DELICIOUS IMMERSIVE HORROR GAMES, HO!
Sorry about that, I got a bit ahead of myself.
I’ve been following the “Oculus Rift” a lot recently. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a “virtual reality headset for 3D games”, under development by… Oculus! The headset promises to deliver an engaging, immersive experience to any games that support the “Rift”, by giving the sense that the player is actually within the game itself, instead of simply watching it on a screen.
According to an article by “The Verge”, who took a look at the VR headset, the “Rift” looks a lot like ski goggles, with two lenses within; one for each of the player’s eyes. Combined, the lenses form a 1280 x 800 display for the player. Each eye, alone, is able to see 640 x 800 pixels worth of resolution. The visuals offered are, supposedly, 3D.
Despite the rather low resolution on the “Rift”, the immersion factor is apparently what sells it. Much like “TrackIR“, another augmented reality input device, the “Rift” allows you to look around within the game by moving your head around; meaning, if you tilt your head up, your character does so in-game, and so on. There are some key differences between the “Rift”, and other VR devices, however; not only does the “Rift” allow you to turn 360 degrees, but it also blocks your peripheral vision. When you wear the “Rift”, your peripheral vision doesn’t include your room, the edges of your monitor, or anything of the sort. Rather, your peripheral vision includes the game itself, much like you’ve stepped into the world itself.
But what does this mean for games? There are games in development, and even games that are out already, that are implementing “Rift” support in their design. “Team Fortress 2”, for example, has included Oculus Rift support. Even “Half Life 2”.
Now, while I agree the boost of immersion is great for any game, but there’s one particular genre that I think it could work incredibly well for: horror games.
You’re probably already aware that I love horror way too much.
The thing with horror is that immersion is vital for a good experience. The player simply must be sucked in to the experience to be able to explore the spookiness and the scares with proper effect. And the Rift could offer that on a tremendous level.
The question now is if games should shift their focus onto “Rift” support, or continue without it. There are games that are embracing the “Rift” quite openly, already. One in particular that I’m very excited for is “The Forest“. The player is the lone survivor of a plane crash, and must survive on an island inhabited by cannibalistic mutants. With the “Rift”, it might make things even more tense. When it’s a dark night in the woods, the cannibals are out hunting you, and you feel as though you’re actually there, it’s only more terrifying. What’s even worse is when the cannibals find you, and start tearing into you, you almost feel like you, yourself, are the one dying. It makes the experience feel more personal.
But games have gone a long while without VR support, and have still managed success. Not to mention that the “Rift” will probably be fairly expensive; not something that everyone will be able to get their hands on. So the shift to focus on the “Rift” is somewhat worrisome; perhaps it’s just a fad? And what about those companies that would spend valuable time and money attempting to offer support for the “Rift” in their games?
I guess they’re not very big worries, as far as I’m concerned. If you ask me, the “Rift” could be exactly what horror games, and many other games, need. The massive step in immersion factor is brilliant, and people don’t have to worry about their immersion being broken anymore by disturbances outside of their game.
I just hope that people develop games that involve more atmosphere than… jump scares. Ugh, jump scares. I think I threw up in my mouth a little bit.
The Obscure Gamer 