GameFrame: Lessons on Fear Mechanics from the Video Game Series Silent Hill
“He who is not bold enough to be stared at from across the abyss, is not bold enough to stare into himself.” -James Sunderland (Silent Hill 2)
In an increasingly complex and dissonant world, we encounter ambiguity on a daily basis. The less we know about what comes next, the more we need to create an alternative narrative to soothe our anxiety. Fear of the unknown is one of the biggest challenges in organizational transformation.
Leaders can benefit from learning how to engage people emotionally, motivate and mobilize them, or reduce anxiety in the workplace. My research on prosocial leadership and the humanization of the workplace shows how powerful storytelling is in making sense of the rapidly changing world and dealing productively with that change.
Recently, I revisited some memorable video games from my childhood when I wrote about the use of aesthetic storytelling in the workplace (see GameFrame: Lessons on Perseverance from the Video Game Medievil). While “regular” storytelling is more about the plot or sequence of events, aesthetic storytelling examines how the story is told.
GameFrame is an original concept we came up with to frame key lessons from video game narratives, a seemingly forgotten treasure trove of ideas. Video games are a rich example of how powerful aesthetic storytelling is in conveying complex ideas in a simple way that solicits emotions and response.
This GameFrame is about the world of Silent Hill. Since its release in 1999, the series has become one of the most popular and well-known horror-survival franchises in gaming history. These games are known for their dark storylines, as well as their creepy atmosphere and intense psychological terror. Silent Hill has developed a large and devoted fan base, with many fans analyzing the game’s complex narratives in great detail. Contrary to layman belief, the experience of completing a Silent Hill game is actually rewarding and fosters a sense of accomplishment instead of traumatizing the player.
Fear can motivate but also paralyze us.
It’s time to dive into the world of Silent Hill and see how we can learn to tame the destructive power of imagination and how it makes scary things even scarier.
Revisiting the story of Silent Hill
Here is a brief overview of this video game franchise, which spans two decades.
These games follow the journey of various protagonists who stumble into the ominous town of Silent Hill. It is a fictional American city that is shrouded in thick fog and seems to turn into a nightmare after certain actions of the protagonists.
Each protagonist has to overcome a different group of opponents on their journey, which are a manifestation of the protagonist’s subconsciousness and their ultimate goal.
They fight against their inner demons that are projected into the world they live in. Each of these protagonists is well-developed and complex, with a rich backstory and a strong motivation to help someone else who seems to be lost in the city of Silent Hill.
- Silent Hill 1 was the first game in the series and told the story of Harry Mason, who suffers a minor car accident that leaves him unconscious. When he wakes up, he finds that his adopted daughter has disappeared and runs around the town of Silent Hill to find her. This search quickly turns into a fight for survival, as he faces some of the most terrifying creatures imaginable while the town turns into a nightmare. The true horror of the Silent Hill games is in the psychological horror, which is determined by suspense and atmosphere. However, all the nightmare creatures you encounter disappear as if they were just a figment of your imagination. In the end, Harry defeats the demons of the past and his daughter is reborn as a newborn.
- Silent Hill 2 is often called the best game in the series. Another protagonist experiences his own version of horror. James Sunderland receives a letter from his late wife, Mary, telling him that she is waiting for him in Silent Hill. When he gets there, he finds that the town is not what it seems. Most fans agree that these switches between the nightmare world and real life symbolize James’ journey through self-discovery. It is believed that James visits Silent Hill because he is struggling with guilt over the death of his wife and has to face his fears and demons in order to move on with his life. He later realizes that the terror he experiences is the burden of guilt he carries after suffocating his wife in a psychotic episode.
- In Silent Hill 3, Heather, the daughter of Harry Mason from Silent Hill 1, is attracted to the city after having strange dreams about it. Soon she discovers that she is the reincarnation of Alessa Gillespie, who was burned alive as a child because the inhabitants believed she was possessed by evil spirits. Heather must fight these demons and the High Priestess Claudia to save herself from destruction and free her mind. Some believe the story is about motherhood and sacrifice, while others think it is a commentary on religious fanaticism. The ambiguity of the different endings in the game keeps players guessing about the story’s resolution, which adds to the experience.
4. The last installment of the series, Silent Hill 4: The Room, was the most criticized because of the many changes to the gameplay and narrative. The protagonist, Henry Townsend, wakes up in his apartment 302 to find that his apartment door has been locked from the inside, with no way to unlock it. He begins to have nightmares and hallucinations about seemingly random people dying in these nightmares. When he awakens from these nightmares, he learns that all of these people are connected to the murders of serial killer Walter Sullivan. Henry is able to escape from his apartment through seemingly invisible tunnels that happen to open in the walls of his apartment and lead to Silent Hill, where he tries to stop these murders. The only person Henry can hear is his neighbor Eileen, who is being stalked by Walter. In his hallucinations, Henry tries to hunt down the serial killer and free Eileen from his grip.
Silent Hill 4 is a great example of how complex these narratives are.
Although this point is never revealed or hinted at, it is heavily speculated that Room 302 itself could be the memory of Walter Sullivan (the serial killer antagonist), as it is the place where Henry “lived” his solitude for so long.
Another interpretation of Silent Hill 4 is that it is a story about schizophrenia. The protagonist, Henry Townshend, starts having hallucinations and delusions throughout the game, while no one else can see these creatures to life.
Some believe that these hallucinations represent different aspects of Henry’s psyche, such as his fear, anger and guilt. Others interpret Silent Hill 4 as a commentary on society’s obsession with technology: Henry is trapped in his apartment because he spends too much time on the Internet or playing video games.
One thing is certain, there is no single explanation of the Silent Hill metaphor, and that’s the beauty of it.
Unpacking the symbolism of the Silent Hill metaphor
Silent Hill is more than just a small town in the U.S. It a metaphor up for interpretation. And each player will interpret it differently, depending on what the perceived symbols mean to the player.
The story of Silent Hill may be fictional, but it is inspired by the town of Centralia, Pennsylvania, which was abandoned after a major fire. Many people believe that Silent Hill is cursed and that something dark and sinister lurks behind the abandoned, foggy streets. The cityscape and the eerie experience of hearing someone speak in an abandoned city create a visceral and unmistakable atmosphere of horror without having to experience any creepy creatures.
Perceived atmosphere made Silent Hill 1 so memorable, even though the graphics at the time consisted of simple, blocky polygons and not so creepy images. Some believe that it represents hell or purgatory, while others claim that it is simply a manifestation of the protagonist’s mind.
Nobody knows for sure what Silent Hill stands for, and that’s what makes the game so appealing and mysterious.
Most players agree that it symbolizes fear, guilt and repression. The creatures that attack the protagonists are their repressed emotions, manifested through the mystical power of the city. And some of these creatures cannot be defeated.
The Pyramid Head creature in Silent Hill 2 simply disappears when James sufficiently injures it with the available firearms. It is a symbol of James’ guilt, of his desire to be punished for what he did to his wife, a creature that cannot be destroyed in the nightmare he lives in.
Silent Hill as a whole symbolizes catharsis.
The protagonists find themselves in the nightmare of their own minds, and the real power in this narrative is in the resolution they find. They fight the demons in their minds and try to eliminate and heal the source.
Enduring this almost ritual purification the protagonists go through, helps them find closure and makes the game not only entertaining, but also therapeutic. Essentially, the player takes on the role of therapist for the protagonists, metaphorically helping them fight through the dark emotions and fear that have become a living nightmare.
As humans, we experience fear on a daily basis to a different degree and deal with it differently. And that’s where Silent Hill excels, using our psychology against us to create an atmosphere of horror and leaving us anxious for what comes next.
Video games like Silent Hill help us empathize with people who are suffering
Silent Hill games are complex and are driven by fear and guilt. These emotions are often used to create an unsettling feeling in players and to make them aware of certain aspects of life and human nature.
For example, in one scene of Silent Hill 2, the protagonist James Sunderland finds his deceased wife lying in bed; this scene is meant to make the player feel guilty for hurting someone they loved. The use of fear and guilt helps create an emotionally charged experience from which we can learn a lot about ourselves and our compassion for people going through a difficult time. It can even help us deal with our own hard times and the adversity we face.
Suffering is a word commonly used in the Western world, but it can have different meanings in different cultures. For example, in Buddhism, the concept of spiritual suffering is central to life and an essential element of living.
For a Buddhist, suffering means the experience of pain, frustration, and disappointment. It is something we all go through in life, and it is important to understand its true nature if we are to find peace and happiness.
We create our own suffering by clinging to things that do not last — like people, material possessions or ideas. When these attachments disappear or change, we experience pain and frustration. This is why it is so important for Buddhists to learn how to let go of desires and live in the present moment. A path that leads to enlightenment and liberation from all forms of suffering. And to reach this state, we must first understand what makes us suffer in the first place.
Video games that deal with difficult topics like mental illness and suffering, such as Silent Hill, can help us empathize with people suffering from mental illness. It is a complex subject that is difficult to understand and easy to dismiss, and to raise awareness of its consequences.
Video games give us the opportunity to experience the world of others, which can help us understand sick people instead of judging them. Here are some of the things the Silent Hill games teach us about mental health:
- Mental illness is scary: various interpretations of the game suggest that all protagonists may suffer from mental illness. This can be very scary for those unfamiliar with such depictions, but helps to educate people about what these illnesses can look like and how mental illnesses distort their perception of reality.
- Mental illness can be isolating: one of the main themes of Silent Hill is loneliness. This is something that many people with mental illness feel, as they often feel misunderstood or unsupported by others. Dealing with this issue in a compassionate way can help us.
- There is hope: despite the dark nature of the Silent Hill games, there is always an underlying theme of hope. This teaches us that no matter how bad things seem to be, there is always a chance of recovery and that getting through the suffering leads to a cathartic experience.
What can we learn by observing the mechanism of fear in the workplace through the lens of a horror-survival game?
Fear is a natural emotion that humans and animals feel in response to danger or threat — it is even more than an emotion, it is an instinct.
Fear is a friend, not something to “master” or “banish”. We need it and yet can’t be paralyzed by it — so we need to be curious about it. (David “Daven” E. Morrison III, MD)
Fear is a central part of our nervous system and is designed to protect us from harm and can cause us to avoid potential danger. Dangerous situations are perceived subjectively and run through all areas of human existence. From fear of the elements and predators to fear of colleagues.
For organizational researchers like us, the workplace is particularly interesting to observe as a setting because people rarely experience life-threatening incidents there. Yet the workplace is particularly important to all of us, and we spend much of our time there fearing various things. From gossip to saving face, partisanship to managing our reputations to being frozen in the status quo for fear of innovation and hunkering down in times of organizational change.
Fear of perceived threats often overcomes hope of perceived benefits, which limits professional progression and inevitably, organizational development as well.
One of the main themes that runs through the Silent Hill series is that of fear and hope. Many of the characters in the games struggle with personal demons or inner conflicts, and they often find themselves in dark and dangerous situations.
However, even in the midst of all this darkness, there is still a sense of hope, as shown by the fact that many of the characters manage to survive to the end. This shows us that there is always hope, no matter how bad things may seem at times.
Different people deal with fear differently and therefore react to it differently. Silent Hill stands out because it creates psychological horror, that is, it scares us indirectly by allowing us to create the image we think is scary ourselves, rather than showing it to us directly.
An accurate measure of narrative engagement and is characterized by the point at which the audience feels the same as the protagonist. And this happens through several mechanisms:
- The unsettling atmosphere created by the sound design and the creatures makes the player feel scared and nervous. The creature design in Silent Hill 1 is polygonal and looks silly in the modern graphic age, but these creatures are scary because the player fills in all the blanks. We tend to do the same in other areas of life… We often fear the fear itself. When we’re aware of this mechanism, we can understand how the design of a particular environment increases our sense of fear in that environment. The workplace you fear is just your imagination playing tricks on you.
- Jump scares, sudden noises or images cause panic, disrupt concentration, and force one to deal with them in seconds. Destructive leaders often use this tactic to increase your overall sensory load and increase your nervousness and susceptibility to comply rather than resist. Knowing when to expect a scare reduces its effectiveness almost instantly.
- Players remains in dark, enclosed spaces where they cannot see what is happening around them. Fear of ambiguity is a tool often used by less experienced leaders. Tight deadlines and ambiguity leave less room for questioning decisions and developing alternative solutions. The experience of fear is cleverly paced in the game by friendly faces that the protagonist encounters from time to time, so that the feeling of fear turns into hope. In this way, you survive the fear of the next monster by anticipating the next positive solution, and this keeps you going through all the darkness of the level design.
- Disorienting camera angles and landscapes challenge orientation. The game deliberately tries to sow self-doubt and confusion in your mind, and the only way to deal with it is to keep your composure and continue as you intended. This is an interesting mechanism often used by narcissists in the workplace (who try to gaslight you into giving in or intentionally humiliate you). Both the horror game and the abusive behavior rely on the mechanism of fear and reinforce the effect of their behavior on you.
- Another way Silent Hill uses fear to control its players is by planting doubt in their minds. By suggesting that something might be waiting for them around the next corner, the developers create an air of paranoia that helps fuel our fears. A technique used extensively in Silent Hill 2, arguably one of the scariest games in the series. Doubt leaves players with a sense of unease and uncertainty, which adds to the overall tense atmosphere of the games and reinforces the overall emotional appeal. And this is why overcoming fears feels so rewarding.
And these mechanics apply to horror-survival games just as much as they do to the workplace, the typical behavior of nasty bosses, impostor syndrome, code-switching, and the result of gaslighting. So think about these the next time you feel frightened or anxious at work, and consider how much of the horror you created is in your mind vs. how scary the situation really is.
This article was written by
Antonio Sadaric is passionately curious about organizational symbolism, corporate cultism and general mechanisms of social learning in various contexts. His consulting work at BUFFED focuses on leadership upskilling and helping (fin)tech scale-ups humanize organizational development. Co-author of Capt. Bossman’s Workplace Stories — the world’s first picture book for professionals.
Carin-Isabel Knoop leads the Harvard Business School’s research and case writing group and has helped HBS faculty members write more than 200 case studies on organizations and managers around the world. Learning about managers’ challenges pushed her to improve their lives, leading to the publication of Compassionate Management of Mental Health at Work with Professor John A Quelch (Springer, 2018). She also co-founded HSIO (Human Sustainability Inside Out), and speaks and publishes about mental health in the U.S., French, and Spanish-language spheres. She enjoys soft-serve ice cream, pragmatic idealists, and postcard writing.
