The Importance of Jump Scares

Today on COG Considers, we talk about one of the worst things a horror game can throw at you--and why jump scares can sometimes be good.

[Sonic-and-Crash]

without atmosphere and proper immersion ...jumpscares are meaningless ...and as you included RE, SH etc ...these games originally cared to create the proper environment for atmosphere ....(like movies did that time see Predator 1/Alien 1 movie

the nowdays sequels go for only for cheap tactics that are only for laughs . not immesive at all...wihtout any knowledge of how to make good horror gameplay

[KDblack]

You're absolutely correct. The point of this article is that atmosphere and proper immersion can make jump scares good, because we've spent so much time with lazy jump scares that we're in danger of forgetting how effective they can be.

Fingers crossed the new RE games remember how to actually scare players.

[on_line_forever]

👍 Agreed atmosphere is the important thing to me in these games

- resident evil 1 , 2 , 3 , cod veronica
- silent Hill 1 , 2 , 3 ,
- parasite eve 1 & 2
- fatal frame
- Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
- dead space 1
- countdown vampire
- dino crisis 1

👆 all these games has great atmosphere when I play them in the past

[Sidewinder-]

Man, that window in Dino Crisis. My younger brother was watching me play at the time. We both near shit ourselves.

[giveyerheadawobble]

This is true. A kid popping a balloon behind your back qualifies as a jump scare when there's fuck all scary about it. It's just a loud noise that startles you. Pity that that is what seems to qualify for horror these days.

[slayernz]

until dawn did jump scares really well - especially when you could record it and go back and watch your reaction....had one of my boys watching it while i played a bit and some of our reactions were priceless, still go back and watch them every now and then for a bit of a laugh

[Furesis]

I don't like jump scare personally, i just can't handle them. But i do love creepy and eerie atmosphere like silent hill etc.
I do feel these days a lot of horror games are just series of jump scares. If anyone knows any current games with silent hill/early RE game vibes give me recommendations!

[Duke19]

I’m fine with jump scares done right for my standard gaming setup. I also know for a fact that jump scares are one of the main reasons I have 0 interest in VR gaming tho lol

[giveyerheadawobble]

You think VR is just jump scares? You mean you've no interest in horrors in VR because they'd be too effective? And you'd be correct. VR sort of has the same effect on horror as what it does on, well, everything else. It makes the flat version seem dated.

[Duke19]

My comment was mostly in jest, but yes I meant “I can handle horror not in VR, but there is 0 chance I would be able to play or enjoy horror in VR haha. Way too much for me personally”

[Germaximus]

Jump scares are stupid useless things you get from Five Nights at Freddy's. Resident Evil's scares were because of good writing and directing.

[Unknown_Gamer5794]

Jump scares are one of those things that can be done well, or not so well. Call me cynical but I no longer subscribe to the notion that if something startled me, I’m scared of that thing. That faulty jack in the box in the movie Elf startled me the first time I saw that film. That doesn’t mean I’m afraid of jack in the boxes. That’s also why I don’t actually think FNaF is scary.

But, I’m also not one to write something off entirely, especially if it can be done well. If something legit scary jumps out at me, then it’s not scary simple because it startled me, but because it’s legit something scary. Franchises such as RE, Silent Hill, Outlast, etc, have pulled it off in such a way as to make me believe, yeah, that’s scary.