The horror genre has always been incredibly popular. Gothic horror novels from writers like Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, and Edgar Allen Poe have been around for centuries, and the development of video technologies soon brought the scares to movie screens. Seeing the monsters moving around was more horrifying than reading about them, but entertainers soon found an even better way to frighten people; horror video games.

Horror games have the edge over scary movies because of the added interactivity. Either you play as the protagonist or you control them, either way, the decisions you make often dictate whether they make it through alive. But why are horror games so appealing? Do people actually enjoy being scared, or is it the competition to prove your bravery that will make people endure the most frightening scenes?

The Science of Scared

When something scares you your body released a flood of chemicals to help you deal with the situation – called the ‘fight or flight’ response. These chemicals include adrenaline and dopamine, which are also released when we are excited or finding something extremely enjoyable. When the terror subsides, we’re still left with that feeling, which is why a good scare can be a pleasurable experience.

Video games employ different types of scares to appeal to different players. Jump scares are sudden and extreme but over quickly, meaning players spend more time feeling the positive effects of the body’s reaction. Other games employ tense music and creepy visuals to keep the player unnerved throughout the entire game. Most modern horror games are also praised for their well-written storylines which draw the player into their frightening world. One thing that all these games have in common is that they allow the player to experience fear in a safe surrounding. After all, there isn’t actually a monster just around the corner.

Great Horror Games

Whether you’re a PC, console, or mobile gamer, there’s something out there that will make you want to play from behind the sofa. Some horror franchises, like Resident Evil, have been around for decades, while other games are new contenders for the horror crown. Here are some of the best games to play with the lights firmly on:

Amnesia: Rebirth

The third in the Amnesia series of stand-alone horror stories, Rebirth is a first person walk through your worst nightmares. Playing as protagonist Tasi, you must explore the desert ruins where you find yourself with no memories of your past or how you got there. As Tasi remembers more and more, the story twists and turns and the horror ramps up, making the scariest bits not the monster, but the feeling that all is not as it originally seems. Unlike previous titles in the Amnesia series, Rebirth has multiple ending options, depending on decisions you make during the game. This gives it good replayability, if you can face descending into the ruins again.

Horror Slots

Not everyone can handle the extreme terror that modern horror games bring, but still enjoy the rush of a mild fright. This is where horror slots come in; combining your favourite horror tropes with a chance to win some money. There are some great horror slots based on famous horror movies, like Psycho and A Nightmare on Elm Street, which use imagery and music from the films to recreate the experience. Others, like the Blood Suckers slot like the ones found at Draftkings casino slots, use iconic imagery associated with diabolical creatures – in this case, vampires. Cloves of garlic and vials of holy water spin on the reels in between gruesome images of the creatures themselves. Added sound effects from the golden age of monster movies hype up the tension as you set the wheels in motion, and it’s this great feature which can give you the chills as you play.

Dead Space

This game is almost old enough to be considered a classic, but while the graphics might have aged, the effect it has on the player is hard to beat. Set on an abandoned spaceship, this third-person thriller is one of the best in the survival horror genre – as the ship turns out to not be quite so abandoned after all. Your character, Isaac Clarke, isn’t a super soldier and doesn’t have the skills or the ammo to defeat the monsters, so running and hiding is the order of play here. The game spawned two terrifying sequels, so if being scared in space is your idea of fun, you can keep the story going for longer.

Conclusion

Things that go bump in the night will always fascinate a certain type of person and having the opportunity to put yourself right in the middle of the action can make the difference between a decent scare and a truly frightening experience. Horror games are uniquely placed to deliver that experience and build on the kind of themes and stories which we find in horror movies. Using ultra realistic graphics to fully realise a host of spooky and terrifying locations, games can bring players closer to the real experience of being trapped in a nightmare than anything else.