Gaming! So many games, not enough posts!
Why Horror is Scarier With Weapons
Why Horror is Scarier With Weapons
Our favorite games are often the ones that made us feel these really cool, powerful things. How'd you feel when you met your first Colossus or saw Rapture for the first time? I think the best games stick with us because everything about them, from mechanics to presentation, is all about crafting that perfect, powerful moment.
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There is a common layperson term for the instinctive reaction to a dangerous situation: "Fight-or-flight."
When a horror game does not give you weapons with which to defend yourself, they are in essence denying you half of that experience. Certainly, it can be argued that this imitates real life to an extent, especially if people do not commonly carry weapons on their person, but I am convinced that when an unarmed individual finds themselves in a perilous situation, the first thing they'll do once any immediate danger is avoided is search for a weapon.
I think "Dread" is a better name for this than horror. In Alien Isolation the xenomorph stops being horror inspiring as a visual in a few minutes (and we've seen it in movies many times before) but the constant dread and fear of encountering it is what makes the game.
I shall have to check out Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth