Horror is a popular genre in every media type, and video games are no exception. There is a large variety of horror games, with sub-genres like survival horror, psychological horror, and jumpscare horror being the most well-known. Horror games have been gaining popularity recently, with series like Resident Evil, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and Silent Hill becoming top sellers, and many people credit content creators with the genre’s spike in popularity. Horror games have also gotten higher quality as technology has improved, and games like Dead Space, Until Dawn, and Alan Wake have received remakes. Movie and TV show adaptations of horror games have gotten more popular with The Last of Us, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and Resident Evil receiving movies and show versions.
Horror is a huge genre in the gaming world with many different sub-genres. Sophomore Lily Sexton believes horror is a versatile game genre.
“There’s a lot of different horror games. So you can do a lot with it. You can do more survival type stuff, more story type stuff, or level-based horror. It’s a very, very, very large genre,” said Sexton.
Playing horror games provides a unique experience for the people playing them, and this effect can even extend to viewers watching someone else play a horror game. Junior Hidee Scales, like many people, attributes horror games’ increasing popularity to content creators.
“I think horror games are getting more popular, especially online, because people like to watch them, and the adrenaline can get you excited and you want to keep watching and playing them,” said Scales.
With new popularity comes new fans, and established fans of horror games can have mixed opinions on new fans. Some wish to gatekeep their favorite games from new players while others welcome newcomers with open arms. Sexton likes the recognition horror games are now getting and hopes it inspires more people to create new horror games.
“I like horror games, obviously, and I like watching people play them, so I think that them becoming more popular and more people playing them is a very good thing, especially because they’re very creative. I hope people will create more stories, more games, more experiences like that,” said Sexton.
Although many horror games are unique and well-made, others can be lacking in quality, especially long-running franchises. Sexton believes some horror game series are running far past their expiration date.
“I won’t lie, especially series like Five Nights at Freddy’s, you’re beating a dead horse. At some point there’s too many games. It’s not as popular as it used to be, it’s not as high quality as it used to be, it’s not as good as it used to be, and I feel like ‘What’s the point anymore,’” said Sexton.
With horror games’ increasing popularity, many of them have received movie and TV show adaptations. Sexton points out the differences between horror games and horror movies.
“Horror movies rely a lot more on suspense and jump scares, while games in particular are more based on like situations, like a lot of chases. There’s a lot of stuff like that, so I think that it’s just a different type of scary,” said Sexton.
These adaptations don’t just provide a different way to experience a horror game. They also introduce new people to the game in a familiar way. Scales believes watching a movie adaptation of a game can help new fans play the game.
“If you can’t play the game, watching a movie can have that same feeling for you. And watching the movies can let you know more about the game and can give you more information on how to play it,” said Scales.
Horror is an extremely versatile genre for video games, and franchises like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Five Nights at Freddy’s have had huge success in the gaming world. Some horror games are so popular that they get movie and TV adaptations, introducing new fans to the series and giving established fans a new way to experience the horror game they love. Much of this success comes from content creators popularizing these games, though this popularity has led some franchises to run themselves into the ground. Overall, horror fans hope high-quality and unique horror games will be released as the genre continues to grow.