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[s0]

You know what's disturbing? THIS.

[sodap]

Oh, that reminds me of Fathom, the Flixel game. I found that game pretty creepy, especially when the tree came up. The limited visibility and weird architecture really added to the effect.

really creepy and interesting game. its disturbing because in a way, its very happy, but with something very sad and dark as a whole

[slembcke]

You know what's disturbing? THIS.

Wow. Which reminds me of something even more disturbing by the way the voice syncing is screwed up. Does anybody remember Hexadecimal from Reboot?

[DeadPixel]

Underwater levels in a lot of games disturb me.

I'm right there with you.  If you asked my brother and myself about this you would probably get the exact same answer.  Star Wars:  Shadows of The Empire on N64.  Sewer level.  Claustrophobic, murky green water, stuff hidden everywhere... and that beast at the end.  Oh god.  So terrifying as a kid.  We hated (loved?) that level with a passion, and still talk about it to this day.



About 4:20 in.

[Ego_Shiner]

Does anybody remember Hexadecimal from Reboot?

actually that wasn't hexadecimal, that was andrAIa rebooted into hexidecimal in matrix's dream.

////rebootnerd

[Derakon]

Sure, but the lack of lip-sync is consistent between that portrayal and any other of Hex. The voice shift from AndrAIa to Hex just adds a bit more creep.

[Ego_Shiner]

[slembcke]

Heh. I noticed it too. I didn't think anybody else would know. lol

[Derakon]

Okay, fine, between that and any other portrayal before the end of the Matrix arc. :p

[Noel Berry]

Underwater levels in a lot of games disturb me. Like the water temple in Ocarina of Time (but not any other Zelda game). Also a couple of the water levels in Mario 64. I think it has to do with your limited movement and the abundance of large monsters in the water.

Underwater parts with large monsters drive me crazy, especially in Majora's Mask, in that dungeon where the boss is the giant fish. Dunno why, but water levels with giant creatures (especially if it's dark and murky) scare me so much. Not as much now as when I was like 12, but they still bother me considerably.

[DeadPixel]

Underwater levels in a lot of games disturb me. Like the water temple in Ocarina of Time (but not any other Zelda game). Also a couple of the water levels in Mario 64. I think it has to do with your limited movement and the abundance of large monsters in the water.

Underwater parts with large monsters drive me crazy, especially in Majora's Mask, in that dungeon where the boss is the giant fish. Dunno why, but water levels with giant creatures (especially if it's dark and murky) scare me so much. Not as much now as when I was like 12, but they still bother me considerably.

This seems to be a very common theme for horror, it's pretty interesting.  Even back to Lovecraft (Cthulhu in sunken R'lyeh) to my girlfriend's very real fear of the plesiosaurus!   

[TheLastBanana]

Drowning is always pretty disturbing, especially if you do it by chunking the player's health away little bits at a time.

[slembcke]

I guess it depends on the game, but yeah underwater stuff can definitely be creepy. I suppose in a lot of cases it's the combination of slowed movement, limited vision, muffled sound, and the unfamiliar environment.

I've never actually played Dead Space, but the videos seemed to evoke similar feelings of underwater-ness. Dark, silent, and with an "unnatural" and constrained movement mechanic.

[Noel Berry]

I think the thing with underwater environments is the fact that all your senses are muted, and you have no idea what's down there. In reality, deep underwater environments is a place that few get to experience, so I think the unknown (especially with the knowledge that there are big, weird, strange, creatures there) invokes this kind of feeling that you're very vulnerable and have no idea what might be right in front of you. And that's kind of terrifying, to an extent.

[BoxedLunch]

I think the thing with underwater environments is the fact that all your senses are muted, and you have no idea what's down there. In reality, deep underwater environments is a place that few get to experience, so I think the unknown (especially with the knowledge that there are big, weird, strange, creatures there) invokes this kind of feeling that you're very vulnerable and have no idea what might be right in front of you. And that's kind of terrifying, to an extent.

especially when your damn weapons are useless there.

[Paint by Numbers]

Also, large underwater areas are scary at least partially because we are used to a more structured environment. We have a ground beneath us, a void above us, and an assortment of different things to our sides. The atmosphere is breathable. With oceans, we have void in all directions and a medium that will naturally kill us.

[Glyph]

I couldn't stop laughing. If anyone else was around at the time, I'd look like a madman.

The thing that sets me off a bit is when games that tout open-endedness run out of areas for you to explore. I feel like I'm free at the start and then just confined to a little box at the end of the game. (see: Oblivion; invisible world boundary walls)

Alllllso in Oblivion, when you kill people. My guy is a class A killing machine, and the people never come back. It's almost like I'm going to some day ruin my save file with no people to talk to and no quests to do, just fight goblins and bandits 'til the day I die. I guess it's more that there's the possibility I couldn't get all I could get out of a game (without resetting and putting another x hours into it), that's the truly scary part.

[laserdracula]

Nanashi No Game for the DS.  A Japanese 3d horror adventure that has you switching between the real world and a fictional rpg.  I haven't played it but I like how it plays on the player's expectations of the classic rpg theme.  It also seems to fake graphical glitches too which is kinda creepy.  The chiptune music is subtley chilling as well.  Looks interesting.

[unsilentwill]

That's such a cool concept.

[greekdude247]

The concept of two things unnerve me. I'm not saying they should be removed, just that I think people don't notice it.

1. The popularity in violence as a gameplay mechanic.
Now I LOOVE violent games. God of War was the reason I started creating interactive entertainment. But, as I get older, and the realities of life become more clearer to me, I ask to question "Why would we want to emulate hurting someone?" Now, I'm not an aggressive person. I would only act with violence if someone was in danger and physical confrontation could not be avoided. But why do we have to make a 'game' out of killing people? Why is that fun? Granted, death is not a reality, the NPC I just shot in the face without a second thought has no family, and the "art" of these games really doesn't come close to the visual reality of a murder. But the concept of hurting someone for fun makes me feel uneasy. I'm not condemning violent games. I have too much fun playing them. But I think I've found an important perspective that should be addressed.

2. The over sexualization of female characters in games.
Now, I'm THAT guy in the group. What I mean by THAT guy is, for example: when an extremely attractive woman is in sight, and your dude buddies all make comments about how much they would like to do.....stuff...with her. Just..very explicit and detailed lists of...stuff. And I'm THAT guy who is like, "Yaa...I'd...totally..take her out to a movie..and drop her off at home at a reasonable time...and..shake her hand goodnight." That's just the loser I am. But I just don't want to be disrespectful to women. Now, not every game does this. A lot do though. Especially fantasy genres I've noticed. Before battle, all the dudes, will put on layers and layers of armor and protect their body. But what does the girl wear? Well..shes wearing leather....on just a few parts of her body. Which is kind of insulting to the player's intelligence, in a away, as if they can never take a female seriously. These are just some games. However, honest to god, I have never EVER seen a game with a female character, and she does NOT have breasts less than a C cup. That's honestly what I've noticed. Every woman has these amazing milk makers. Wtf is with that? Not saying, sexiness isn't allowed(definitely not..my hormones would kill me). Just that....mix up the pot a little bit. Keira Knightley is one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen and she's not heavy in the chest department.