Agenda
Empathetic Horror: Creating an Invested Gaming Audience in an Intimidating Genre
Emmett Nahil (Narrative Director, Co-Founder, Perfect Garbage Studios)
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Track:
Narrative & Performance, Design
Audience Level:
All
Format:
Lecture
Vault Recording: TBD
Audience Level: All
Fear is a universal experience, but finding fun in fear through horror gaming isn't always so universal. How did murder-mystery farming simulator Grave Seasons incorporate horrific, supernatural, serial killers into a genre seemingly solely prepared for coziness and predictability? In this talk, learn how Narrative Director Emmett Nahil eased audiences into the deep emotional core implicit to horror stories, and, through thematic depth and detail, brought a wide cast of characters to life in an often intimidating genre. Dig into how Perfect Garbage Studios analyzed their own fears and horror preferences to create the core themes for each supernatural killer, how they analyzed their audience's underserved investment in darker themes, and how they implemented empathy to drive player investment in Grave Seasons.
Takeaway
Attendees will gain a better understanding of genre expectations in horror games, alongside tools to understand the impact of such narratives. This will cover strategies to ease non-horror audiences into scary sequences, how to adapt these themes for a broader audience, and how to analyze narrative impact.
Intended Audience
This lecture is intended for narrative designers and directors, writers, and creative directors involved in directing the tone and accessibility of their game from script level to wider narrative direction. It is also intended for anyone crafting horror in games to analyze potential audience impact of their work.