How Your Favorite Horror Game Says More About You Than You Think

By willingly playing any given horror game you are basically signing up for an adventure that could possibly give you a heart attack at any moment. Yet after all the jump scares, screams, and pleads for the monster to go away, we keep playing theses horrifying games. Most horror games will have you hit that escape button only to never return to it again; however, we all have a horror game that we just can’t stop going back to no matter how helpless it makes us feel while playing. You may be thinking while playing said game, “whoever made this game is messed up in the head.” But what does it say about you- the person that keeps coming back for more? Let’s find out, shall we?

Cry of Fear (The ops)

You’re not exactly the most normal kid around. So you figured this game would be perfect for you as most normal kids wouldn’t play this game. But the more you play the more you realize that the main character is kinda like you. No, you aren’t super depressed about life. You just kinda… mess things up something. I mean, you both are insanely clumsy and let’s face it, you wouldn’t survive the zombie apocalypse either. You also get scared of every creak or whisper that you hear. As if the jump scares and clumsiness wasn’t enough you found yourself a knife. Everyone run!

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs (The time traveler)

While you may have a thing for old timey lanterns and English accents, before this game you didn’t really have a thing for murder or violence. Or pigs for that matter. Now you can’t even look at a pig without thinking it might murder you. If you wanted kids before, you probably don’t now. Every child’s toy just seems plain creepy now. Or maybe kid toys and pigs are your thing because why else would you keep playing? Did you yourself actually create a machine that could make pigs take over the world so you’re just trying to figure out a way to now stop it? No, I didn’t think so.

Outlast (The wanderer)

A lot of people are interested in going into an asylum and helping people. But that isn’t really what this game is about, is it? And that isn’t really why you like this game either. These asylum victims aren’t just insane, they are literally bat shit crazy and there is no saving them. You also aren’t trying to save them; you just want to film them to see what really is going down. At least that’s what the game told you to do in the first place. But you could have stopped playing at any point and you didn’t. Even I zoomed my camera in on the naked psycho path once or twice. It doesn’t make you just as crazy as the monsters in the game… just a little messed up for seeing if the game would actually let you film a crazy man’s package.

The Walking Dead: Season 1 (The beta tester)

You’ve always wondered what it would be like to be in the zombie apocalypse. You even have your own real life plan in case anything starts to go down. This is the game you get to test it. You only play so that you can see if you’re making all the right choices. If not you can always just keep replaying until you get it right. But until you get it right you won’t be ready for the real thing. So here’s to hoping that those damn zombies can hold off for just one more level.

Dead Space (The warrior)

You have no idea what the story line of this game is. In fact you don’t even know who or where you are. All you know if that there are aliens everywhere and you can’t sleep until they are all dead. They are absolutely terrifying and you have been losing sleep for weeks because of it. But you can’t stop playing because that means that they aren’t all dead yet and if they aren’t all dead yet then they must still be out there somewhere; possibly even in your house right now. Your aim doesn’t even matter at this point. You just keep shooting at anything that moves just so they don’t jump out at you and scare the crap out of you. It’s okay; fire away. No one ever beat this game by being careful with gun fire.

Slender (The Romantic)

He’s one of those monsters that you just aren’t going to beat. He will always be there and he will always win. So why keep trying? Clearly there is something else going on in your brain whilst playing this game. Maybe Slender Man is actually your father. He may be abusive since he keeps trying to kill you; but he’s still a father none the less, right? Or maybe he is your long lost lover. I mean, leaving notes for you to find is something that a lover would do and you wouldn’t keep looking for them if there wasn’t sex involved.

Bioshock Infinite (The narcissist)

It’s not easy to be chased constantly by every guard in town. Add some robots and you have yourself a real chase. Everyone wants a piece of you and you know it. So you keep playing. Not to see if you can beat the game just because that’s what you’re supposed to do with a video game, but because you actually think that being chased is fun; even if it is for all the wrong reasons. Being wanted always comes with a price, right?

The Binding of Isaac (The optimist)

You started playing this game because you heard it was good. You heard that it has a Zelda vibe to it, only ten times creepier. You also can’t beat the game if your life depended on it. But that’s okay; there are plenty of random things to unlock while you’re trying to master this craft. There are also no save points so each time you die you have to start over. But that still doesn’t bother you because you know that the characters and skills you unlocked still saved and who needs progress when you have tons of characters to choose from. You’ll get to the last level soon enough, you’re sure of it.

SCP Containment Breach (The IDGAF)

You know that the containment of an unknown created species let loose will probably kill you. Yet you still walk into that room, you still grab the gas mask, you still continue to look for a way to stop it. Or maybe you’re trying to find a way to escape. Either way, the best way to survive is clear. You should either stay in one place or to just not play the game at all.

The Last of Us (The babysitter)

Babysitting was never fun. I don’t care if you enjoy kids or not, it just isn’t fun. So babysitting teens that curse more than a sailor and whose emotions are running wild can’t be a walk in the park. You aren’t even getting paid for god sake! You may say that you’re just trying to find a cure for the zombie apocalypse, and that may have been true at one point, but you actually care for this child now. She has somehow grown on you and even when you aren’t playing the game you are thinking about poor Ellie and how she needs you to survive.

F.E.A.R. (The stalker)

Some creepy bitch is stalking you and you keep going back for more. I don’t think seeing her is ever a pleasant experience but there you are, searching for answers. Not only is it a little creepy because well… she’s creepy, but you’re borderline stalker at this point as well. So just stop.

So maybe you keep going back for more terror even if it is starting to give you high anxiety, but that’s okay, because while everyone might think you’re crazy for playing these games, we see you for what you really are. Just promise that you will keep killing those monsters. Without you the world will be doomed, just in case anything actually does go down in the real world.

Written by Guest Contributor: Damnjacquie