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Giant Bombcast - 08/19/2014

I'm with Jeff 100% with the horror talk. Being afraid of something on a screen is something you should get over when you get to about age 10 or so. All of Patrick's horror lets plays remind me of the kind of contrived overreaction that your Pewdiepies bestow on everything.

Yeah man..movies like The Exorcist and Halloween are only made to entertain 10 year olds.
 

Wiseblood

Member
I don't agree with Jeff's opinions on horror for the most part, but I do agree with him thinking reactions like in that Patrick gif and the thing they showed at the press conference are fucking stupid and I hope that's just because the know there's a camera there and are playing it up (even unintentionally) like all the facecam shit on Youtube.
 

Oni Jazar

Member
Ok that's some serious smack talk from Jeff regarding horror that can't go without a test.


He *needs* to sit down and record a session with PT in a dark room wearing headphones and I will guarantee that he will be scared. It's bs to be Mr. Big Man saying that he doesn't understand the point of horror in movies and games. Has he never been immersed in a game or movie?
 

GolazoDan

Member
Hearing Jeff talk about horror... I dunno, man. With that mindset I'm not sure how he gets immersed in anything because that "it's just a movie/game" mindset can unravel even the most compelling stuff.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
I don't agree with Jeff's opinions on horror for the most part, but I do agree with him thinking reactions like in that Patrick gif and the thing they showed at the press conference are fucking stupid and I hope that's just because the know there's a camera there and are playing it up (even unintentionally) like all the facecam shit on Youtube.

Or people react to horror differently because fear is a primal and unpredictable reaction.

Or people are just stupid poopy buttheads. Who knows!
 

daydream

Banned
I sort of agree with Jeff in the sense that games purely designed to invoke a specific emotion in people (in this case, fear) usually lose me very quickly. There are extremely one-dimensional that way.

Thankfully, there is horror stuff like Silent Hill, Project Zero and others who aim for and accomplish much more than that.
 
What I found funny about the whole conversation is if Brad had just played past the part he is talking about he wouldnt be scared anymore. He would be frustrated just like anyone else that plays (played) the demo without any assistance. Trying to complete that picture without getting clues from the community is almost impossible. After the big jump scare I spent an hour looking for what to do next..and anytime that fucking ghost popped up I didnt give a fuck. Fuck Lisa.

But thats besides the real point which is Gerstmann being his usual contrarian self. The first 15 minutes of P.T. is very effective tension building. Does he think everyone is just exaggerating how uncomfortable they feel while playing it?
 

linko9

Member
Every time I think I've been desensitized to Jeff's insanity, he finds a way to break through. This is a man who does not understand how anything shown on a screen can scare an adult. Shit, I couldn't make it 10 minutes into that PT quick look :D
 
A thing I need to always remember about Jeff is that he is a mechanics guy, at the end of the day. When he goes into his rant about horror, it reminds me that immersion is always something that is on the bottom of his list when he talks about what makes a game, or anything, good.

Take Majora's Mask for example. Honestly, what do people really like about it at the end of the day? The way it presents emotions like despair, loss and dread. And yeah, the mechanics are kinda wonky, but most people look past them for the super engrossing experience.

And Jeff absolutely hates it. And that's his prerogative, I sometimes really like how Jeff is much more in tune with what makes a game fun to actually play.

Scary experiences are great. Majora's Mask is the best game of all time. Fuck Jeff Gerstman.
 

Blizzje

Member
I do appreciate Rorie making an appearance on the bombcast, but I kind of compare him to a fancy mexican food place: good, but sometimes you just want Taco Bell, because its perfect food.

And by Taco Bell I mean Dan. Yes, this is me making a real dumb joke about wanting Dan to be on the podcast always. Also: Mario Party 24-hour extra life marathon...????? (The answer is yes)
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
They aren't but being freaked out over films as an adult makes no sense either. I can watch a good horror film and enjoy it while never been scared.

Good on you big guy for not being scared.

Don't you feel adult now for reacting differently compared to other people who aren't like you?
 

Curufinwe

Member
They aren't but being freaked out over films as an adult makes no sense either. I can watch a good horror film and enjoy it while never been scared.

Your (and Jeff's) "I don't find this scary so nobody should" attitude displays an unsettling lack of understanding of human emotion.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
I like Drew but Drew never talks. Rorie should take his place.

Can someone post the Patrick gif?

2670066-spookin.gif


The one time where he hit the desk and pictures started falling down was better though.

edit: damn, was hoping that someone gif'd it, but it's 47 minutes into this.

http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/spookin-with-scoops-06-06-2013/2300-7461/
 
If anything, they're the Anti-MMO.

They've had that effect on player counts and behavior in MMOs, I know that much.

Hearing Jeff talk about horror... I dunno, man. With that mindset I'm not sure how he gets immersed in anything because that "it's just a movie/game" mindset can unravel even the most compelling stuff.

To me, you can't MAKE something compelling. It either is, isn't, or you can prepare your outlook for it going in to be potentially receptive to it.
 

Lonestar

I joined for Erin Brockovich discussion
Gonna need to send Rorie an email, in appreciation of knowing that yes, Alabama will make it into the playoffs for College Football. Damn Smart.
 
Your (and Jeff's) "I don't find this scary so nobody should" attitude displays an unsettling lack of understanding of human emotion.

But it isn't the lack of emotion. Its not real. Real things scare me. Things on the screen don't. It isn't real enough to trigger the fright response. I think there is a part where when the audience is being observed or a part of a large group, there is a need to overreact
 

FluxWaveZ

Member
But it isn't the lack of emotion. Its not real. Real things scare me. Things on the screen don't. It isn't real enough to trigger the fright response. I think there is a part where when the audience is being observed or a part of a large group, there is a need to overreact

Did you play P.T.? I think I'd be impressed if someone didn't feel anxious playing the beginning parts of that game, when I had thought that horror games or movies would never faze me, myself.
 

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
But it isn't the lack of emotion. Its not real. Real things scare me. Things on the screen don't. It isn't real enough to trigger the fright response. I think there is a part where when the audience is being observed or a part of a large group, there is a need to overreact

It's no more silly than getting an emotional response from characters that aren't real and events that never happened in a drama, or feeling excitement from watching a kickass action movie even though the outcome is predetermined and no one is actually in danger.
 
Jeff has argued a bunch of times in the past that even changing your environment and playing with the lights off is a dumb thing to do for horror games and he won't. He's the wrong kind of person for horror experiences.
 

psylah

Member
Haven't listened to the podcast yet, but did Jeff play it and wasn't scared or is he saying it's not scary just because?

He didn't play it, and complained about / made fun of people who find anything in any form of media scary.

Being an internet tough guy.
 

LiK

Member
I still need to play PT. Been so busy lately I haven't played anything. Heard it's short so I'll need to check it out soon just to see what the fuss is about.

I agree with the crew, Jeff should "opt in" and see if he enjoys it. Give it a shot.
 
Jeff has argued a bunch of times in the past that even changing your environment and playing with the lights off is a dumb thing to do for horror games and he won't. He's the wrong kind of person for horror experiences.

I find this point of view dumb. Changing the environment to better the experience, especially when it's as simple as turning off the lights and turning up the sound, is one of the best and easiest ways to make horror games more engaging.

He didn't play it, and complained about / made fun of people who find anything in any form of media scary.

Being an internet tough guy.

Frustrating. He could at least try the damn thing first before speaking about it like he knows what he's talking about.
 

Curufinwe

Member
But it isn't the lack of emotion. Its not real. Real things scare me. Things on the screen don't. It isn't real enough to trigger the fright response. I think there is a part where when the audience is being observed or a part of a large group, there is a need to overreact

So people don't get scared watching horror movies at home?

I think there is a need in you to dismiss something a lot of other people do naturally.
 

kaskade

Member
P.T was definitely scary to me. I was playing in my room with my friend and girlfriend, lights off sound up and was still getting pretty damn anxious. It wasn't so much the jump scares either, just the overall sense of something about to happen at any moment.
 
why do horror games scare? let's say in the case of Clock Tower, there's dread, and in P.T. ... dreading jump scares.

fearing that jump makes sense to me. the tension builds as you worry about that moment appearing.

i guess with a pyramid-head type, there is still that sudden appearance factor. but then what's the reason to fear their killing of you? i don't think it would be fear to return to a checkpoint.

so maybe the abruptness is always what is feared. even when you can see a threat, there's always a chance you'll escape. and that chance suddenly being taken away from you is what you're constantly concerned about.

well, i haven't played any of the games referenced, other than a small amount of P.T.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
You might as well ask why people can laugh, cry, get angry at or feel happy about stuff in fiction. Mostly because people can be empathetic to depictions in fiction or relate to that fear.
 
Dunno if believe Jeff claim that he has never been scared by a fictional work of horror when he has admitted past instances of a game disturbing him.
 

Branson

Member
It's so lame. I typically enjoy off topic discussions but wrestling is just the worst.
Or you could maybe open your mind up and give it a chance. I'm not here to say it's the most interesting and best thing in the world but video games are pretty dumb too.
 
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