Fun to play, not to experience

The medium of video games is one of the most creative and expressive forms of art in the 21st century. It has allowed us all to take a peek into another world, one made of pure imagination. Yet, we rarely take the time to wonder: how horrible would it be if some of the most terrifying video games ever conceived became a reality? Here, we highlight some of the most terrifying video games to become a reality. 

 

“The Last of Us”

This first entry could’ve been any popular zombie survival game. However, this 2013 game of the year, smash hit shows us that not only do we have to worry about unrelenting, frightening zombies, but also fellow humans turned savage and desperate, willing to do anything for their survival. 

“The Last of Us” also demonstrates how  just as the  structures of society have crumbled, so have the morals and decency of man. In the game, we’re granted a full view of the degeneracy and darkness of humankind as all the social structures that keep us from becoming sadistic, bloodthirsty monsters are stripped away. “The Last of Us” is a spine-chilling reality  because it becomes apparent that the scariest thing in a zombie apocalypse are not the flesh hungry zombies, but humanity itself. 

 

“DOOM Eternal”

This game is a little more straightforward than the last, with monsters who are actually monsters.  Last year’s critically acclaimed FPS gorefest, “DOOM Eternal,” gave everything a Doom fan could want. Creative enemy design, excellent movement and combat gameplay and the satisfying feeling of ripping and tearing through multiple demon hordes is what makes this video game so exciting. 

However, “DOOM Eternal” is only fun because you control the only person capable of defeating those demons, The Slayer. It would be a nightmare for us regular humans. These demons also have advanced technology with a large arsenal of rocket launchers, energy weapons and lasers. So, not only are these demons depicted to be physically bigger and stronger than the average human, but they have an unmatchable amount of fire power. That’s terrifying. 

 

The Fallout Franchise

This next entry shares many dreadful similarities with the last two. Giant enemies with futuristic weaponry? Check. Humans gone savage and sadistic for survival? Check. Zombies and more monsters than you can count on both your hands? You better believe it. 

All these horrors and more can be found in the wastelands of the Fallout franchise. In the year of 2077, China and America are fighting a brutal and bloody war, which eventually goes nuclear. This leads to America becoming an irradiated wasteland and is the setting for the series. 

Fast forward to a 100 years later, all governing bodies are gone, and local wildlife have become monsters through mutations caused by radiation. Depending on which Fallout game you play, you could be in a gunfight with savage human survivors in Boston, exploring a crater where the White House used to be or fighting giant fire-breathing ants in an irradiated Mojave Desert! You also have to be wary of human factions with agendas and places oversaturated with radiation. There’s no shortage of dangers in this wasteland.

 

“Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus”

I made sure to save the best for last, or in the context of this list, the worst. In the two most recent installments of the Wolfenstein series, “New Order” and “New Colossus,” the games force the player to fight through a horrifying alternate timeline; a world where the Nazis won World War 2. 

Not only did the Nazis win, but during the war, the Nazis achieved great technological advancement. They created weapons of war and tools of oppression with the implementation of advanced robotics, superior weaponry, and once again, lasers. 

Although “Wolfenstein: The New Order” is an appropriate entry, “New Colossus” presents a horrifyingly specific scene for American audiences. A 1960s Nazi occupied America. 

In one segment of the game, your character, William “B.J.” Blazkowicz, disguises himself as a firefighter as he walks through Nazi populated small town in Roswell, New Mexico. It’s a beautiful sunny day as 1960 styled cars and diners decorate the town while an army parade marches through town.  Nazi swastika flags hang from every building, jets fly over head leaving colored smoke trails in the pattern of the Nazi flag and KKK members donned in full Klan robes joyfully converse with Nazi soliders. 

You can even eavesdrop on a teenage girl flirting with a Nazi officer. She expresses her gratitude towards the Nazi army for bringing “real culture” over to America, stating how she couldn’t stand the “jungle music” such as jazz and rock n’ roll. 

The game even later mentions that all of America’s colored minorities, disabled and Jewish citizens have already been sent to concentration camps. While the thought of living under a facist totalitarian rule is already every freedom-lovers’ nightmare, “New Colossus’” image of Americans embracing and welcoming Nazi culture is it’s most bone-chilling aspect. 

Whether if it’s fighting zombies, demons, giant mutated animals or living under Nazi rule, it’s undeniable that these video games would be the worst realities to live in.