Scary movies vs. scary games
It's odd how I don't find scary movies to be scary at all but when I'm playing video games I panic the instant I hear zombie groans alongside its scarce silhouette in the dark setting.
March 8, 2016
6 Comments • Newest first
Most western horror movies are terrible anyway, so I can see why they don't scare you.
@agrumpymapler: I can see that. I'm actually 20 right now and I've had more of a chance to see video game immersion evolve as opposed to some time ago when they were much simpler. However, I'm also just in the right spot to also have films play a considerable role as well, which is why I thrived on things like Carl Sagan's Cosmos and other older (albeit somewhat cheesy) documentaries. Stories movies told just never appealed much to me.
I can see how growing up when cinema was the greatest thing since sliced bread would result in a skewed opinion on the matter over something like Pong or later, Pacman.
@sezbeth I agree with you there. It may be a more generational thing also. Only in my early 20's but still growing up, movies were more a part of my life than video games, so maybe it has to do with my immersion into it. I could see someone who grows up with video games more that it will be more exciting and interacting for you. (But of course this is just assumptions based on you growing up with video games over movies)
@agrumpymapler: At this point it might be just me, but I've almost never found movies to be entirely immersive. They simply lack what video games provide: autonomy within their respective universes. A good video game will have choices that, assuming the agent in new to the game, will have a conceivable effect on the outcome of the succeeding events.
While movies can have immersion, I'm not denying this, it's this lack of autonomy that just dulls the experience for me. Films for me have always been a sort of observational experience more than an immersive one, though perhaps that may be my fault because I'm always picking them apart as I watch them. It's why I prefer informative film over other genres.
Same goes for a movie @sezbeth, both platforms need immersion. I have a problem with games like FNAF were jump scares are the scary part, same goes for movies (looking at you Unfriended and The Visit...)
Well, it's actually very simple; with a movie, you are simply observing the events as someone technically not involved in them directly and thus, you are able to make predictions about what is going to happen next (yes, I find horror movies to be incredibly predictable).
This is opposed to a video game where your role is to be the person of which these events are being simulated for and thus, you are supposed to have a more intimate experience. Predictions in this case are a bit more difficult to make because you are no longer in that observational position. A good video game will have this effect.