Why the Deep Sea Frightens Us
Curious Archive・15 minutes read
Thalassophobia explores the fear of deep water, with Iron Lung delivering a terrifying deep-sea experience through gameplay and historical references. Various video games like Abzû, Beyond Blue, Subnautica, and Water Womb World offer different perspectives on underwater exploration, blending beauty with moments of horror and suspense.
Insights
- Thalassophobia, a fear of deep water, is deeply ingrained in human psychology due to the association of the ocean with frightening creatures, as depicted in various forms of media throughout history.
- Video games like Iron Lung, Beyond Blue, and Subnautica explore the theme of deep-sea exploration, blending elements of beauty, terror, and the unknown to create immersive and emotionally impactful experiences that tap into humanity's complex relationship with the ocean.
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Recent questions
What is Thalassophobia?
Fear of deep water due to nightmarish associations.
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Summary
00:00
Deep-sea terror and beauty in games
- Thalassophobia is an intense fear of deep water, rooted in the human mind's association of the deep sea with nightmarish creatures.
- Iron Lung is a game where you play as a convict exploring the deep sea in a cramped submarine, facing terrifying encounters.
- The game takes place after an event called "The Quiet Rapture," where all known stars and planets vanished, leaving behind a moon covered in an ocean of blood.
- In Iron Lung, the player navigates using a primitive radar system and a camera, encountering mysterious structures and creatures.
- Naturalist William Beebe and Otis Barton made a historic dive in 1930 in a metal tank called the Bathysphere, discovering alien-like deep-sea creatures.
- Early cinema depicted the ocean as a hostile realm, with movies like the 1954 adaptation of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
- The ocean's deep-sea creatures, like the Barreleye Fish and Vampire Squid, inspire fear and fascination, often portrayed in media as terrifying.
- Abzû is a video game showcasing the beauty of the undersea realm, offering a peaceful exploration experience.
- Beyond Blue, an underwater exploration game, features moments of unintentional horror, like a giant squid attack.
- Subnautica, initially planned as a relaxed aquatic exploration game, evolved into a terrifying experience due to the unknown depths and creatures encountered.
14:47
"Unsettling gameplay in Water Womb World"
- Gameplay in Water Womb World involves sifting through silt to find unsettling objects like a human skull over ten thousand years old, creating a sense of impending scare that never materializes.
- The game's atmosphere is enhanced by the emergence of an angelic being from the darkness, leading the main character to uncover increasingly disturbing artifacts, culminating in a short but deeply unsettling experience.
- In Other Waters, another indie game, offers a unique exploration of an alien sea through text and minimal icons, allowing players to visualize diverse lifeforms and embody the enigmatic nature of the ocean without relying on traditional visuals.
