The pages of Scare Tactics are splattered with the game design and development secrets of your favourite Horror games. Each page is another step on a terrifying journey to demystify the craft of this interactive Horror entertainment.

Our dark descent begins by unearthing the history of Horror. Here we learn about how Horror evolved over the ages and how popular culture helped create the monster of the Horror game genre that it is today. Next, we will delve into the twisted mind of Horror games! Here we unearth the power of psychology, which gives game designers the power to guarantee a scare!

And here we are at the main event! The Carnival of Horrors!

Hold on tight as we travel from the 1980s to present day, ripping apart our favourite Horror games of the decades to spill secrets of their design, development and conception.

Whether you are a Horror game veteran or fresh meat for the genre, Scare Tactics will scratch your Horror game itch.

Target Audience

Scare Tactics is aimed at those who are fans of the Horror games and wish to know more about the design and development of Horror games over the decades.

The pillars of Scare Tactics are:

• A brief history of the Horror genre and it’s influence on video games.

• The design and development practices adopted by the global games industry.

• The psychology of Horror and how this is used by game designers and developers.

• Insights into game testing and balancing, to craft the perfect horror experience.

• Trivia, secrets and exclusive interviews with industry.

Although Scare Tactics references psychological theories and game development principles, the content is accessible. The reader will require no prior experience with game development or psychological practices.

Why Scare Tactics?

There are a number of books about the development of Horror games written from an academic perspective for educational purposes. These include the works of Bernard Perron, whose research I have studied extensively. There are also a number of fan-written books from key games industry figures. These include You Died by Keza MacDonald and Jason Killingworth, Silent Hill 2 by Mike Drucker and Itchy Tasty: An Unofficial History of Resident Evil by Alex Aniel.

Given the recent successful releases of Resident Evil VIII and Returnal, there is a keen demand for and clear interest in Horror games. Articles from games industry press supplement the release of such titles and offer insight into game development practice and key design decisions. This interest is also seen through articles which include, the history of Horror games, the teams that make them and how these games scare us (see references below).

However, to my knowledge there is yet to be a definitive compendium of this sought after information - A resource for fans to delve into Horror game history, the genre’s evolution and the process by which designers execute tried and tested scare tactics.

Given my morbid curiosity for the genre, and my background in researching both Horror game development and psychology, I would like to be the one to create such an entity!

References

• Den of Geek (Chris Cummins) - A Brief History of Retro Horror Gaming

• The Guardian (Keith Stuart) - Why Call of Duty: Warzone is an all-time great horror game

• Game Informer (Blake Hester) - Shinji Mikami Reflects On Creating Resident Evil In New Documentary

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