What is it that motivates us to play a game that is actively creating an environment of dread and tension in our own living rooms? Findings by Kent University – who conducted a survey into the buzz people feel when frightened – might just go some way to providing a scientific explanation.

Frank Furedi, the author of The Culture of Fear and Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent says, ‘Paradoxically although fear is part of our everyday experience many of us actually welcome the opportunity to feel a little bit scared. In a risk-averse age many of us possess that very human aspiration to find out how we react to scary circumstances. In contrast to our routine fears – health, economic insecurity, relationship breakdown – horror games and films directly stimulate our senses and excite the imagination. That is why so many of us are drawn to video games, horror films and or thriller novels.’ He concludes that, ‘For many people, especially the young, the world is far too safe and predictable. Yes, we fear death but many feel truly alive when they have encountered difficult and scary circumstances. When 73% (of people polled for the survey) say that they enjoy being scared a little, what they mean is that a dose of fright reminds them that there is more to life than a 9 to 5 routine. Being scared is part of life. Playing with our fears through games – conventional or digital – helps many of us to manage them.’

Look at Capcom’s Resident Evil 5 for example, designed to include as many bottlenecks in the game play as possible. These flashpoints force the player to travel into a sinister and oppressive environment, all to produce fear levels well in excess of ‘everyday’ life. Through this Capcom create a situation in which game players experience a rush of endorphin release upon the successful completion of a particularly tense battle. This in turn drives the player on to experience subsequent horror-filled action sequences and the cycle is renewed.

Is this a formula for success? Well, nobody can argue with the profits Capcom have taken with the Resident Evil franchise and while a redesign may well be on the cards for Resident Evil 6 – according to series producer Jun Takeuchi – don’t be surprised if fear remains an intrinsic element of the sequel.

If you survive Resident Evil 5, check out these games for further terrifying delights:

Dead Space (Xbox360/PS3) – EA’s take on the survival-horror genre, expect plenty of aliens – all with multiple limbs ripe for dismemberment – to be coming your way.

Siren: Blood Curse (PS3) – The closest you can get to a Japanese style horror film on a home console.

Clive Barker’s Undying (PC) – An oldie, but it contains some of the best scripted horror sequences realised in a video game.

Resident Evil 4 (Wii) – The previous iteration of Resident Evil is perhaps the perfect blending of action and horror; the Wii controls enhance the game ten-fold too. A classic.

Half-Life 2 (Xbox360/PS3/PC) – Valve’s masterpiece pulls out all the stops when it comes to ramping up the tension and features true edge-of-the-seat, heart-pumping action.

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