Resident Evil creator says players have gotten used to the traditional means of horror, tougher to scare
Shinji Mikami, creator of Resident Evil, says it isn’t as easy to scare players these days. This is because people have become accustomed “to the tropes of horror and they know what’s coming next,” he believes.
Mikami was sharing his comments about horror while speaking with EDGE. He told the publication:
“Not much has changed when it comes to instilling terror in the player. But people have got used to the tropes of horror and they know what’s coming next, so in that sense it is harder to make them afraid.
“The scariest parts will be when you encounter enemies that cannot be killed with a gun. Even if you shoot them they won’t die, so you’ll have to run or use a trap to beat them. That should be fun – and also scary.
“Making games is always like a rollercoaster: really fun times, but also really busy times. When you ride a rollercoaster, the uphill part is scary and fraught and lasts for a long time, and the downhill part – the fun, exhilarating part – is over in a flash.”
