With shriek-inducing jump scares, unbearable suspense and nauseating levels of gore, the sources of distress that children might find in a horror game are self-evident. Most commercially released titles have an age certificate high enough to alert parents to the possible dangers, but download-only titles don’t require a rating and therefore often push the boundaries even further.
Our #WakeUpWednesday guide this week tiptoes intrepidly into the blood-soaked but perennially popular realm of the horror genre, discovering that an unsettling atmosphere and disturbing imagery can stay in young minds long after the game has been switched off – and that real-life human players are more dangerous than legions of virtual zombies or vampires.
