Playing With Fear, a film by Anthony Carpendale, will be a candid celebration of the world’s most terrifying and exhilarating videogame releases. It will include observation of the community at the heart of the survival horror revival and exploration of the possibilities and potential the future may hold.

The goal is to make the definitive documentary about the horror gaming genre and the talented people dedicating their lives to scaring the bejesus out of us.

A variety of talented developers and artists from Sweden, Norway, the US and UK will be participating in the film.

Included:

• Interviews and profiles turning the spotlight on the talented developers, designers, audio artists, innovators, technologists and specialists about their work and passions, their experiences and perspective
• Deconstruction of the development process – the creative catalyst and journey to completed work, a look at concept art, soundscapes, game architecture, prototypes, plus testing and release for numerous games in development.
• An intimate study of the best and most terrifying moments in horror gaming, the inspiration behind them, and the reactions of the fans who love them.
• Visits to atmospheric locations that have both influenced horror game designers and given them indispensable audio-visual reference material during development.
• We’ll be celebrating the behemoths of horror and the onslaught of the independents – the ever-expanding accessibility of game creation, funding and distribution tools has revolutionised the industry and ushered in the resurgence of survival horror.

The film’s scope:

• The influence of the wider world of horror: how history, legends, literature and folklore have shaped the lexicon of horror gaming across its young, twisted life.
• The impact and reception of horror games. Games – especially the scary kind – are demonised by many as blanketly negative, but horror games are often a different beast from the larger stigma of violent gaming. How much controversy is deserved? How much is a misconception? Is horror gaming beneficial?
• The community of fans, modders and experts surrounding the genre, connecting with each other across continents and enriching the genesis of ideas.
• The pace of technical growth is reshaping the nature of interactivity across the entire industry. We’ll be looking into the technologies available now, those coming soon, and the potential reverberations in decades to come.

A Kickstarter campaign will be in progress through November 30, 2013. Please show your support!