How Doki Doki Literature Club got me to love horror · 4:14pm Aug 17th, 2020
I used to hate horror.
I'm a Fluttershy-level scaredy cat. As a child, I was genuinely thought the little "pop" sounds in the wooden beams at night was someone trying to break into our house. More recently, I've been fearful of going back to school during the coronavirus pandemic...the responsibilities of living alone...my health...and also whether my writing is up to par. I get a lot of panic anxiety over these things.
I've shunned the horror genre for many years because of that. "I'm such a fearful person," I thought. "Why on earth would I enjoy adding even more fear to my life?" Why would anyone want that?
Playing Doki Doki Literature Club recently made me understand why people enjoy horror.
It's not about subjecting yourself to fear and pain just for the fun of it. It's about using fictional fears to help you be less scared of the real fears in your life.
When the fear is written down in words on a page, it can't hurt you. When the fear is in a fictional game on a screen, it can't hurt you. Don't get me wrong, some of the jumpscares in the game got me sweating all over and hugging a plushie for warmth. 
But after living my whole life (especially the past few years) buried in fear and anxiety, the horror of Doki Doki Literature Club was...oddly refreshing.
Why do I fear the things that I'm fearful of? Because they could hurt me in real ways. There's something very real at stake: my physical health, my grades, my financial situation in the future...my relevance as a writer. You know, important things, that matter to me. And so, you almost feel guilty if you don't fear it.
Horror games aren't like that. No matter how scared (or not scared) you are, there's nothing at stake. It's all for your entertainment. It's guilt-free fear.
I wouldn't say I suddenly love the horror genre now. But I have a new appreciation for it.
Game review (minimal spoilers):
Doki Doki Literature Club is a free horror game that plays like an anime-style visual novel. The game starts out with you following four cute high school girls in an afterschool writing club.
I've just played through the game once (up to the credits screen). Overall, I really enjoyed it. It's truly a work of art that uses a video game as a medium of expression.
For those of you are a Fluttershy-level scaredy-cat like I am 
, don't let that discourage you from playing this excellently crafted game. Yes, this game is very scary. But if you are okay with jumpscares and seeing cartoon gore like in SmileHD and CupcakesHD, you'll be fine. Don't turn the volume too high, and keep it in window mode rather than fullscreen.
I like that the game is not your garden variety conventional horror. There are a lot of jumpscares, but that's not the only element of horror. Without spoiling too much, the main scare is that it's a meta-game that "takes control" of your computer files and the game menus.
Surprisingly, the girls at the "Literature Club" gave me some really good insights on writing. Their in-game poems are quite good. And my favorite character is Natsuki. 
Some criticisms. I would say that some of the dialog drags on for a long time, but I suppose that's part of the immersion. I wish the interactions were a bit more "tactile". At times it feels like an interactive movie rather than a video game. I also wish it was more open-ended. So instead of having many "bad endings" and one "good ending", you have many different flavors of endings.
Thank you to WorkNLurk for mentioning this game. I enjoyed it.
I will release another chapter of My Sister, Cozy Glow this week unless I lose self-esteem and decide that I hate everything I write.
I'll admit I was hesitant to get this game, not for a "horror game" sake, but just because it didn't seem like my type of game.
Later on, I gave it a shot and I was blown away. This game exceeded all of my expectations. Dark, twisted, strange, and confusing all wrapped in a deceptively cute package.
All in all, a must-play game for those who haven't yet. Glad you enjoyed it!
5337365
Oh my god I just realized how accurately that describes Cozy Glow.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2018/10/22/1862984.png Source