/vr/ - Retro Games

They like Americana, it's that simple.

You're more easily horrified by what you're less familiar with. By definition, when you get used to something, it stops being horrifying.
So this is why US settings and westernized horror is probably more scary to the Japanese, while Japanese ghost stories (Fatal Frame) is more scary to us, we've been brought up on Romero zombie flicks, they've been brought on ghost lore.

But there were survival horror set in other settings, especially on PS2 (Kuon, Fatal Frame etc).

>The town of Silent Hill is a small rural American town imagined by the creative team. It was based on Western literature and films, as well as on depictions of American towns in European and Russian culture.
That last part is weird

>>9816323
Everyone like when bad shit happens to america, even americans

The very obvious reason would be to appeal to the western market of consumers. Your hypothesis about immersion breaking elements in games is rendered irrelevant on the premise these games require a significant suspension of belief in the first place, your thoughts are however expected since /v/ is so fucking retarded these days.

>>9816374
Lmao forgot I was on /vr/, this board is pretty shit too lately.

America is basically hell on earth, those aren't even horror games

>>9816379
I often think I've accidentally clicked on /v/ too

Why wouldn't you set your game in the greatest country on Earth? It's one of the most interesting settings, it has some of the most varied geography you can find, and it has lots of guns which is usually a good quality for action games. God bless America.

>>9816323
Uh, didn't you know all the big time horror writers were Americans?

>>9816467
>>9816323

Their novels also were set in the US 99% percent of the time.

>>9816323
Because these japanese devs grew up watching american horror films so these games are essentially their own japanese take on the genre

>>9816374
What's the law where if you correct somebody on something you will invariably make some kind of stupid mistake yourself? Shithead's law?

Anyways OP yeah it's a combo of things, marketability being one of them, Japan is also just fascinated with America as a rule.

A lot of Silent Hill was rooted in horror-centric westabooism, so it made sense to set it in the US.

>>9816334
>Ghosts
>Scary
Maybe to 6 year olds. There's a reason they're the main enemy in Luigi's Mansion

>>9816510
The ghosts are the scariest part of Silent Hill.

>>9816510
Every last person that says this would be disturbed if they witnessed anything paranormal and would think about it for the rest of their lives. If some incorporeal rotting thing phased through your bedroom wall your response wouldn't be "hurr durr Luigi's Mansion"

>>9816323
Twin Peaks.
>>9816331
Beat me to it. Damn good coffee.

>>9816524
Western media portrays ghosts as goofy mildly spooky shit for kids and people who believe in real ghosts are widely derided as retards, like Zak Bagans. Pretending Fatal Frame is more scary to Americans is stupid

>>9816323
They wanted a global audience. Everyone in the world is familiar with American settings and aesthetics due to Hollywood, and won't feel alienated playing such games, unlike Fatal Frame where the strength of it's setting is lost to the average normie.

>>9816524
I don't know, I work at a hospital that like 90% of the staff swears is haunted, but any time I hear or see things that I can't explain right away, I don't reach for the "ghost" explanation. For example, we've had a radio (One of those older 90s boombox looking ones with analog dials) keep turning itself on in a locked room or noise that sounds like distant crying on empty floors, but I just assume there's a rational explanation that I don't care enough to delve into.

>>9816524
only retards are scared of the paranormal

>>9816323
answers are simple and span multiple genres, Japan is creatively bankrupt, stuck in tropes and stereotypes, their games aren't very good, the ui needs an update, the works.

>parasite eve
>survival horror

>>9816323
The real answer is that america was more "distant" back then and the teams were ameriboos who loved western culture and media. It wasn't exclusive to horror games, other examples are both Mother games. America stopped being seen as exotic by Japan around the mid 2000s because their mainstream media has sharply declined in quality, but ameriboos still exist in very small quantities.

>>9816682
Don't feel like going into details but just trust me, it's actually exactly the opposite. Dumb people aren't scared of the paranormal

>>9816727
yeah this, the more smart a mind is, the worse it's imagination can be

>>9816732
Lol, I think you mean to say the better the imagination the worse off the individual is, in regard to frightening oneself. Whatever the case stupid people are far more gullible than intelligent people, this is not a topic worthy of debate. You must believe paranormal beliefs follow that trend or state why otherwise

>>9816725
>Still exist in very small quantities.
There are plenty of women in Japan that follow TMZ garbage. I can tell you this from experience.

Why does it always have to be USA? Why not tribal Africa, ancient Inca empire, an island in Indonesia, anything creative?

Probably the third biggest survival horror franchise outside of RE and SH is Fatal Frame, and that series is defined by being very Japanese.
Plus like half of the RE series isn't really set in America by this point.

>>9816727
>Dumb people aren't scared of the paranormal
lmao you know that the majority of UFO and cryptid sightings come from rural areas right

>>9816663
Cope harder, pussy

>>9817549
The US is the biggest customer base and people are more likely to play games featuring places they are familiar with.

>>9817549
Most of those literally exist. There's a survival horror on the playstation where you're running around inside of pyramids and shit. It's just no where near as big of a deal as those other games.

>>9816323
>Is it just because that's the only place in the world where omnipresent guns and ammo in buildings like schools and hospitals would be believable and not immersion-breaking?
Reminds me of this, from the development of Out Run
>>Suzuki initially conceived the game's setting across the United States, and he requested to scout various locations there. According to Suzuki's boss, Youji Ishii, Sega president Hayao Nakayama believed the US was too unsafe, and suggested Europe as a safer option.
And actually, as a born-and-raised American who used to live in other countries, including Japan, it reminds me that I often had to explain to people that no, I did not own a gun, in fact most Americans don't. People think the US is like how it is in braindead action movies.
(Also had to explain that Americans do not typically go to church every Sunday, eat burgers and pizza every day, fuck on the first date, etc)

>>9816323
Before the internet became common use and everyone could go online and see what a fucking dump Europe and North America really are, societies like Japan revered the United States and thought it was actually a cool place with interesting people. There's even a phenomenon to this day where Japs go to Paris and are so shocked by what a run down nigger infested jungle it is that they become depressed from sheer disillusionment. Poor guys can't help but see the best in people. They think Americans are all action heroes spouting cheesy but endearing one liners and hot blonde babes.

>>9816663
lol you're literally being haunted by dead niggas but you're such an I FUCKING LOVE SCIENCE faggot you won't let yourself be spooked by it, in some ways commendable

>>9816323
SH was ripping off Steven King specifically

Ghosts are scarier because they're a completely unknown element. Japanese ghosts in particular will kill you in awful ways for no reason you will ever understand. Morons get scared of a big angry dude with an axe. Particularly noguns are mortally terrified of shit like home invasion films and murder hillbilly flicks, and then never stop to wonder why.

>>9817593
>There's even a phenomenon to this day where Japs go to Paris and are so shocked by what a run down nigger infested jungle it is that they become depressed from sheer disillusionment.
It's not just Japanese who experience this.

>>9817593

All people who go to Paris are shocked.

>>9816323
>Why
Big country and Hollywood with movies watched everywhere, besides they got US bases in Japan. American culture is everywhere.

>always set in the US
Well it's not just any part of the US. Silent Hill takes place in Maine, RE (at least the classic games) takes place in the Midwest... Parasite Eve takes place in NY. All places that are somewhat close to one another. I don't think there's games taking place in like Texas or California (for the latter this place is already full of horror as it is, no need to make horror games there).

>>9817241
Not one demographic in the entire world is more gullible than academics.

>>9817241
>tfw most renowned scientists are not atheists
>tfw fedora tipping retards still screech about 'muh atheism is the only way, paranormal is not real only stupid people believe it' while also referring to science
This is like self destruction

>>9816323
Alone in the Dark was set in America, and Jap devs are uncreative copycats

>>9817718
>California
PE2

>>9816732
ability to perceive something that isn't directly gotten from the senses, i.e. imagination, correlates significantly with intelligence. to imagine geometrical possibilties in IQ tests, for example.

>>9817971
Oh so that's why it sucks huh.

>>9816690
it's a RPG?

>>9816323
Literally who wouldn't want to pretend they are from the US? Pathetic cucks is who.

>>9816323
The Japanese centric ones weren't popular in the USA

>>9816323
they recognize america for the hellscape it is

>>9819302
It amuses me when you mental midgets compare America to hell.

>>9818752
Companies loved slapping those made up genre labels on boxes back then didn't they?
>Resident Evil - Survival Horror
>Dino Crisis - Panic Horror
>Silent Hill - Horror Adventure
>Parasite Eve - Cinematic RPG

>>9816524
>get awoken in the middle of the night
>see tar-like personage seeping through my bedroom wall
>"fucking bing bing wahoo rehash"
>go back to bed

>>9816331
Twin Peaks is in Canada

>>9819564
Canada is in America what's your point?

>>9816323
Really because most horror movies were made and set in the U.S., especially the ones those games were based on. The new wave of Japanese horror cinema wasn't in full swing yet, and they also needed to appeal to Japanese audiences. There were plenty of horror games based on Japanese settings, though, like Fatal Frame.

>>9816727
yeah dude only really smart people are afraid of ghosts

>>9816725
once social media showed the world how truly disgusting Americans really are there facade was over

>>9817909
Source?

>>9819564
No it's not. I'm pretty sure it's in Colorado.

>>9820048
Okay, it's in Washington, apparently. South Park is in Colorado.

>>9816334
>But there were survival horror set in other settings, especially on PS2 (Kuon, Fatal Frame etc).
how could you not mention Siren,this game is so spooky i have a hard time playing it.

>>9816682
you do realize the paranormal include stuff like angels of the most powerful being in all existence,thats pretty scary.