Game Design : Step one, heal the players

"Pfffft, this is surely exaggerated. I have to see for myself, what kind of magic spell this 'Outlast' has cast on my friends!"

In an unassuming neighborhood, somewhere in the capital city, a muscular man with a buzz cut sat grumpily in front of his computer. 

The big man's name was Song Ren, and he was currently skimming through the gaming forums, feeling awfully skeptical. 

There were so many posts popping up about how scary this game was. 

To be honest, he was never all that interested in the horror genre, being more invested in story driven games like 'To the Moon' instead. 

He would sooner die than allow his friends to know the tears he shed while playing through that game. 

So when he heard both 'Outlast' and 'To the Moon' shared the same creator, he was curious. 

Despite his brutish appearance, Song Ren was a gentle soul with a sensitive side. And the tears he shed while playing through 'To the Moon' would be enough to strike a lesser man down with dehydration. 

And ever since then, he regarded Chen Xu highly in his heart. 

Making up his mind, he decided to give this new 'Outlast' game a shot, after all, it was currently trending, usually a good sign for a game. 

And besides, how scary could horror games be?

So he bought the game, had it installed, and began his pilgrimage into the eye of terror. 

"Heh… trying to be all mysterious now?" 

Standing before Mt. Massive Asylum, Song Ren felt himself brimming with confidence. 

"Hmm… Is this it?" 

Climbing from the scaffolding into a dark room, Song Ren was calm and steady. 

"Harumph! Just a little jump scare, no real danger."

When the corpse dropped after opening a door, Song Ren was startled, then his face twisted in disdain. 

"Fuck! Get off me!"

When the wheelchair inmate lunged and tackled him to the ground, Song Ren's face had noticeably paled. 

…..

About an hour later, Song Ren was leaning back in his chair, breathing deeply and feeling his rapid heartbeat. 

Heavy thumps, strained and forceful, rang around in his head and chest, a testament to the fright he had just experienced. 

Slowly, silently, he stood and ambled his way towards the window, pulling open the shades to let sunlight flood the room. 

He stared wistfully into the distance, basking in the warmth of the sun and letting it melt his fears away, bringing his mental state back into focus. 

"Never felt happier to feel the sun on my skin…"

Somberly, he returned to his seat to save and exit. 

He had to admit: he lost, he lost completely. 

Thinking back to what he had gone through in the game so far, Song Ren leaned back into his chair again, feeling a lightness in his belly and a weakness in his legs. 

But then, as he recovered from his fears, a playful grin spread across his face as he had an idea. 

Picking up his phone, he began messaging his friend groups. 

[Old Zhang, I've just found an incredibly fun game, very immersive, very thrilling. I just played it and really recommend you try it. It's cheap too!]

[A new game by the same designer of 'To the Moon', it's called 'Outlast']

[What kind of game? Oh it has some puzzle solving, some parkouring, and very thrilling elements]

After Old Zhang agreed to try it out, Song Ren took a deep breath and gazed lazily out the window. 

It was broad daylight, thank fuck he played it in broad daylight, no way he was touching this game at night. 

Half an hour later, his phone buzzed. It was a short message from Old Zhang.

[omg fuk u]

Song Ren smiled widely and leaned back into his chair, the lingering fear in his heart completely faded by now. 

He could just imagine his friend screaming while playing this game, if only he could be there with a camera to capture the moment. 

After calming down, he glanced back at his computer, displaying the pause menu of the game. 

He was just stalked by two, very large, very naked men. Maybe it was time to call it a day. 

...

Players like Song Ren weren't rare. 

Many flocked to try the game because of their love for Chen Xu's previous works. 

Many more saw discussions and posts from community forums and grew curious. 

Like Song Ren, they gave in to their curiosity and stubbornly rose to challenge the game. 

After all, 9 out of 10 horror games sucked. Most weren't scary or were just too predictable. Was this one really so frightening? Or is this all just paid reviews? 

With that mindset, many players took a chance and decided to try the game out for themselves, planning to return to the forums later on, with victorious screenshots of the post-game credits as proof of their gaming prowess, and massive balls. 

After all, just like how most men believe they can defeat a wild animal in unarmed combat, most gamers tend to overestimate their courage and skills unless they're more self-aware. 

But once they stepped into the game, they quickly came to realize what they were dealing with. 

There was no need to even mention the late-game content, many were scared off in the opening segments alone. 

Some swaggered in with great enthusiasm, only to have it greatly dampened at the entrance of the asylum. 

Those with slightly more moxie made it to the first true jumpscare, or perhaps more accurately, the first meeting with the big monster. 

But by far, the most ruthless filter in the game turned out to be the dark basement level. Where players had to solve a puzzle in the dark while being hunted by a madman holding a spiked club. 

Among the masses of tormented players, some managed to grit their teeth and power through. 

However, once they got past that part, they found themselves drugged by the priest and dragged into the prison zone. Where they realized all the previous parts were all just a gentle warm-up!

The game caused many people to quit at different stages, but there was a universal reaction afterwards. 

The shivering souls who were scared off the game would flock to gaming forums and sites to either recommend or warn others about the game. 

Like infinitely stacking matryoshka dolls, each one getting scared then scaring the next. 

If they had to get scared, they wanted to drag other people into the same experience. They had to make others feel the same fear they did! It was only fair! The heavens are truly just!

This led to a period of great confusion for new players who couldn't figure out why the community surrounding the game was such a mess. It was like a giant inside joke. 

The malicious ones posted screenshots angled and filtered to look less frightening, trying to convince others that the game was a fun adventure to try out. 

The pure hearted ones were detailed in their descriptions, emphasizing on things to look out for when playing the game. 

The conflicting opinions only seemed to captivate more players, drawing them in to try the game out of curiosity. 

As the player base kept growing, discussion about the game expanded as well. 

In the beginning, Chen Xu and Nebula Games had to subtly guide conversations about the game with their planted accounts, but now there was no need for that. 

As more and more players got into the game, and subsequently scared to death. Posts on the topic spread like wildfire, spawning waves of memes, video essays and reviews, creating a buzz in the industry and increasing the influence of the game.