Computer: Game: Horror
dawkin's cross - horror game idea   (+2, -5)  [vote for, against]
recommended for cthulhu mythos type of games

You are getting hunted by some monster in some 'old period' game (or maybe even modern)...

usually, you would go for the gun, but since you don't know where it is... and your are a priest... naturally you would go for the cross/holywater.

After running towards the holy object, with the monster in pursuit, you finally got the object, now you can fight back!

You aim the cross, at the monster... aim... and...

nothing... after few helpless shouting "in the name of jesus!...", your third button press, makes your avatar throw the cross... which bounce off uselessly off the monster.

You get eaten in some major horrible way.

On your second try, you decided to just try and run away... you get eaten anyway, as the monster hears you.

finally, you workout a way to make the cross work for you! in a different way... you used it as a distraction device.

Now while the monster looks for the noise your cross made... and goes "oooh shiny!"... You sneak though the backdoor, all the wiser for it.

-------------------

How the holy object is programmed: when pointed at a monster, you shout "in the name of Jesus...", before throwing it after a few shouts.

If pointed elsewhere, the avatar would just whisper to himself "should i really be doing this?", before aiming the cross to throw it as distraction.

------------------ Additional brownie points if its an Islamic or Hindu or Buddhist icon or some other religious icon (e.g. Scientology)
-- mofosyne, Jul 10 2010

Forbidden Planet http://en.wikipedia...ki/Forbidden_Planet
Monsters from the Id ... [8th of 7, Jul 10 2010]

Inform 7 http://inform7.com/
Natural language IF programming [DrWorm, Jul 10 2010]

Grue http://en.wikipedia...wiki/Grue_(monster)
[DrBob, Jul 14 2010]

And the purpose is to teach that the *real-life* supernatural horrors that one might meet from day to day are not affected by other supernatural phenomena ... unlike supernatural horrors in absurd, made-up stories about the supernatural?
-- pertinax, Jul 10 2010


And presumably the game ends with an animaion of Dawkins telling you that monsters aren't real and that you probably imagined the whole thing.
-- hidden truths, Jul 10 2010


One would hope a priest would know better than to imagine supernatural power lies in shiny oversized jewellery...
-- vincevincevince, Jul 10 2010


//One would hope a priest would know better than to imagine supernatural power lies in shiny oversized jewelry//

Maybe you can come up with 94 more like that and nail them to a church door somewhere.
-- mouseposture, Jul 10 2010


Hmmm... monsters with ADD?
-- Grogster, Jul 10 2010


"Monsters from the ADD" ?

<link>
-- 8th of 7, Jul 10 2010


I like it. Horror and video games do mix pretty well, there's a few horror games I would play again.. This one well... The fun of a video game lies in the interactivity. If you have a dumb monster with limited responses to your activity, the game will go dull fast. But, you've brought in this whole "use your items non-intuitively" factor that would make a great game if you could extend it. You need to extend it though, throwing a cross around is going to get boring pretty fast. []
-- daseva, Jul 10 2010


I like this, because it incorporates satire _and_ the Cthulhu Mythos. I adore Lovecraft.

Incidentally, I'm actually in the process of writing an interactive fiction, or "text adventure", game using Inform 7 (linky); that format would be ideal for this flavor of game.
-- DrWorm, Jul 10 2010


awesome DrWorm, please do make a link to your game, if you are adding this idea in!

It be quite an honor (despite the fishbone D: )
-- mofosyne, Jul 11 2010


Stars of David might come in handy.
-- RayfordSteele, Jul 11 2010


jewjitsu - I see what you did there, RayfordSteele
-- mofosyne, Jul 12 2010


<Mitsuo Fuchida>

"Torah, Torah, Torah ... !!"

</Mitsuo Fuchida>
-- 8th of 7, Jul 12 2010


@[Akimbomidget]: Sorry! I didn't mean to say that I was making this game (though it wouldn't be too difficult - Inform 7 is very easy to learn). I was just mentioning that IF is a good format for this type of game concept.
-- DrWorm, Jul 12 2010


This sounds like the sort of thing one might have found (or may yet find, for the uninitiated) in Zork.
-- bungston, Jul 12 2010


What is the effect of religion on a grue?
-- DrWorm, Jul 13 2010


That would depend on whether the religion involved lots of light or not. For example, Catholic, lots of candles, should keep them at bay.
-- DrBob, Jul 14 2010



random, halfbakery