In my post Are Horror Books Actually Scary? I explained how it is that movies have the potential to be scarier than books.
Of all forms of media, though, nothing beats video games when it comes to scares.
Sure, movies have all the same sights and sounds of video games (and, of course, often appear more realistic than games), but there's still an element missing in movies:
You sit in the theatre and watch a story unfold in front of you. Will the hero survive/escape/beat the bad guy/save the day? - sit there long enough, and you'll find out.
In a video game, though, you can't just sit there and find out.
It's up to you if the horror is overcome.
You're the one who must defeat the monster, solve the puzzles, escape the maze. Are you keeping an eye on your character's health? Your ammo? Can you solve this riddle? Run fast enough? Set up the traps in time? Find a place to hide?
Movies and books can't even come close to that sort of tension.
That said, if, like me, you enjoy games, I want to join the worlds of video games and literature for you:
So if you've played This game, read That book.
(Alphabetical by video game title)
if you've played Alice Madness Returns...
...read Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
___________
if you've played Amnesia: The Dark Descent...
...read The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
___________
if you've played Bloodborne...
...read Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
___________
if you've played Dead Space 3...
...read At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft
___________
if you've played Fatal Frame 2...
...read Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn
___________
if you've played Inside...
...read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
___________
if you've played The Last of Us...
...read World War Z by Max Brooks
___________
if you've played Layers of Fear...
...read The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
___________
if you've played The Nonary Games...
...read Secret, Doubt, and/or Judge by Yoshiki Tonogai
___________
if you've played Prey...
...read Sphere by Michael Crichton
___________
if you've played Resident Evil VII...
...read Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
___________
if you've played Silent Hill (1)...
...read Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
___________
if you've played Silent Hill 2...
...read I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
___________
if you've played Until Dawn...
...read Ancient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories by Algernon Blackwood
___________
if you've played The Vanishing of Ethan Carter...
...read Tales of Soldiers and Civilians: and Other Stories by Ambrose Bierce
(particularly the story The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge)
(particularly the story The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge)
___________
What do you think of this list, friends? Have you experienced any of these pairings? Have any similar recommendations of your own to share? Let us know!
I need to read World War Z I guess.
ReplyDeleteUpon reading this list, my friend Crystle gave me a few more ideas:
ReplyDeleteFor playing "The Last of Us," she said she was surprised I hadn't suggested reading "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. Now that she pointed it out, so am I. Its cross-country journey, paternal themes, and emotional resonance fit in much better. No zombies in The Road, but thematically, it's a much stronger fit.
For playing "Until Dawn," her suggestion was reading "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie. I actually was think of suggesting this one myself. Reluctantly, I settled Blackwood's writings because the setting is a better, but Christie's certainly fits the plot/progression better. In hindsight, I think I should have gone with Christie's book for Until Dawn. Blackwood also is a good match for "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter," too (in which the setting is stronger/more important to the game than it is in Until Dawn anyway).
Finally, for playing "Silent Hill (1)," her suggestion was "The Island of Lost Girls" by Jennifer McMahon. I'd actually never even heard of this book before. Now that I've looked into it, though, 1) yes, I see the connection (though I can't vouch for it yet myself); and 2) holy goodness, I want to read it.
Thanks for the suggestions, Crystle!
Can I read those books if I haven't played the games so much as watched someone else play them?
ReplyDelete