Champlain College Capstone Project Blog Entry 4

Well, we've hit a snag in our attempts to get QA done this week. Both our prototypes are still in need of some work. A few bugs here and there before we can get it done. I'll have to ask Bemis if we can get QA done without the whole "Contact the QA person" and have that count.

In other news, next week we're finally going to challenge stage 1. We feel ready and confident to move forward. We just got to document everything and then make it into a presentation. I'll be sure to make sure the group keeps up to date with what they have and I already set up the sprint.

Also managed to find some notes about horror that I've learned over the past week.

Survival Horror Notes: Why play Horror games? What makes a Horror Game? Why are Horror Games not popular anymore?

-These days horror games have become more action adventure games that feature zombies or monsters and other supernatural things

-Horror is about human psychology. Using the earliest fears of mankind to scare people

-Horror is about the breakdown of logic and how things we once thought normal turn out to be untrue

-Horror is about facing things we don’t want to face, we are so helpless that we can’t deal with these things despite whatever self-assurance we give.

-Horror is about embracing the savage natural human instinct we have in order to accompany our everyday life. Sort of a thrill seeking thing.

-Villain is more important than the protagonist

-A main reason why horror is no longer horror in game is due to the increase of technology. The indistinct models and textures hidden in shadows and fog helped hide the limited graphics while also giving the game a scary feeling of asking “what’s beyond this?”

-Center horror around the unknown. It’s both scary and intriguing.

-Leave the player in a unexplainable position and have them try to find out the truth

-Divide the player between fleeing and wanting to know more.

-Build up the fear and then release it

-Some enjoy the ambience of someone else’s dark imagination.

-In horror video games, the soundtrack and the visuals become very realistic making the player feel that he is actually playing a part in a movie.

-Another reason why horror games are no longer big is because of squeals. You can only replay the same mystery only so many times.

-Horror doesn’t sell as well as action adventure

Interesting huh? Well got to go bed for next class.