Worth Jamming: Asylum Jam

I will pay good money for a t-shirt that says DAD IS HOME

I think the second game was pretty effective in what it was trying to do.

The fact that it tells you your looking for your son and immediately the player is expected to sympathize with that. The "bad guys", the dark figures walking around could maybe be considered "normal" people and as a predator you want to avoid them.

The character is in a brown trench coat which immediately flags something along the lines of a flasher to me.

At the start of the game it says "The kid plays too many games" or something along those lines. Games are often a form of escapism.

I feel like there are red flags here. Its just interesting that you go into it assuming you are the parent and want to rescue your son or whatever without questioning it, just because the game gave you that bit of information. Like if a man in a brown trench coat was walking around an arcade in real life, you approach him and ask if he needs help, and he responds saying he's looking for his son.. Wouldn't even a small part of you question it?

And once you complete the experience, you can go back and kinda see like.. hmm maybe I should have thought about this more.

Also wonder whats in that other room he couldn't get into.

Not cool, Dad.

Man... that second game left me speechless as well. And disturbed...

brb dad's home

@reelife: I'm guessing he means that it's another in a long line of horror games where you're in a dark open area with some source of light and you just wander until you find something.

@rcath: I was waiting for this. Every time I read the title of these videos, I read it in beat with the song.

That 2nd game was insane. Speechless is right.

After watching the second game. I need to wash my eyes, where's the soap.

More like Fleshlight Jam.

AMIRITE

That second game ending made me laugh out loud. oh good god.

I totally misunderstood the second game (and the whole jam actually). I thought, the character had a mental illness which made it difficult for him to be outside and around people (every one seemed evil and out to get him), but he was forcing himself to go out because he (rightly or wrongly) feared for his son... then when it got to the ending I thought they totally messed up, making the guy with problems also the monster, which I felt was completely opposed to the spirit of the jam.

I thought the jam was about accurate portrayal of mental health issues.... but having reread the remit, I guess it was just about not having any mention of mental health. So I guess the game was OK in that regards (unless you class pedophilia as a psychological disorder, which actually I think most people would)

But the whole thing really feels like a wasted opportunity, making a horror game with no mental health issues is easy, you just need an antagonist that is a monster/alien/ghost/unknown and not set it in a hospital. Hardly the most limiting theme.

Ziiiiip. That was hilarious.

As disturbing as that second game was, Patrick's expression made it worth the while.

Totally saw through the second game as soon as Patrick read the paper. High-five'd myself while Patrick was sitting in misery at the end.

Patrick's reaction to the second game reminded me of Conan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo1kNGGEle0

The Unknown, Night Shift, and Tempus Fugit all seemed like great games! I'd love to see them expanded somehow.

The elevator game has potential if functionality to look around and interact with the environment was added. The smoke was relatively unobtrusive, and there wasn't any alarm or mechanical creaking to give a sense of fear.

I see why arcades died.

@sydlanel: Yeah that was my understanding of it also but I think you explained it better then I would so I am just gonna agree :)

A lot of interesting ideas, but most of these games didn't work unfortunately. Night shift and Tempus Fugit have potential for sure.

I honestly had to stop watching for a bit after the second video. That was... well. Wow. Huh.

The third game genuinely gave me the chills, though.

The design of the creatures in the third game are goddamn terrifying. If you told me that were a Silent Hill creature (of the original team), I would believe you. They would do well inside of a more fleshed out game.

Though I will agree, the slew of first person Amnesia/Slender styled games is getting a bit old. Horror is only effective if you're unfamiliar with what's going on.

33:50

"Can i Collect you?"

I still think Asylum Jam is a cool idea. But looking at these games now I realize I misinterpreted the point of the jam. Even more so I'm disappointed that some of these games seem to continue stereotypes about mental illness.

This looks bad, but at least it's bad in a way that's different from what I expected?

@kindgineer: I totally understand what you mean, but I definitely think it's worth exploring different kinds of horror in horror entertainment.
I definitely think Arcade could've handled the subject with more tact, but I still think it was really effective.

In the silence that followed, I was reflecting on the other events in the game sequence. The idea of the player character bending over to look at Nathan's bracelet, with the knowledge of what was to come is made me squirm in my seat. And ultimately, isn't the point of horror entertainment to put you in that kind of uncomfortable place?

@sirdrmchurtz: that is a super, super cool idea