Yesterday was Halloween. Did y’all have fun? I hope you had a fun time with family, whatever that looked like for you. My family ended up just hanging out last night, which we loved. We didn’t end up watching anything spooky, or playing anything particularly spooky, but I’ve been thinking…should people play spooky games? They cause a physical reaction in people, and they can leave you with bad dreams or feelings.
Cons for playing spooky games
When I thought about why someone wouldn’t want to play a spooky game, my opinion was shaped by my perspective. I have only ever watched one horror movie in my life, and it bothered me deeply. I was disturbed by the way goodness didn’t triumph and evil seemed to thrive. Since then, I haven’t watched one because it stuck with me and made me nervous in my day-to-day life.
When someone takes in media, it affects their soul whether they realize it or not. Everyone knows that watching certain things makes you feel better, and the opposite is also true. When you watch dark things, that can make your outlook dark and open you up to outside influences that will hurt you. If that is the exclusive type of media you take in (whether that’s through games, video games, or movies/tv), it makes your outlook negative and dark too.
Due to my personal experience, I have avoided games that fall into the spooky genre. Hubs has checked out more than I have, because he enjoys the thrilling feeling and doesn’t get bound up emotionally. One popular game that he tried is called Outlast.
The premise is that you’re a reporter exploring an abandoned hospital that turns out to not actually be abandoned. Hubs decided not to continue playing Outlast because the game capitalized on making players feel afraid and helpless rather than telling an interesting story with some spooky elements. He wanted to avoid feeling haunted for hauntings sake, and I respect him for that.
Pros for playing spooky games
I don’t think it’s necessarily something people should always avoid. Some people (like Hubs) enjoy adrenaline jumps in things that they watch and play, in the same way that some people enjoy riding roller coasters or bungee jumping. I don’t think that’s a bad thing in and of itself because it echoes a natural human desire.
Another reason someone might want to play a spooky game is this: spooky stories often reveal something about human nature in a way that a not spooky story does. We human beings are complex and have good things and bad things inside of us, and spooky stories highlight those aspects of us in a way that a feel-good story probably wouldn’t be able to.
Hubs played a game called Prey (a remake). He greatly enjoyed it because you are on a hunt for monster mimics (creatures that pretend to be something else). Investigating and hunting around for the creatures is an interesting goal for players like my hubs.
Overall, you need to examine your conscience
When considering whether or not you should play a spooky game, you need to ask yourself: does this benefit me? Does it help me think about truth, goodness, or beauty in a different way? If your answer is yes, then I think it’s probably acceptable for you to play the spooky game. If your answer is no or you’re not sure you’ll be able to dwell on those things rather than the scary stuff, then it’s probably not a good idea for you to play the game.
Adults are responsible to wisely engage with stories and make sure that what we are partaking in will build us up. If that’s something spooky, great. If it’s not, that’s great too. You need to ponder it and pray if that’s what you do.
If your answer is yes, these are some games I think you should check out per hubs’s recommendations:
- Bioshock 1
- The premise of this game is that the wealthy have moved to an undersea utopia. Unfortunately, it becomes a bit hellish, and you have to fight to stay alive.
- Prey (the Remake)
- If you want a game where you hunt scary, evil monsters, this game is probably for you.
- Dead Space 1
- You are on a spaceship and alone with monsters. It’s a classic spooky game because you find yourself in tight corridors with lots of jump scares. Hubs says it is also very gory, so be careful with this one.
Let me know if you decide to check any of these games out and what you think!
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