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The Halloween season is upon us and coming to an end. So this week the Rebels, Amanda, and Stacy will be discussing scary video games. What makes a video game scary?
Retro Rebel Podcast is hosted by Amanda Fox and Stacy Bishop. Each week they take a deep dive into the gaming industry and discuss news stories, the current games they are playing as well as the topic of the week.
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Intro Music – Final Impasse By Ground is Lava
What we’re playing
Amanda – Well, if you watched my twitch, you’ll see I played Halo 5 this week. I do love Halo, but does anyone find Halo 5 super dark? I must have said it a dozen times on the stream (sorry) but I’ve got the gamma like all the way up and it’s still hard to see. In fact, I find that in a lot of modern games. It’s an annoying thing TBH. Is it just my tv? Maybe. My goal is to stream doom eternal this week so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Gaming news
UK Video Game Industry Record Growth – According to Sky, “The Independent Games Developers’ Association (TIGA) said that more than 1,740 jobs were added to the sector, which is now generating tax revenues of £907m annually. TIGA added that the sector was now contributing £2.2bn to UK GDP.” That doesn’t really surprise me though. With so many working from home, there’s just more gaming time when you eliminate commutes.
Tiniest Sega Console Ever – You have to see it to believe it. This tiny console from Sega, the Game Gear Mirco is barely bigger than your fingers. At $50, it’s might be the most expensive console per square inch lol. It’s cute tho, it’s got something.
Google distancing itself from Stadia Creative Director’s comments!
Main topic – What makes games scary?
Amanda- For me, what makes a scary game, it’s about the atmosphere, music, and unexpected imagery. Jump scares only work on me when the surroundings are dark and the music has worked me into a panic already. Once I’m in that state, even just seeing a leaf fall in frame will freak me out. Dying light did this really well as I remember. The night-time missions were always totally nerve-wracking.
Stacy– A scary game has many layers and comes in many different forms. Scary games don’t need gore or jump scares to be effective. In my opinion, the best scary games do not use either tactic. VR horror games, on the other hand, don’t have to work as hard to create an atmosphere for fear in my opinion. They are so immersive, VR games can a VR is still limited in technology though, so the fluid movement through an environment on a console or with a controller is lacking in VR. Jump scares are unpleasant, full stop. When used sparingly, they are extremely effective at subverting expectations and scaring the bejesus out of me! To me, the perfect horror game (and one that I would love to watch SOMEONE ELSE play) would have an atmosphere, subtlety, and maybe a bit of Lovecraft-ish insanity.
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