How do you guys handle it?

[thrash242]

I've watched hundreds of horror movies--maybe thousands. I've played every survival horror game I can get my hands on. Obviously I like horror. I seek out things that will actually creep me and or disturb me, since it doesn't happen often.

I only play for an hour or two at a time, since it does make me tense, as it should. I've never been unable to continue playing any game from being too afraid, though. I just "man up" and keep going.

The point of horror games is to make you uncomfortable and to creep you out. If you are able to relax playing it, the game fails at its purpose. I think a lot of people have misguided expectations from horror games, or something.

[onewolf]

Same here, I take breaks every hour or so to let the tension drain out of my hunched shoulders

[moxi]

Same here, I take breaks every hour or so to let the tension drain out of my hunched shoulders

Same here. But sometimes after some big happening I just stay away from the game for a longer time. So damn scary but it's so fun!

[CHANCEPHOENIX]

Well , i"m just trying to stay brave playing in bed with my laptop (headphones on) in the dark at 2:25 am ....

Needles to say that my bed is full of bricks i"ve sh*tted





btw. AWESOME GAME !!!

[ploppytheman]

It's actually really easy to break the paranoia, fear, and jumpiness and I can play through it w/o being afraid. But why would I get horror games (or movies/books) just to go immune and not be afraid. I'd rather be afraid and play the part than just steel myself. That's the fun of the game. Become the character. Be in the castle. Be afraid of your death. Take precautions.

If you really want to know how to not be afraid and ruin these games

Spoiler below!

Just tell yourself its a game and don't react to anything. Don't care if YOUR CHARACTER dies or if an enemy spots YOUR CHARACTER. Don't let the music or lighting affect your emotions (but don't turn it off thats cheating). I found myself steeling myself (repetitive) a few times and had to stop it b/c it would ruin the game. Just like when you watch a horror movie you can do this. I don't know if everyone can do this but I can and I assume one could train themselves to do it.

---

I could play the game for a few hours before I felt exhausted and psychologically beaten. I will have to agree with most of the people in this thread though, this is a legitimately terrifying game. The jump scares were unpredictable and unsettling (if you go through desk drawers all the time like I did you will be in for quite a surprise around halfway through the game around you're thirtieth drawer). The atmosphere was constantly dark and fearful. I was always listening intently to the distant footsteps and howls, wondering if there WAS any reason to fear them. As for the gore I have seen worse. The torture chamber was very disturbing but it consists only of written descriptions and diagrams.

There is only one game which has scared me more than this and that would be Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, during the boat level. The Suffering is also nearly as scary as Amnesia but relied more heavily on gore.

CoC: DCotE was great and scary especially the hotel part. It was very buggy though and the boat part on PC is broken for many users requiring DLing a save. I actually posted on the games forum for a fix for PC users b/c there is no way to use the ship gun to shoot what you need to shoot.

[diakonov]

I would say that after you play Fatal Frame 1,2,3, Silent Hill 3,4 , and see Ju-On 1,2 movies, you are ready to face almost any kind of horror. Nevertheless Amnesia still surprised me a lot. In time, you will see the art and beauty behind the horror genre and actually be glad to be scary.

I find the HP Lovercraft horror a very difficult horror to work because it's hard to make this kind of horror and its psychological effects believable. Amnesia is a masterpiece because it has achieved this.

[fruitsaladninja]

Well after i downloaded it form steam, I waited until nightfall!
i have 2 big studio monitors, cranked all the way up and closed door/dark/perfect setting to get freaked! I live out in the forest and have my window open, so i can get some IRL sound fx like branches cracking or wind blowing in a scary manner
I know it was going to get scary, but i also love to dig in deep in a game like this, very enjoyable. urging to explore more and get to know the story better kept me going, I played 7 hours straight with pause for dinner. then the night after i completed it (maybe 3 hours)

[Ephax20]

I handle it like a pro, i go in there and see the darkness that surrounds me and then i wanna know what's going on. So i keep moving. At one point i remember standing at the beginning of the storage room with no oil and i was thinking; fuck this shit i ain't playin' like this. But then i thought; i have too because it's too damn awesome. So i entered and conquered the area after being frightened really really bad a couple of times. I play like an hour then quit, i get tired.

[Sstrelok]

I'm 28, and was surprised by Amnesia. I play 30m-1h every night because of tension. Still didn't end Amnesia because of this. When I - Daniel - was in some nice, but scary, rooms with more light I played more time, maybe 2h, but now I am in the prison... It's sure scary, so last night I ended only the first, upper level of it.

When I start the game every night the first moments are - hoho, nothing can scare me! It's only a game But then I start to fear about going to every corner or room, fear the unknown hiding in the darkness, and the sound isn't helping... Then even more - I start to run like hell when seeing something disturbing. Ultimately I stop the game, it's too much for one night.

(offtop - the big plus of Amnesia is, that I can run it on my ancient PC - Athlon XP 2,4 with geforce 7600gs, and it runs and looks very good!)

[Mina Darsh]

Man, this game lets Doom 3 and F.E.A.R. far behind, and it's so well done, at the very beginning, when there is nothing following you yet, the mere athmosphere is enough to get duck under my table out of fear. The only little thing that bugs me though is how fast the oil lamp drains, in real one would have light for a long time when left with a bottom of oil. But the sanity loss, it does quite match with how I would feel in such a situation, dunno if I'd hallucinate, but then Daniel also lost his memory so that adds to the confusion I guess, nice cocktail for insanity.

And yeah, as soon as I run into something scary, I find myself exiting too, but also left with curiosity. So far I LOVE the touch of detail with the piano. I walked passed by, the lit over the keys was closed, and when in the other room, I heard the piano being played, when I come back, the lit is left open. Now in real, THAT would make me loose my sanity.