Welcome tooo the show.
With Halloween just around the corner I thought it would a great time to discus horror my favorite subject.
Here are some nice snacks and a tune for you to enjoy while we get started.
âSow seeds of distrust, watch them grow into horror, hate and envyâ
Defensiveness
The more scared someone is the less stable there mind. You can use this to your advantage to make them jump at things that arenât scary, this slowly lowers there guard as they get use to the environment. Once a players guard is lowered you can take this time too strike them with the perfect scare. However if you overuse this they will become even more defensive, expecting an assault for far longer then they would normally would. This makes something that would be utterly horrifying into a thing the players would of already expected.
Another thing to note is that all satisfying scares need too have build up. If you donât build up too a scary moment itâs impact wonât be as effective as the body doesnât have any adrenaline in the blood.
Safe spaces.
If a player is on edge for too long there bodyâs will begin too calm down in such a way where anything you throw at them wonât really be effective.
This is where safe spaces come in, you want your player to get the chance too truly calm down before heading off into the next area. If youâre targeting a younger demographic youâll want too add more of these safe spaces for your players. As they can get too scared and end up closing the window instead of actually playing your game.
A good example of this would be the safe rooms the RE games.
The root of all horror.
Death.
The human mind evolved too avoid dying at almost all costs. We want too play into its weakness for our advantage. There are a few core things that can easily be implemented into a game that can trick the mind into thinking itâs in danger.
- Being chased.
- Being powerless.
- Something entering our safe space.
- Being tricked
- What is out of place.
- The unknown.
Unknown.
Unlike most things on this list the unknown is something we fear more as we grow older. A child knows little so what they do not know does not frighten them.
One of the easiest ways of implementing this is too cover the world in a dark haze however this is not the only way. However there are other ways off showing the unknown. Making the world glitched, or grey. Nothing like anything youâd see here on earth can also work. HOWEVER you must also create zones of normalcy where they players know what is going on, to lower there defensive.
Why is that thereâŚ
When you see something in a place itâs not meant too be youâll be confused and on edge, your brain searches for information too try and understand what is going on. Youâre players WILL try too figure out whatâs going on and from that you must give them an answer. Whether it be you were in a car crash, or youâve stopped taking your medicating, it must make at least some sense too the player.
A hedge maze outside a house, a knife sitting on your bed, a hundred eyes angrily gazing down apon you, why is he acting so weird?
I thought he was nice.
No one likes being tricked by someone, the tension from realizing someone might not actually be telling the truth is just as viable as other methods of horror if not more. In roblox games this is one of the harder things too pull off however it is extremely rewarding if done well. The realization someone is not who they say they are while sitting right next too them is truly horrifying.
Everything I had, it slowly crumbled around me.
Something breaking into what should belong too you, something that you own. It makes us feel what some would call âevilâ emotions. When attacking a players safe space you must remember too make it slow, having something jump out of nowhere while we are safe and instantly kill us only serves to frustrate us, not scare us. Make sure to toy with your players before attacking them, slowly fill their room with water and watch them panic as they try too escape, have their room get slammed on or tossed around by something more powerful them themselves.
Cower before the all mighty.
Having something more powerful then the players will instill fear as the normal methods theyâd take too beating an adversary get shattered leaving them with only a few options, to run and too hide.
A good way too make a highly powerful thing even scarier is too have it so it grows from something defeat-able into a horror so large you have no choice but too run.
I am the prey
This is most definitely most effective against younger audiences, why? I do not know. All I remember is foggy memories of being chased, a fear I havenât felt for a long time.
The story
A story is often the most important part of a good horror game as it helps tie all of the above into something we can recognize and remember. A good story will make your game notable far in the future.
For some further reading into this I would recommend reading this or this .
Thanks for reading
: )
Final notes
If anyone wants too collaborate with me on a horror feel free to message me on here or disc CallMeJ#6049
I often will build for free for horror projects I like
If you want to know what horror games I like, which I know some of you will, Iâll list em down.
Roblox horror games:
https://www.roblox.com/games/5690088568/Endless-Fun-Maze
https://www.roblox.com/games/4510085411/Silent-Limbo-CHAPTER-1
https://www.roblox.com/games/2462870696/Heresy
https://www.roblox.com/games/3251795155/Light-Bulb-Reillumination
https://www.roblox.com/games/2550463899/Realm-of-the-9-Portals
^ one of the best
https://www.roblox.com/games/538547153/ANXIETY
https://www.roblox.com/games/194747209/a-roblox-horor-gaem
^ Iâd call this a deconstruction of the horror genera but I donât know what a deconstruction is. (Yes I like madoka)
Non Roblox Games:
Pocket Mirror --Quite possibly the best too exist
Iâm Scared --The unknown
Cat In A Box --Unfathomable
IB --Old
Mog- wait this is way too dark for roblox
Mad Father
The crooked man collection
My favorite creepy pasta of all time.
The horror from the vault.
