Horror Trope Research: Doom Approaching and Hidden Horrors

 This research is split into two self-titled tropes that aim to explore how Horror Games use a threat approaching the Player, affectionately named 'Doom Approaches', and how obstacles can be used to hide threats, named 'Hidden Horrors'.

On the Left is the research for 'Doom Approaches', whilst 'Hidden Horrors' research is on the Right. In each scenario, the Player is represented by a large Green Spot whereas monsters are represented by small Red Dots.

'Doom Approaches'

This research is meant to illustrate how a monster approaching the Player can be made more effective through obstacle placement. In this situation, the Player cannot move and knows something is coming for them, but has to predict from which direction the threat is coming from. Later experiments could test this with the Player having some form of self-defence to test how that impacts the horror of each scenario.

In Scenario A, a monster approaches the Player from across an otherwise empty room. Scenario 1 is the same as Scenario A, only it takes place in the dark. 

In Scenario B, a monster approaches the Player from across a room with a wall or long bookcase, meaning there are two potential paths the monster could take that lead to the Player. Scenario 2 is the same as Scenario B, only it takes place in the dark. 

In Scenario C, a monster approaches the Player from across a room with several smaller walls or  bookcases, meaning there are several paths the monster could take, but three potential entry points from which to get to the Player. Scenario 3 is the same as Scenario C, only it takes place in the dark. 

In Scenario D, a monster approaches the Player from across a room with several smaller and uniformly positioned walls or  bookcases, meaning there are several paths the monster could take, but five potential entry points from which to get to the Player. Additionally, the Player can narrow down what paths are available to the monster as they can see which direction it goes in. Scenario 4 is the same as Scenario D, only it takes place in the dark. 

In Scenario E, a monster approaches the Player from across a room with several smaller and scattered objects; they could be walls, bookcases or even rubble. This means that there are numerous paths the monster could take, but five potential entry points from which to get to the Player. In this case, the Player cannot narrow down what paths are available to the monster as they cannot see which direction it goes in and the path it takes could be long or short. Scenario 5 is the same as Scenario E, only it takes place in the dark. 

'Hidden Horrors'

This research is meant to illustrate how the number of obstacles blocking sightlines to monsters can make a situation scarier. In this example the Player, marked by the Green Spot, has to navigate to a door indicated by a large Blue Circle; a simple goal if there wasn't the threat of hidden monsters indicated by the Red Dots.

In Scenario F, the Player can see where the monsters are and can easily navigate past them as they are easy to avoid. Scenario 6 is the same as Scenario F, only now it is set in low light, so it is harder to avoid the monsters, but by travelling in a straight line, the Player can get to the door without issue. This could be explored further by having more enemies and have them positioned to be more in the way.

Scenario G follows the same logic as above, only now there are a few columns that the Player will have to navigate around and which obscure the threat of the monsters. If the Player gets too close to a column with a monster behind, they become dinner, meaning they have to carefully make there way to the door. Due to the limited number of columns and openness off the space in this scenario, it isn't too difficult for the Player to guess which columns have a monster behind them and navigate past them. Scenario 7 is the same as Scenario G, only the low light now makes it more challenging to proceed through to the door.

Scenario H has the Player attempt to navigate through a room full of columns, a few of which hide a monster. Unless they want to be a tasty snack, they will have to choose their path carefully to avoid the monsters. It will now be harder for the Player to do this as the number of pillars make sightlines very limited and increase the threat of the monsters as any column could potentially hide one. Scenario 8 is the same as Scenario H, only the low light will further heighten the apprehension felt by the Player as it will now be very difficult to see which columns have a monster behind them. As such, the Player will be forced to proceed with caution as they make there way through the maze of columns...

Or they could just hug the wall for a straight run to the door, avoiding all potential threats.