A Residency of Evil: Horror Games

Let's rewind the clock almost 30 years ago, specifically to the year 1996 if we want to be exact. Yours truly was the grand age of 7 years old and my video game exposure consisted of mostly (Yup, you guessed it) Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario. There were other games sprinkled in like Doom and Duke Nukem 3D but that's a discussion for another time when I wanna reminisce about the first person shooter genre for you all. Let's get back to the zombies and spookies.

It's 1996 and my neighbor across the street who is only a few years older than me, invites the neighborhood crew over to check out this new Playstation game called Resident Evil. So there's about 5 or 6 of us children packed in a basement huddled around an old boob tube TV with zero idea as to what we were about to encounter. I wish I was joking when I tell you seeing THAT cutscene, where you first come face to face with what would be my first time experiencing a zombie, was the single most terrifying moment of my life. You have to know what cutscene I'm talking about, right? The slow panning of the camera to a figure hunched over and all you hear are horrible flesh squishing sounds only to be shattered by a bone breaking crunch, a half-eaten decapitated head falling to the ground and the awful stare of the undead turning around and zeroing in on its next victim (that victim being you). The reason I can recite exactly what happens in this scene and where I was when I first viewed this goes to show the impact it left on me and my fragile 7 year old mind.

Looking back at this memory, I can't help but laugh at how incredulous it is that Resident Evil from PS1 gave me nightmares and tortured my mind for weeks and months afterward. Seriously, go watch that cutscene on YouTube if you've never seen it before or heck, go watch it even if you know but need a reminder. (Just don't judge my 7 year old self too harshly. Or do. I was a little brat as a kid) However, both myself and Resident Evil have gotten older and evolved to try and keep up with the modern world. We've both had our share of success and also our fair share of boulder punches. (Check Resident Evil 5 if that reference confused you) Unfortunately, I can't lay claim to helping kick start what would eventually become one of the most popular gaming genres the world has ever seen.

Now I completely agree that Resident Evil fits more into the survival horror trope than just straight up horror but the series has also been all over the map while dabbling in action, adventure and even multiplayer. But you never forget your beginnings! (Or whatever the saying is) At it's core, Resident Evil is a horror game and horror games do a lot more these days than throw a few shambling zombies your way. They manipulate you, they jump scare you and they genuinely make you curious as to why you insist on torturing yourself while playing them. One such game that gave me such a brutal time is simply called Madison.

For those of you unfamiliar with Madison, I practically beg of you to stay unfamiliar with this game. I was suckered into streaming this particular game for a celebration of reaching 100 followers on Twitch and the worst part was it was my first "true" horror game. What do I mean by "true" horror? Well there's no weapons, there's jumpscares every 30 seconds and even the parts of the game that feel "safe" are really just luring you into a false sense of relaxation. ONLY TO JUMPSCARE YOU AGAIN WORSE THAN BEFORE. Can you tell this game made me a tad upset?

All things considered, I honestly did have a fun time playing Madison, just like I've enjoyed the majority of the Resident Evil series throughout the years. I think most of the "fun" was my chat laughing at me screaming like a baby or repeatedly saying how much I regretted playing this game. But seriously, after getting all these words spewed out all over this blog, let's get to the meat and potatoes of what horror games are really all about. They're about living! (Wow, that was anticlimactic) No, no. Not living in the game! (Although that typically helps) I'm talking about feeling alive in reality! I think we as humans crave that primal urge once in a while to reset our roots in nature and chase the feelings or emotions we sometimes become numb to. It's the same argument for thrill seekers. While you could never catch me jumping out of an airplane, you have others that have done it hundreds or thousands of times. They're chasing that rush or that adrenaline pump you only experience in those types of situations. It's the same reasons we visit haunted houses or Halloween themed parks. We want that spike of feeling alive! Especially after a bloody clown makes you practically soil yourself because he thought it'd be fun to follow you around for over 5 minutes in silence while the rest of your friends group notices but doesn't say anything to warn you. (Sounds like a personal experience there, Prowler) Let's move on, shall we?

I think in the end, horror games are an amazing genre to be enjoyed or at the very least admired for what they have, can and will continue to accomplish. Not everyone may find them entertaining and that's okay! For me personally, I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to find another Madison type game to play but that doesn't mean I won't partake in another campy Resident Evil game remake that's sure to come out soon. It's really about finding that happy balance in both gaming and in life where we force ourselves out of our comfort zone and do something we aren't accustomed to in order to really feel alive. My 7 year old self might think I'm crazy for saying so but this 35 year old appreciates horror a whole bunch. Perhaps subtracting that darn zombie from 1996.

P.S. I didn't think of this until after concluding the blog but does anyone else remember the old Goosebumps video game Escape from Horrorland? Another one of my neighborhood buddies had that game on PC and if there's anyone out there that remembers those damn sewer monsters from that game, I'll look forward to seeing you in therapy seated right next to me!