option. We Happy Few also contains an amazing story and some great side quests that help with world building and while I would like to be able to achieve this in my own game since the story wont be the focus I instead will focus on world building via the environment which We Happy Few also does, one example of this is how propaganda posters that can be found throughout the game. Overall We Happy Few manages to do horror pretty well despite the players ability to fight back or the large environments which is impressive and the game is really fun and will be great inspiration for my own game.
Store.steampowered.com. 2021. Subnautica on Steam. [online] Available at: <https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/Subnautica/> [Accessed 4 November 2021].
While subnautica isn’t a horror game by design it still is an amazing example of horror and is one of the most scary game I have ever played, subnautica manages to instil fear in many ways and all are enhanced by how immersive the game is. One of those ways is how constant the danger is since the only safe places are the player build structures or the progenerated structures which the player doesn’t really spend that much time in, while in the vast ocean the player is able to be attacked from all directions meaning even if you stick to the surface you are still vulnerable from below or if you stick to the ocean floor you are vulnerable from above which when mixed with the amazing sound design creates a vast feeling of constant dread which is only amplified at night when the players visibility is greatly reduced. As I mentioned subnautica has amazing sound design since each creature has unique sounds for when they are just roaming or when they are attacking the player, just roaming around the world and hearing the many creatures can be very anxiety inducing and at time scary especially when you cant see what made the noise. Another amazing horror element subnautica does is make you feel really small compared to the massive world around you especially at the start of the game when you take your first dive into the water since you have no idea what you will find, even the few bits of land in the game don’t feel safe as they all have this spider crab enemies that attack you and have ruins of previous survivors that show how the islands are not your savours and solution to escape that you most likely saw them as at first. The game also forces the player to keep going deeper in order to get better equipment or in order to try and find out how to get home since the shallows don’t have enough resources to allow the player to progress meaning you have to go that little bit deeper and then you get comfortable at that depth and go even further where even more dangerous creatures lurk and there’s a lack food or oxygen. The big crashed ship at the surface is another great example of horror as going into that area causes the players screen to shake and they must try to get into the ship without attracting the hoard of reaper leviathans that patrols around the ship and in order to beat the game the player has to make the journey at least once which having that knowledge that at some point you have to go there can cause a lot of anxiety. Lastly the game doesn’t allow you to get comfortable in one area for too long as once you start to understand each environment you realise that you now need some new material and must go into another new zone which will be a completely different experience with its own set of rules that at first will be a terrifying concept, even once the player gets comfortable in an area the game has an enemy’s called warpers which until the player beats the game will teleport if the player strays too close even if they are in a vehicle which can cause some terrifying moments. Overall while not being a horror game Subnautica has so many elements of horror that it manages to do perfectly and is a great reference for how to create dread and anxiety in the player for my own game.
2021. [online] Available at: <https://jonnys-games.itch.io/slide-in-the-woods> [Accessed 2 November 2021].
Another game I played was slide in the woods which is a puzzle horror game, the main mechanic of the game is that each time the player goes down the slide the environment changes and gets creepier/scarier each time the player descends down the slide which represents the decent into madness plus its also a really good mechanic and a great way of changing the locations with the use of such a limited space, it also takes something normal and manages to make it scary which is really cool and this would be a good example on how to do that if I choose to go down that path in my own game. It starts by just adding blood to the slide before it reaches fully horror and you come out in a tunnel which adds the crawling mechanic to allow you to go faster in the tunnel and after you reach the end it is were the puzzles are introduced which are a good change of pace and help give the player something to do. After the puzzle the AI monster is introduced which helps add tension and gives the player something to be afraid of. Overall the game does horror quite well due to its how it manages to create such a creepy atmosphere and the dread that the crawl areas provide just adds so much to feel of the game.
Horror Questionnaire
I created a questionnaire to receive some feedback on how I should make my game by finding out what people thought about horror media as it would help me figure out what people like and don’t like about horror games so that I can improve the quality of my game.
For my first question a majority of people said they didn’t like jumpscares in horror which was quite surprising to me however 3 out of the 9 did say yes and due to the small sample size of my questionnaire I still think jumpscare are something I will definitely think about including in my game however I will have very little since it seems people don’t tend to like jumpscares plus if you have too many it diminishes the scare of each subsequent jumpscare.
For my second question most people said the player shouldn’t be armed at all while a few said that having a some form of arms against the AI is alight, what’s important is that it was frequently mentioned that the player shouldn’t feel like the AI isn’t a threat because of an item they have since it would ruin the horror experience, If I do include any items the player can use I will have to balance them carefully as to not make the AI not a threat.
For my third question pretty much everyone said that’s important that the story is present but it shouldn’t be the focus, I am going to plan out my games story and make sure it has one however I will make sure it doesn’t interfere with the gameplay and horror factor. This information will also help me when scheduling what to focus on since I now know that I shouldn’t be spending too much time on the story.
For my fourth question a majority of people said that stylised graphics is their preferred graphic style, 2 said realistic and another 2 said they don’t have a preference. Due to skills and time restrictions I will go with stylised graphics for my game, since its a horror game the lighting will also be quite dark meaning that the players wont be able to see everything clearly so having really good graphics would be a waste of production time.
For my fifth question I asked about possible setting for a horror game and got a wide range of results, there was a pattern between the responses as almost all locations suggests were some form of isolated location. I will consider most of the responses since all have a lot of possibilities for what I could do with them but I will only make my decision after I conduct more research into horror media.
For my last question most of the answers that I received said that they would like an open environment instead linear one. From this when designing my environment I will make it open however I may still include a bit of linear progression into it since some still said they liked it more however I feel like open works better for horror and since people said they like open areas I will focus my design on that.
Secondary
eurothug4000, 2021. The Influences of Resident Evil Village. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDMvgHsV28U> [Accessed 3 November 2021].
From this source I have learnt how Resident Evil Village is influenced by real aspects to do with the games eastern European setting, by using all these real aspects it has given the game a lot of detail and makes it very accurate to the things that inspired it which as the source mentions can make the game seem very familiar to people who have seen or grown up in such environments. For example the game uses many different creatures of folklore for its enemy names and designs and even behaviors while adapting it so that it works for the series. Another aspect is the use of religion since the game has many alters made by the villagers that are based on orthodox Christianity, this shows how important religion is to the villagers as religious imagery can be found in their homes as a form of protection and they even have their own prayer. Even traditional arts are found throughout the village such as wood carving and weavings can be found in houses, even one of the meals that the player can make is traditional dish in Romania. Overall this source is great for showing how the games settings or theme can allow for it to be influenced by real life cultures and impact the games design in many ways, this will assist me when I am thinking about my theme and conducting research into it.
Engelstein, G., 2021. TDT # 734 – Games We Should Play, But Haven’t – GameTek Segment. Available at: <https://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/6/4/c/64c00f6f5716294c/TDT734-TheDiceTower-Episode734.mp3?c_id=114684923&cs_id=114684923&destination_id=138325&expiration=1635956438&hwt=317ae798b69e34c24256db8334e07897> [Accessed 3 November 2021].
From this source I have learnt what the main types of horror are and how they can be achieved, while the source is in reference to board games it can still be used for other forms of horror media which in my case is games. One type of horror is jumpscares which is something that jumps out at the player and are usual accompanied with some form of loud sound, they are done most effectively when the person is focused on something else and so they have their guard down which makes the jumpscare unexpected which makes it more scary than if the player expected a jumpscare. The next type of horror is tension or suspense which is when the player knows something bad will happen such as knowing that they are near danger as they then expect to encounter that danger and this causes them to prepare themselves for the scare which causes them to be on edge, this is something I will definitely try to utilize in my own game. Lastly we have creepiness which is what I want to be quite prevalent in my game, it tends to be when something is not directly scary but more just unsettling which is mostly achieved via darker lighting, some form of audio whether that be ambience or a sound effect or both and of then visuals such as cracked tiles in an abounded setting when mixed with other things can be creepy. Overall this source is great for defining each type of horror and how to create them which will be very useful when I am making my game since I will be able to better plan what elements I need to achieve the type of horror I am going for.
2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yTIhtfgDwY> [Accessed 04 November 2021].
I have conducted research sound design in horror games and using the source above I have learnt how sound can be used to enhance a horror experience as in the given examples of five nights at freddy’s the source explains how different sounds are used to further the feeling of the unknown and stress that the game instils in the player, each sound used comes from something familiar such as the animatronics voices being human however they are distorted so heavily that you feel like there’s something you can understand from it and it seems familiar but due to the distortion you cant understand it and it has an uncanny feel to it. I have also learnt that sound can be used as indicators as whenever Freddy moves you can hear him laughing which can be used as a way to track when he moves however some indicators can be red hearing such as Foxy’s singing which doesn’t signify anything and is there to confuse and instil fear into the player. Another way to help use sound in a horror game is to used background audio to muffle other audio such as the office fan or camera static seen in the above example which makes more important sounds harder to pick up on. This source is useful as it explains the use of sound in horror and provides a great reference for me to use for my game.
Youtube.com. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMkkE0AIuMo&ab_channel=Scruffy> [Accessed 8 November 2021].
I continued my research into sound design in horror games and from this source I have learnt about sound intensity and the many different ways it can be achieved, sound intensity is very important in horror games as its a really good way of causing dread and fear as well as building up to a big scare like a jumpscare. One way sound intensity is achieved by untraceable or unidentifiable sounds since it makes the player worry about what it is or where its coming from or traceable/knowable sounds but it means something stressful such as alarms. Another way sound intensity can be achieved is via context such as if something the player does is meant to make a positive sound but then it doesn’t or makes a different negative sound. The source also talks about how audio is stronger when there’s less of it such as how in almost silence the slightest of noise can be hard to hear but if you do the slight difference in volume can be really intense. Next the source talks about narrative disassociation which is when the narrator contrasts what’s actually going on which furthers the players feelings that something isn’t quite right. Lastly the source talks about player noise and how if the sound is caused by the player it tends to cause more intensity since you actively caused that noise and since in horror you tend to be trying to be stealthy it can causes dread and stress. Overall this source is incredibly helpful for the sound design in horror games and will greatly help me when creating my game since I know now how to use sound to create intensity.
123RF. 2021. 6 Essential Spooky Settings For Horror Movies. [online] Available at: <https://blog.123rf.com/6-settings-horror-movies/> [Accessed 8 November 2021].
From this source I have learnt some good themes/settings to use in horror media with some ideas for things you can do with the setting such as a theme park with a malfunctioning ride which would be a unique theme however the source mentions an old run down underground bunker as a possible setting which I really like the sound of since there is a lot of possibilities with that setting, the source says how its important for the location to have a feeling of what happens here stays here feeling which is something I had not really though about before. Overall this source is a good example of some themes I could use and stuff I could do with them however I will conduct more research into theme since I’m not fully sure of a theme.
Game Informer. 2021. Seven Great Horror Settings We’d Like To See More Often. [online] Available at: <https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/03/25/7-great-horror-settings-wed-like-to-see-more-often.aspx> [Accessed 8 November 2021].
From this source I have learnt about some more good and unique settings for horror media, the first one the source talks about is a cruise ship since it offers a wide range of environments and the aesthetic fits multiple time periods, next the source talks about setting it during the day since its different and can still achieve horror if done right, next different time periods such as the stone age since the only weapons the player could get would be melee which would cause the player to get in close or a bow which would make the player think about each shot, next is a zoo since it would be a unique location and can be used in interesting ways such as zombie animals and it could work with a sci-fi setting too with synthetic animals, the source also talks about using campsites as a location but adding something unique to it such as snow and if the environment is explored then a lot of gameplay options open up, next it talks about using a trailer park since you could make so the player has to search through the trailers to find supplies and could have destructible elements to the environment plus you could mix it with other settings to be very creative such as mixing it with a swamp theme since your enemy designs could be really cool and lastly the source talks about using an office setting since it can work for many types of horror such as supernatural and phycological and the setting can have maze type environment using cubicals and the corridors. Overall this source is a good example of some themes I could and stuff I could do with them.
Youtube.com. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcpEVeXE2k0&ab_channel=Foxcade> [Accessed 8 November 2021].
From this source I have learnt about the characteristics that make a good horror game, first is a lack of control which is the opposite of what most other games try to do however by doing this horror games make the player feel powerless against the environments and enemy they are facing which can help to keep the player feeling dread and anxiety through the course of the game. Next is isolation and darkness which isolation can make the player feel vulnerable since there’s nobody around to help them and darkness limits what the player can see and then can make the player see light as something that is safe which can be used to lure to player to go into certain locations. Next is fear of the unknown which is important to keep present throughout horror since if you understand the threat you don’t tend to find it as scary, this then leads into how unpredictability is important since if you know something is going to happen it wont have as much impact on you however its hard to maintain unpredictability since people tend to find patterns in things. Overall this source is really useful for helping me understand what elements I need in a horror experience and how to do them, I will also conduct further research into this topic since I believe it would greatly benefit me.
Youtube.com. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUWJ8GxsDsU&ab_channel=TheLastBacon> [Accessed 8 November 2021].
From this source I have learnt about what makes a good horror experience, for example it is key to avoid predictable cliché’s by taking the cliché and making it different to what the player would expect which would make it more impactful, the pacing of horror games is also important since if rushed it can greatly impact the player experience and why its key that the game has time to establish and build up to things. Another thing that can help with making a good horror experience is having some horror elements that are not the main focal point and then if the player notice’s it becomes more impactful and makes the player think about how many other things they may have missed for example having the games monster visible during the games intro but not drawing the players attention to it which leads into the importance of environmental story telling and how you could use knowledge of horror media to your advantage such as knowing that the player is very likely to go towards light since its associated with safety and then use that to lure them into a scare. The source also talks about how important the soundtrack and ambience is since that is something that will greatly affect the mood of the game for example how tension can be created with some wind ambience and creaking sound effects. Lastly the source talks about how important immersion is and how difficult puzzles or enemy encounters or unclear objectives can ruin that immersion, it also says how you could try and incorporate the UI into the game such as having the player have something on their core design showing their health like in dead space. Overall this source is really useful for helping me understand what works well for horror games and what’s best to be avoided which will greatly help me during my planning.
Horti, S., 2018. How to make horror games actually scary. Rock Paper Shotgun. Available at: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/four-developers-of-scary-games-explain-how-to-make-scary-games-very-scary-indeed [Accessed November 9, 2021].
From this source I have learnt how you can use real life inspirations when creating a good horror game, the source uses Alien Isolation as an example since the idea came from somebody thinking about letting a lion loose in an office complex which then lead into hiding from the lion and what you would do to escape and another real life inspiration was an art director for dead space who was the last one to shower and so when they turned off the shower it was silent however they still expected to hear someone else’s shower since they were used to it. The source also talks about how to create dread by giving the player enough information that they can worry about it but don’t but not enough that they understand it such as a humanoid figure but since you don’t know what it looks like or behaviours like you make up your own idea of what it does which causes dread and fear. It also talks about not overdoing scares since it lessens the impact and the importance of environments so the world is believable. Overall this source is very useful for me since I now have a better idea of what goes into a good horror game and so will help me to develop those things well.
Target Audience Research
Fitzgerald, D., 2021. 2020 Essential Facts About the Video Game Industry – Entertainment Software Association. [online] Entertainment Software Association. Available at: <https://www.theesa.com/resource/2020-essential-facts/> [Accessed 10 November 2021].
Canada Media Fund. 2021. Know Thy Audience: Marketing the Horror Film It Follows – Canada Media Fund. [online] Available at: <https://cmf-fmc.ca/now-next/articles/know-thy-audience-marketing-the-horror-film-it-follows/#:~:text=The%20typical%20target%20audience%20for,year%20olds%20and%20mostly%20male.> [Accessed 10 November 2021].
From this source I have learnt how a majority of people that play games are under 18 or 18-34, while doing my previous research I have seen many popular horror games such as Alien Isolation, Dead Space and Amnesia which have high age ratings of 16+ or 18+ meaning that the target demographic for horror games tends to be teenagers and young adults. I then decided to conduct research into horror movies and found that the target audience seems to be 15-24 year old males which overlaps with the target demographic pretty well. This also makes sense with the content found in horror media which would be too graphic or scary for younger audiences and while some members of an older audience would still enjoy horror media the main audience still remains to be 15-24 years olds. From this I can estimate that since my game isn’t going to be particular graphic my target demographic is going to be around 12-18 year olds.
Unity Research
Navigation Meshes
In order to help me during my production I did some experimentation with the navigation mesh to help me create pathfinding for AI in my games, I started by making a small and simple environment that consisted of a 2 areas of flooring and some squares that would act as obstacles for the AI. I then created a rectangle to use as the AI and gave it the patrol script I had been supplied with, next I created 4 spheres and disabled their meshes so they were invisible and placed them around the environment and then using the patrol script told the AI to go each of the spheres in a certain order. Now that that was done I had to allow the AI to walk around the environment which I did by making the out area of the floor walkable but the middle area unwalkable so the AI would have to walk around the middle rather than cut through it, I then gave the squares unwalkable property and then baked the navigation mesh so the program would generate it. I then started the project and it worked perfectly and so I then tried to create mesh links which would allow the AI to travel between 2 points sort of like a teleporter to reach an area so I created a new floor with a cube on it but left a large gap between it and my already existing environment so the AI could not reach it without using the mesh link and then I moved one of the spheres over to my new terrain so the AI would have a reason to go there and once again started my project and the AI used the links with no problems. This little experiment was really useful and quite fun to do, I now understand how to create navigation meshes for AI characters to use and how to use them to create patrolling AI which is something I needed to know for my production and this knowledge will come in handy in future projects as well.
Visual References
I gathered some images to help me when adding in the graphics to my game as each images relates to something I want in my game in some way, I found gathering the reference images to be quite easy and a fun task to complete.
Blog 