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Currently playing: https://youtu.be/eB75ck4Gofo
Game collection 901 ratings
Ratings
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Gothic Atmospheric Certified classic Clunky Dated Design Dungeon Crawler Dynamic Scare System Jumpscares Maze Randomized ...
Genres
psychological horror narrative exploration survival horror horror graphic adventure action horror point-and-click adventure first-person shooter mystery Lovecraftian horror ...
Recently added
[Rating]
Baisu
2024
Baisu
2024-04-24T06:35:31Z
2024-04-24T06:35:31Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own
[Rating]
Beyond Hanwell
2024
Beyond Hanwell
2024-04-24T06:20:06Z
2024-04-24T06:20:06Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own
[Rating]
AnoMalice
2024-04-23T17:34:14Z
2024-04-23T17:34:14Z
1
In collection Want to buy Used to own
I slow down my sanity's decline with the insanity found in horror...
Responsible for reverse horror existing.
Purveyors of choice (Highest catalogue browsing frequency):
Microïds
Iceberg Interactive
Pendulo Studios
LucasArts Entertainment Company
Pre-TWD Telltale Games
Frogwares
Harvester Games
Playism
Focus Entertainment
Comments
Contributor Stats
User #724,454
Joined 2018-11-13T06:35:26Z
I agree on your views about the genre being bloated. While I see why others might classify some games as psychological horror based on the players' response to fear, this would make the genre a bit of a tautology. Of course horror is a psychological response... just like any other emotion. A game which is purely supernatural (e.g. Fatal Frame) will instill fear as a psychological reaction, obviously; but so will a game which distorts the characters' perception of reality and dives inside their psyche (e.g. Silent Hill 2). That's why I think the separation needs to exist.
In this case my idea would be to implement "supernatural horror" as a new genre, in contrast to the much overused (and misused) "psychological horror". The former category may include games that deal with ghosts, demons, witchcraft or paranormal creatures, e.g. The Mortuary Assistant, Madison, Graveyard Shift. The latter portraits the psychological state of the character, or at least this is the main focus, e.g. Layers of Fear, Devotion, Omori. Some games even bring the best of both worlds (Visage).
I know this might just be nitpicking, but I love psychological horror in the sense I've described it and it's always disappointing to see they've totally got it wrong since now it's become another buzzword for horror media.