Essay explaining the similarities and differences between two horror based pc games.
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream V.S. Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Since the beginning of gaming history many different genres within the industry have been created, advanced, or even completely changed. Many of those genres consist of puzzles, action based missions, and open-world adventures. However, the most consistent of these genres comes from the loathing addiction that is horror. Horror based games are not meant to only scare the player, but also to immerse them in an environment that will challenge their courage, sanity, and quick thinking through the use of fear. Some of the most famous games that have used fear in this way are "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" and "Amnesia: The Dark Descent".
Released in October of 1995, the point-and-click horror game "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" is based upon a short story, with the same name, created by Harlan Ellison. The story follows five different characters, each with their own specific flaw, being tortured by an evil computer named AM who has destroyed the rest of humanity. AM controls the world they live in, sending them each into a different environment based upon their flaws and weaknesses. The player must interact with each character and their environment to try and redeem the character's past actions. The game is "won" if the player can redeem each character through their own morality and choices, proving themselves to be better than the machine (AM).
Fifteen years later, in September of 2010, the game "Amnesia: The Dark Descent" was released. In a similar way, Amnesia forces the player to reveal the horrific past of their character, Daniel, while attempting to redeem him in his current state. The game begins with Daniel trying to remember as much as he can about himself and the secrets hidden in Brennenburg Castle, the game's setting. Daniel discovers a note from his past self, revealing that he has taken an amnesia potion to deliberately make himself forget the things he's done. It is later revealed that Daniel came upon the castle, and it's baron Alexander, when he discovered The Orb, an ancient artifact that contains a "shadow" which protects the Orb's powers, often killing it's handler. Alexander promised Daniel safety from the shadow, manipulating him into torturing and sacrificing the "criminals" that he held captive in the castle in order to banish the shadow. Daniel's past self urges the player, and the new Daniel, to descend into the darkness of the castle and kill the man who manipulated him. The player must descend into the castle's underbelly while escaping the dangerous creatures and the ever-looming shadow of The Orb while maintaining Daniel's sanity and courage. The game is "won" once the player is able to survive the horrors within the castle and find Alexander. Once found, the player must make the choice to destroy the Orb and it's powers, sacrificing both Alexander and themselves. The game has different outcomes based upon the player's final decision, though each "end" reveals the extent of Daniel's redemption.
While both games rely on the player to find redemption for their character(s) past action, the two are very different in the way they drive player to do so. In "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream", the player is constantly challenged by AM, creating tension and the need to defeat AM. However, because AM is not a physical character to be overcome, the player can only satisfy the feeling of defeating AM by redeeming the characters AM has tortured. In this way, the player does not so much focus on the character's redemption itself as much as they focus on using that redemption as a tool to "win" the game. In "Amnesia: The Dark Descent", the player learns to sympathize with the character, Daniel, because they know only as much as Daniel does throughout the game and is able to focus on redeeming him by the choice to destroy the Orb, and even himself, to ensure that Alexander's reign of terror is stopped.
Between the two games, it is easier to sympathize and find redemption with Daniel rather than the other five character because his past actions were an outcome of being manipulated by Alexander whereas the characters in "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" are only being tortured because of the way they acted willingly throughout their lives. Because of this, the redemption theme in "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" is more driven out of spite of AM rather than the true forgiveness that the player feels for Daniel in "Amnesia".
Regardless, "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" was one of the most popular horror games of it's time. While in the game, the player is aware that each action will have a consequence and acts cautiously while being immersed in the unpleasant environments of each character's world. The point-and-click style of the game seems only appropriate with the low, pixilated graphics that the game contains. The mixture of uncomfortable scenery along with the ever-looming AM created a true feeling of fear for what was in store for each character. Years later, the game still upholds it's place as one of the best horror-scenario games in the way that it uses fear and graphic images to challenge the actions and morality of the player themselves; even if the graphics seem less terrifying in comparison to newer horror games like "Amnesia".
For many horror scenario based games, the "success" of the game is based upon the reactions of it's players, i.e., the amount of fear they experience. Throughout the years, however, the horror genre has changed from building tension and stories to create fear to raw jumpscares that force the player to experience fear. This change in the genre's strategy is clear even between "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" and "Amnesia". In many early horror games, like "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream", the game plays upon the scenery and immersion of the plot to create fear in the player. In more current games, like that of "Amnesia: The Dark Descent", the game builds tension through the eerie scenery and music to be followed by a jumpscare or chase sequence which forces fear and panic out of the player . Although the genuine terror is present in both, the methods of scaring the player are quite different.
In the game industry itself, horror is just one of the many genres to have developed into new strategies throughout the years. In the last ten years, the game industry as a whole has seemed to focus more on creating realistic/possible real-life scenarios. Rather than playing the game through the character, advances in game development in general have focused the ability to immerse a player so deeply in games that the player themselves act as the character. This theory is further proven through the development of the Oculus Rift. The O.R. is a simulation device that a player wears while in gameplay, making the player feel like they're truly inside the game they are playing. This change has impacted game developments as it now puts the player directly in the game, making the consequences/rewards of their actions seem more real and thus making the player the main character of the game. The advancement into realistic scenarios and immersion is what has made games like "The Last of Us" as popular as they are today. While this game contains the zombie apocalyptic theme that seemed overused, "The Last of Us" begins their game with life before the actual apocalypse, contrary to its competitors that have always relied upon the mystery of the "zombie disease" as a patch in their storylines. "The Last of Us" allows the player to live through Joel, a father who experiences the death of his daughter while trying to escape the chaos of the beginning of the zombie disease spread. This scene is a powerful example of immersing the player into the realism of the story and Joel's character because it then allows the player to understand and truly sympathize with Joel as he interacts throughout the rest of the game with another young girl named Ellie. Although games like "The Last of Us" have proven themselves as milestones in the advancement of immersion and realism in the game industry, these advancements would not be possible without first looking back on other immersive, as well as terrifying, games like "Amnesia: The Dark Descent" and "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream".
An alarm sounds, a breath is took, and once again it is time to start another day.
I’ve never been a morning person. It’s too bright, too loud, and my mind is filled to the brim with a list of “things to do”. The night life is what I desire. Dim lighting, peaceful whispers, and checking off the final word on that once overwhelming list: sleep. Despite having to drag myself out of bed I think it is appropriate to say that once I am "up and moving" I. Do. Not. Stop. ((It's amazing what a little caffeine can do for you.)) Although, lately, I have tried slowing down by taking up this writing. I try to find the time throughout my day to write a little here or there though most of my “work” is just nonsense.
Here on this blog I will be posting not only my “entries” but also past and current essays or stories i’ve written. I find it interesting to go back and look at what i’ve written in the past and use the good, and bad, parts as a lesson to build off of. Not just grammatically and what-not, but more or less the style. The words. The voice.
I believe that in my time spent writing essays in school, I’ve developed in the same way a journalist does to a new company. You go in, you are told what to write and how, and you produce a “correct” product. It’s not about the style, it’s about developing the ability to write. You must learn to walk before you can run. Even if you think you’ve got the motion down, after a while you will hurt unless you learn the right way to angle your foot on the put-down. Once you’ve learned to write, then you can write. In the same way, I began writing as a student - producing factual and format focused essays. I’ve developed, and I strongly believe earned, the voice I use in these essays. ((You will notice the differences in style/voice throughout the years.))
I cannot promise that each of these will be terribly interesting. I’ve written everything from response essays to those “classic novels” to argumentative and compare/contrast essays describing the differences between horror based pc games. So whatever your fancy, there may be one available for you to curl up with and take a gander.
There is a difference between being able to write and being a writer. Now, I will toot my own horn here for a second when I say that I can write a decent essay, but essays are far different from being the next "great, american novel". Of course, are any of those novels really that great to begin with?
But let's move on from that before I offend too many people at once.
So this is a blog. An internet site in which I can dumb all my thoughts and writings for all you lovely beings to read. ((I won't say "all you lovely people". That would be discriminatory to those of non-human origin. It also would sound too much like the Beatles - "all the lonely people." But you are never alone, friend.)) What you take from this is really up to you. Agree or disagree or don't care at all - that's all up to you and your wonderful, individual mind.
It's true. Each and every mind is brilliant and capable of amazing things. Ever notice how a pup just knows how to make those squeaky noises after it's born? Rad, huh? Well your mind is like that too. ((Go ahead, squeak if you want to. I'll wait.)) I'm not saying that fresh-out-the-womb you should be squeaking or barking like a deranged mouse-canine hybrid ((no offense to those of mouse-canine decent)), but from day one it is important to realize that you, and your mind, are capable of such fantastic things.
If you want something, go for it. If you have a passion, pursue it. If you have no idea what you want to do with your life and every day you feel the daunting possibility of failure, then good. That means your success is important to you - so beat on, steady boat against the current. Reach for that green light, Gatsby. ((But don't fall in the water. We all know what happens when Gatsby goes for a swim.))
Never stop believing in all the things you can do. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" and all that jazz. So take the step. You don't have to leap - just scoot your foot a little. Begin. Be proud of the things you accomplish, no matter how small. Appreciate yourself. And never, ever, let anyone ((not even yourself)) try to tell you that you are not important.
You mean so much.
I apologize if I seem like i'm trying to be one of those motivational speakers, but it is so hard to put into words how much I truly believe a person can overcome and accomplish. I promise not every entry will be a P.S.A., but it means too much not to say these things that I believe in so strongly.
On that note, I thank you for participating in this first entry and encourage you to visit again sometime. Here we begin a new journey of a thousand miles - let this be our first step.
