Why Do We Love Being Chased In Horror Games So Much?

Being stalked and pursued is a trope that's deeply rooted into the survival horror genre, and has been since the first Clock Tower in 1995. But it wasn't until Resident Evil 3: Nemesis that it became a staple in the long running franchise. Since Nemesis' debut in 3, players have been chased and terrorized by likes of Mr. X in the RE2 Remake, RE7's Jack Baker, RE6's Ustanak, and now the ever-adored Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village--and they're all equally very stressful and horrifying. 

Kurt Indovina gets scared very, very easily. Yet, in spite of his trembling fear of being chased, he considers survival horror his favorite genre. And with Resident Evil Village here, a game he's very eager to play, he's left trying to understand why he enjoys these games so much, despite his near incapability of being able to handle them. In an effort to try and understand why people, like himself, enjoy being scared and chased, he turned to clinical psychologist Dr. Ken Carter, author of the novel Buzz!: Inside the Minds of Thrill-Seekers, Daredevils, and Adrenaline Junkies.

In the above video, Dr. Ken Carter helps Kurt understand the many theories as to why people enjoy the thrill of the scare. From Freudien ideology to science, there are many reasons to explain why people enjoy being scared despite the stress it causes. Some believe it's just the adrenaline, but according to Dr. Carter, it's a little more complicated than that.

Hopefully you'll leave watching this video having a better understanding behind the science as to why you may love the thrill of being scared too, or maybe why you don't like horror games at all!