What Scary Games Owe to Gothic Literature
Вставка
- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
- More on Ann Radcliffe: • Ann Radcliffe and The ...
Join our Discord: / discord
What's the scariest horror game you've ever played? For me, it's 'Gone Home', a relatively short walking simulator that's a decade old. What's weird though is that 'Gone Home' isn't even classed as a horror game…
Why do I find 'Gone Home' so frightful? And what does this game, published in 2013, have to do with a novelist writing over 200 years ago, and her revolutionary literary technique?
Watch on to find out!
Written, presented, and edited by Rosie Whitcombe
@books_ncats
Directed, produced, and edited by Matty Phillips
@ma_ps_
mphotos.uk
Bibliography
‘Art. VIII. The Mysteries of Udolpho, a Romance; interspersed with some Pieces of Poetry.’, Monthly Review, or, Literary Journal, vol. 15 (November 1794)
‘Art. XXII. The Italian, or Confessional of the Black Penitents. A Romance.’, The Analytical Review: or, History of Literature, vol. 25 (May 1797)
Radcliffe, Ann, The Mysteries of Udolpho, 3 vols. (Dublin, 1800)
Shakespeare, William, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes, 1989)
Suellentrop, Chris, ‘Student’s Trip Ends; A Mystery Just Begins’, www.nytimes.co...
You’ve perfectly captured why I love this game SO much. Especially as a lesbian player lol. The vibe is immaculate without ever jump scaring me. That’s really all I ever want in a ‘horror’ game
Thank you! Yeah, completely immaculate vibe, a great game ✨
i would highly recommend anyone who liked gone home to play 'what remains of edith finch'. it's a similarly-styled walking simulator that also takes about two hours to play through. just like gone home, you play as a character returning to their family home, and exploring the house to uncover truths about their family. the difference between the two is that wroef leaves a lot less unexplained to the player when they begin playing, and also (in my opinion) has a much sadder atmosphere. still, it does manage to scare the player the way gone home does.
As I was watching the video, I felt as if it reminded me of something, and by the end of it, I remembered. One of my favorite videogames, Firewatch, employs a very similar technique, setting the atmosphere in a peaceful natural park, where strange, frightful and inexplicable events happen to you. The ending of the game left me with a feeling of sadness that no other story ever gave me, and I was reminded of it listening to this reading of Gone Home; as you're about to discover the secrets of the park, who's behind the plot against you, and why, you unknowingly solve a years-old tragedy, and realize, with a deep, confusing feeling of regret, what the "plot" against you really was, and how much of it you'd made up in your mind.
I take the opportunity to suggest the game, for its ambiance, story, and unique gameplay :)
And thanks for the video, it was a fascinating journey!
Thanks so much for this 😊 I love Firewatch, I'm actually midway through playing it for a second time, and I wondered if I wouldn't enjoy it because I knew what the mystery was, but it's still such a beautiful game to play! - Rosie
Had the same thought and even got the same sense of relief.
You're so good at this. You explained why so many of us enjoyed this game! Never before or since has a video-game experience made me feel quite like this one did.
I hope the characters are doing well, whereever they are...
Thanks so much 🥰 I hope they’re doing well, too… - Rosie
Another example of the “explained supernatural”: Scooby Doo! (Although some of the movies actually do have actual supernatural events too)
Zoinks!!
This was such an awesome video, i can't believe you're not more popular! I found a new person to binge watch 😁
Aww thank you, that's really kind 😊 glad you liked the video, and I hope you enjoy our other videos too - Matty
Going Home had me so stressed out for Sam that I had flash backs to the some of the darker scenes in Life is Strange. Wonderful game that deserves more love.
A video all about how Gone Home is an example of Gothic fiction!? This could not be more relevant to my interests! Loved it! (But let's not forget that Uncle Oscar _does_ psychologically haunt the house for Terry. We find out that he was sexually abused as a child in that house.)
Excellent video! The analysis is spot on and solid, the subject is fascinating and the cat is very cute.
Thank you! ☺️ - Rosie
Many years ago this game was free with PSplus and I ended up getting playing the whole game thinking it was a horror game!!
Yep I was completely fooled when I played it! - Rosie
I have to play it now and come back later but you intrigued me enough!
Two things. Yes, exactly, I love this game for this.
Two: you are a trooper for holding your click here pose.
Ooooh, I'm intrigued. Gonna download The Mysteries of Udolpho from Project Guttenberg right now!
You and the stories you share have moved me.
Great video! I have a video game recommandation, Night in the Woods, on which I wrote my thesis about. I think it'd be interesting to have an in depth analysis between it and Shirley Jackson's the lottery, something I briefly touched in my thesis. Anyways, great video
Ah I LOVE Night in the Woods!! Favourite game of all time. Rosie is also a big fan of it. Would be very interested to see your thesis - there’s so many ideas and themes that can be explored in the Possum Springs. Thanks for the comment 😄 - Matty
@@books_ncatsI would love to share it! I talked about affective materiality and inconsequential choices in NITW
i love the idea of tracing the literary origins and connections in video games! so much of the work on video games focuses on the mechanics, graphics etc, meanwhile good storytelling is so integral to enjoying video games for me that it is a true shame that so little attention is paid to it in the critical / review / etc sphere
Oh there’s such a good chance you won’t see this but I would love to see you do an analysis of a piece that does this trope poorly if that piques your interest at all (in the realm of video games, Little Hope absolutely frustrated me to no end)
Love your work regardless:)
Rule of Rose is uncannily scary if you like psychological horror.
Was just about to comment this!! I have yet to find any other stories that encapsulate the gothic nature that Rule of Rose had.
Gone Home is one of my comfort games. It combines so many aspects of genres/tropes that I adore: Gothic horror, queer love stories, mystery...I could seriously talk about it all day.
You've honestly summed up why I love this game so much and disagree with its detractors. And on top of that you've introduced me to Ann Radcliffe who I must instantly check out!
Yes, I was so nervous playing... very high suspense until the end...
I love your use of rain / environment background sounds
One of my favourite videos from you so far 👻 I need to replay Gone Home now...
Slowly working my way through your backlog. Another great video! If you ever have time, I'd love to hear you talk about explained horror and "The
Turn of the Screw" by Henry James.
In my experience, and of some
of my kinsfolk, for whatever faith one may burden us with: ghosts are infinitely less dangerous & more reasonable than the living
I was actually really disappointed with Gone Home specifically because of this. I really wanted something spooky and spine chilling and only found that I'd lost the opportunity to see my little sister and meet her girlfriend because our parents were assholes. Maybe its a symptom of over-delighting in spooky vibes, but the "there was never anything to really be afraid of" was more of a letdown than a plus for me. I felt robbed of the thing that I had picked up the game for, almost to the point that I couldn't be happy for Sam and Loni. Note: I'm that person who giggles with glee at the monsters in a haunted house, I'm still not sure if the actors find me annoying or not.
That said, it was really nice to listen to an analysis of why someone would enjoy the game and to learn about the history of the storytelling technique. Thanks for this video. It was very well done.
I could listen to you talk about any literature/media forever!!
when i watched this game get played for the first time i loved it so dam much. i need to play it for myself one day
The scariest game I've ever played was entering the job market with my degree in English lit
Excellent. A very thoughtful, powerful and interesting video. A great exploration of our susceptibility, and the ease with which we make assumptions, thank you.
The Town Of Light
But but but what about the dad’s plot and his reason for fearing his uncle and JFK shooting??????????
Interesting break down. But walking simulators are not my jam.
I'm so happy that this video has gotten into my recommended. I love the editing, the talking style, and the general vibe of this video so so much. Please keep up the good work, because this is phenomenal :)
Glad to have a new fan 😊 and really pleased you like our video style - Matty