Playing with vision: Sight and seeing as narrative and game mechanics in survival horror

Abstract

A considerable number of survival horror titles use the modification of sight and seeing, in particular the disruption and enhancement of the same, as important elements in relation to story and game mechanics. Examples range from simple obscuration of the gameworld by mist and darkness to highly sophisticated approaches that direct break the fourth wall with visual effects that belong not to the game world but to the player’s reality. Grouping the approaches under five headings—obscuration, distortion, mediation, perspectivity and disruption—this paper presents a comparative analysis of ten survival horror titles with a view to understanding how sight and seeing are used as story elements and narrative mechanics across the genre.