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How can you stay ahead of the horror game genre?

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Horror games are one of the most popular and challenging genres in game design. They can evoke intense emotions, create immersive atmospheres, and test the player's courage and skills. However, horror games also face the risk of becoming predictable, repetitive, or outdated, as players get used to the same tropes, mechanics, and scares. How can you stay ahead of the horror game genre and create innovative and memorable experiences for your audience? Here are some tips and examples to inspire you.

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Ty Radman

Game Developer

1 Know your audience

The first step to designing a successful horror game is to understand who you are making it for. What are their expectations, preferences, and fears? What kind of horror do they enjoy, and what do they avoid? How do they react to different types of stimuli, such as sound, visuals, or gameplay? You can use surveys, playtests, reviews, or analytics to gather feedback and data on your target audience. This will help you tailor your game to their needs and desires, and avoid alienating or disappointing them.

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Ty Radman

Game Developer
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One thing that I think can also help is watching streamers play horror games and how different elements of the game affect them. While some of their reactions might be made up for the content they're creating, there will still be instances where one can see the effect of each element of the game on them. The designer of 'Faith' said that his target when he was working on his game was a famous YouTuber named "Markiplier" and he managed to pull off a game that won many titles.

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2 Experiment with subgenres

Horror is a broad and diverse genre, with many subgenres and variations. You can explore different themes, settings, styles, and tones, and mix and match them to create your own unique vision. For example, you can combine horror with comedy, sci-fi, fantasy, or mystery, and create a game that is funny, scary, or both. You can also use different subgenres to appeal to different audiences, such as psychological horror for those who like mind games, survival horror for those who like resource management, or cosmic horror for those who like existential dread.

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3 Innovate with mechanics

Another way to stay ahead of the horror game genre is to innovate with the gameplay mechanics and systems. You can use mechanics to create tension, challenge, or immersion, and to enhance the horror elements of your game. For example, you can use permadeath, limited resources, or random events to increase the stakes and unpredictability of your game. You can also use mechanics to empower or disempower the player, such as giving them weapons, abilities, or choices, or taking them away. You can also use mechanics to create unique interactions, such as using a camera, a flashlight, or a phone as tools or weapons.

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Geovani Weizenmann

Game Designer / Level Designer
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Usually the horror genre isn't known for being innovative with the gameplay. I mean, usually the focus of the game is on the sound, art, story, etc. So, what you can do to innovate is thinking in ways to enhance these things. Silent Hill has its radio that starts with some noise when enemies are closer. Sometimes there isn't an enemy around, but it still produces a sound just to scare the player. Players don't like to stay in the dark, so some games have flashlights that run out of battery. These mechanics just enhance what the other areas are doing. Also try to disempower the player, give them finite resources so they start to be afraid when the resources are running out.

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4 Subvert expectations

One of the most effective ways to create horror is to subvert the expectations of the player. You can use surprise, deception, or ambiguity to catch them off guard, and to make them question their assumptions and perceptions. You can also use subversion to play with the conventions and clichés of the genre, and to create twists, reveals, or meta-commentary. For example, you can use false jump scares, unreliable narrators, or breaking the fourth wall to create unexpected and unsettling effects.

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5 Learn from others

Finally, you can stay ahead of the horror game genre by learning from others. You can study the works of other horror game developers, and analyze their strengths, weaknesses, and innovations. You can also draw inspiration from other media, such as books, movies, comics, or podcasts, and adapt their ideas, stories, or techniques to your game. You can also collaborate with other creators, such as writers, artists, composers, or voice actors, and benefit from their skills, perspectives, and feedback.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Ababil Patel - Gamification Strategist

Game designer for Custom End to End solutions | Professor of Game Design | Creative Director
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Ahh yes the "horror game", one of the hardest genres to dip one's toes in. It's very nature presents the challenge of making the player uncomfortable yet engaged enough to keep playing creating terror in one's players is a tough task due to the nature of games, we have been desensitized to player death, as such attaching stakes to a failure screen is one of the easiest way to create a sense of fear, The fear of loss provides an excellent base for horror games but here is where the game itself shines the atmosphere, limitations and mechanics if made to support and enhance this fear of loss you can create an excellent horror game

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How can you stay ahead of the horror game genre?

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3

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6

1 Know your audience

2 Experiment with subgenres

3 Innovate with mechanics

4 Subvert expectations

5 Learn from others

6 Here’s what else to consider

Game Design

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How can you stay ahead of the horror game genre?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Know your audience

2 Experiment with subgenres

3 Innovate with mechanics

4 Subvert expectations

5 Learn from others

6 Here’s what else to consider

Game Design

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