Video game trauma can last for years
Video game trauma can last for years
Video game trauma can last for years
By Virgine Soffer
February 8, 2024
Summary
In video games where the protagonist plays an essential role in the plot and the player develops a strong bond with the character, it's entirely plausible that emotions may bleed from the character to the player.
Cry of Fear is a horror video game that explores a wide range of particularly sensitive topics, from depression to self-harm, murder, and suicide.
Games such as Cry of Fear can trigger intense emotions in players, a type of "Videoludic trauma" that continues to resonate long after the game has ended, he found.
Studies of horror in movies and video games have often suggested that the pleasure that players get from being frightened is rooted in the games' inherent safety.
Video game players don't have quite the same experience, but emotions can still bleed from the character to the player.
"Rationally, I knew this was absurd. Afterwards I reminded myself that these were virtual civilians, not real ones; and besides, the game is programmed in such a way that if you want to finish it, you have to use the white phosphorus But none of this rationalization changed how horrified I had felt, along with the protagonist, on discovering the charred bodies that he/we/I had produced. If trauma studies has taught me one thing, it is that fictional events can have real effects on one's outlook and ethics The fact that I felt the need to rationalize my guilt over Spec Ops: The Line in the first place demonstrated just how 'real' of an effect the game had had on me."
"Videoludic trauma is a subjective experience. It will become easier to explore it as more players, scholars, critics, mental health professionals and trauma survivors begin to take an interest and write about their own gaming experiences."
Reference
Soffer , V. (2024, February 8). Udemnouvelles. Nouvelles.umontreal.ca. https://nouvelles.umontreal.ca/en/article/2024/02/08/video-game-trauma-can-last-for-years/