Scary Video Games

We’ve been talking a lot about scary movies this month for Halloween, but I wanted to shift gears a little and talk about scary video games.

While I don’t really get scared by movies (unless they have creepy kids in them), games can sometimes do a number on me. It’s not the “I’m going to have trouble sleeping tonight” kind of scary so much as it’s the “things keep jumping out at me and freaking me out” kind.

Which makes sense, because you’re much more emotionally invested in the outcome of a video game than a movie. You want your character to survive and progress in the game, so threats to his or her safety are much more frightening that watching an actor run away from some masked, undead goon. Add in the fact that some game developers are really good at creating creepy atmospheres (particularly in games like System Shock 2, Dead Space, Bioshock, and Silent Hill), and it’s no surprise that a 2 a.m. gaming session by yourself in the dark can get a little eerie.

Here are some of the scariest games I’ve played. Some of them are old PC or console games, and some are more recent console offerings. Since we don't have data on PC or older console games, I’ve linked you to IGN for more info on those. Keep in mind many of these games are for mature audiences only (mature by age, not mindset, which means I still get to play them).

The 7th Guest
Alone in the Dark
Bioshock
Clive Barker's Undying
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Dead Rising
Dead Space
Doom 3
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R. 2
Fatal Frame
Fatal Frame 2
Left 4 Dead
Resident Evil
Resident Evil 5
Silent Hill
Silent Hill 2
System Shock 2