Feature: Finding The Horror In Survival Horror

Author: by Staff

In Gamasutra's latest feature, user testing firm Vertical Slice takes a look at four horror games to find which scares players the most, reporting that Dead Space 2 scared players the most. "Using social media tools, polls and small-scale informal investigation, a short list of the scariest Xbox 360 games was created. This list was whittled down to four candidates, which were then used for the final study. The selected games were Alan Wake, Resident Evil 5, Dead Space 2 and Condemned," writes Vertical Slice's Joel Windels. Using measurements such as heart rate, skin surface temperature, and GSR (Galvanic Skin Response), the team measured how players reacted to the games they played -- as well as using interview techniques, think-aloud, and researcher/participant post-play analysis. Through this, the team was able to discover that "Resident Evil 5 did not have many moments considered scary by the participants. Most players agreed that the game was enjoyable, and appreciated both the spectacle and the fun in the combat parts, yet denied they were 'very scared' at any point," writes Windels. In contrast, he writes, "The player-drawn graphs for Dead Space 2 were more animated than for any other game... Participants also easily managed to remember isolated incidents during which they were scared." "Dead Space 2 not only had numerous occasions in which players were universally frightened, but also revealed multiple types of fear response." The full feature, which pulls examples from each game and shows how players -- both hardcore and casual -- reacted to those games, is live now on Gamasutra.