Ever since Slender went viral, it seems that survival based horror games are gaining attention. An analysis of the effectiveness of horror in video games could create an interesting article. SCP Containment Breach is another survival based horror game. SCP is particularly interesting since the game was created from multiple horror stories. Although both of these examples are PC games, it could be interesting to analyze the use of horror in other game mediums as well.
A lot of resources out there for whoever decides to pick this up. Here's a brief list of some things that might be worth taking a look at:
-Jump scares vs. true horror
-The Uncanny
-Creation, climax, and decline of tension
-The knowledge of the object of horror within a game
-Instances of horror that occur outside of strictly "horror" games. – Austin9 years ago
I think it important to discuss how graphics affect the horror elements. For example the first Slender game is often considered to be the most scary despite its low res graphics. Where as Slender the Arrival has an expanded story and better graphics but pales in comparison in terms of scares. It also be cool to discuss the atmosphere in survival horror. – Cagney9 years ago
I think it would be interesting to explore how recent survival horror games, such as Outlast or The Evil Within, to other titles such as Resident Evil 6 which deviated from the survivor horror aspect in favor of action. You could explore what made games such as Slender effective compared to action-focused horror games and maybe how they use atmosphere and sound design to create effective scares. – Seth Childers9 years ago