Scared of My Creation: Designing a Game That Frightens Its Creator

Abstract

This research and project explore whether the creator can be scared by their own creation, utilising a self-psychological lens and analog horror aesthetics. This research positions the researcher as both creator and player. This research culminates in the digital artefact ‘Safety Coffin'. It emphasises my core fear of death, which was revealed through my autoethnographic methodology of reflection and self-psychology. With the consideration that horror games can be a form of exposure therapy, this project aimed to become a coping strategy for my fears. The development of Safety Coffin has demonstrated that not all psychological horror games need to be conventionally scary to be considered frightening, and has the potential to open new paths for designers and game developers to create artefacts that are truly personalised and terrifying to them.