Physical subjects of fear:
-Glassophobia (public speaking)
-Arachnophobia (spiders)
-Claustrophobia (confined spaces)
-Acrophobia (heights)
-Astraphobia (Thunder and Lightning)
-Nyctophobia (dark)
Psychological subjects of fear:
-Change
-Loneliness
-Failure
-Rejection
-Uncertainty
-Pain
-Judgement
-Inadequacy
-Loss of Freedom
-Existentialism fears and crisis
-A situation that could make you question your humanity -> 'Soma' horror game does an amazing job of this, forcing you into situations where you have make morally questionable choices depending on what you think is merciful and right. Soma leaves it up to the player to decide what makes something alive and what counts as sentient life. Personally the scariest parts of the game 'Soma' included:
-Knowing that you are the last one left who is human.
-Knowing that there is a version of you out there forever alone and trapped with no escape. There is no escaping fate.
-The moments that force you to look back at your choices with knew knowledge and wonder if what you did was morally right and just.
I continued to explore more horror within games and came across this common term of a 'safe space'. These safe spaces would be used for a short period of time so that the player knew that they were safe, providing a short break from the tension and fear. This use of a safe space can be abused however, if the player comes to terms and learns that this is a safe area that they are able to relax for a few moments and let their guard down then you can suddenly take that power away from them by removing the safety that the area provided.
As I only had a week to make this project I knew that the amount of ideas I had brainstormed would not all be included and there could be no in-depth story behind the game. I had the idea that the player would progress through a seemingly endless building that produces a new fear as you enter each new room. I intended this to make the player feel hopeless that no matter what fear they beat there was always another one waiting around the corner and that the end was always out of reach. I originally had the concept that at the beginning I would present the things you were experiencing to be "real" and as time went on the gameplay would become more revealing that what the character is experiencing isn't real and eventually the experience would become tormenting. I began to consider what could be tormenting the character:
-Death?
-The Past?
-Yourself?
Room 1 ideas:
-Fear of lacking control and being watched.
-Within a hospital room and you hear things lurking from outside.
-Sounds get louder as something searches every room, you are powerless as it gets closer.
-Inspirational still images and renders from games such as Outlast and The Evil Within.
Corridor 1 ideas:
-There is only one way to go, you are forced to keep moving forwards. The door leads to the next fear?
Room 2 ideas:
-Nyctophobia (fear of the dark) and Astraphobia (fear of thunder and lightning).
-Use the flashes of lightning to guide you, knock into something and it will make a noise and something will get closer.
-Reach the end to make it back to the corridor.
-Some sort of posh dining or ball room.
-Upon opening end entering the doorway you are faced with complete darkness.
-Thunder and lightning causes the room to be illuminated for a second revealing some sort of monster. The player crouches.
-Player is forced to move forwards towards the door on the other side of the room. If the players knocks into anything in the room it will trigger a sound alerting the monster.
-You just manage to escape at the end.
Corridor 2 ideas:
-Repeat of the first one to imply that this is an endless cycle, however have a tally mark on the wall to imply that this the same location and to keep track of the progress you have made.
Room 3 ideas:
-Boiler room with backlighting, in reference to the film, 'Nightmare on Elms Street'. Maze like confusion with the ability to hide. Once you get to the end, instead of reaching the next corridor you are trapped within a room that starts to shrink and transform into an old cupboard.
-The player must kick open the door to escape?
Room 4 ideas:
-Lack of power?
-Escaping your past.
-Reformed into your child like self and forced to reface your fears.
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