I never understood why itch.io had so many horror games. Once a year I will make a Spooky game around Halloween, but they're never that spooky, just Halloween themed usually.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

I think it's because horror's a fairly easy genre to get into. It's the same reason there's a lot of indie horror movies I'd imagine

[–] NocturnalMorning 3 points 7 months ago (2 children)

I dunno, I suck at horror. Every time I try to do horror it turns out. not. that.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago

Haha I guess it's also an easy tag to apply to nearly anything. Slightly dark theme? Horror. Mildly upsetting? Horror. Involves a monster of some kind? Also horror.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

"Horror" is easy. Dim lighting, spooky creature, feelings of powerlessness(such as limited view, limited to no combat capabilities, restrictions like a stamina meter, the like).

GOOD horror is hard. Good horror is the kind that sticks around with you, leaves you feeling uneasy even after the end. That takes talent, creativity, and genuinely, a bit of bravery. It takes understanding what makes us feel afraid. Facing your own fears, making them a reality, distorting that reality into how it makes you feel.

Silent Hill, at least the first three, are exemplary for this, in my opinion. They explore the fear, but also the sadness, the anger, the confusion. Everything fear brings with it. It molds itself around the characters, letting us experience those emotions as they do. They can be genuinely visually unsettling, then swing the psychological side of things right at you.

Hell, you can even have that and hit a bit of a power fantasy. Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth manages to have early moments where the tension keeps rising because you are basically powerless to stand and fight, to manning the guns later on.

Not everyone has the spark for good horror. It's not a bad thing, just means it's not your strength.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

Because of the number of Youtubers/influencers who play indie horror.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

My theory is that because the real intention is 'to not see the thing but build suspense of the unknown' makes people think it will be easy because they are designing things not to be stared at intently but only flashed at the user quickly.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

For the bottom of the barrel part of it (not good horror) it's also probably the easiest reaction you can get.

A jumpscare can be as easy as a sudden full screen gif. Good luck trying to provoke any other kind of feeling like that.