Do It On The Day: A Video Game Podcast by Jess McDonell · Jessica McDonell

Why Survival Horror Might Be The Best Video Game Genre We've Got & How Resident Evil Proves Mastery

·51 min·1 clip

Horror games achieve what horror films can't: nervous system readiness plus mechanical control.

A sophisticated analysis of horror as a gaming genre and media phenomenon. The host explores why horror works psychologically, why games may be the superior medium for horror compared to film, and how indie developers create more impactful experiences than AAA studios. Personal experience (15 hours into Resident Evil) grounds theoretical discussion in genuine vulnerability. Arguments progress from genre psychology (nervous system activation) through mechanical design (consequences, save-scarcity) to narrative structure (indie self-containment vs. franchise formulas). References span indie games (Slender Man, Mortuary Assistant) to artistic horror films (Midsommar, Silent Hill) to establish horror's potential as serious art.

As heard by us

A chatty case for why horror keeps working, even when it scares people off.

Do It On The Day turns a commissioned Resident Evil Requiem playthrough into a broader case for why horror still lands for people who think they are too scared to try it.

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Why you'd press play

For when you want horror talk that starts with fear and ends with a wider genre argument.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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