Comments on: Console-ing my Fear of Heights: Videogames and Phobias

By: Harry

Harry — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:00:31 +0000

I just read an article about virtual therapies. In neuro-scientific studies they even tried to heal arachnophoby patients. The real advantage of such virtual therapies are the cost savings compared e.g. with organising “meetings” with real spiders:)

By: Jonathan Gray

Jonathan Gray — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:57:41 +0000

@Myles Great point -- I hadn't thought that maybe my fear of heights actually made what's otherwise a pretty-to-look-at, yet quite boring game, into a decent enough one

By: Myles

Myles — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:10:02 +0000

I don’t have a fear of heights, but I did have enough fear of continuing to play this game to completion to stop once I finished the “story.” To be honest, you should almost be glad to be afraid of heights, as it introduces a sense of tension woefully missing from the actual gameplay. While it may make the trial/error nature of the gameplay more terrifying (which, barring the survival horror genre, isn’t why most people play video games), it at least makes it moderately interesting: rather than an exhilarating video game experience, the game ended up a peaceful exercise in button pressing for me, which was not a bad study break but an ultimately unsatisfying “gameplay” sensation.

By: Jonathan Gray

Jonathan Gray — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:06:25 +0000

I played a level where I had to climb a tower yesterday evening, and was wincing the whole way. What sucks in PoP, too, is that once you’ve completed the level, you need to do it again to pick up the light seeds. [shudders] The fact that I continue to play is testament either to my completist attitude about all things, or my utter stupidity

By: Liz

Liz — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:15:55 +0000

I know exactly what you mean! My fear is more of jumping across distances than heights, per se, but it’s the reason I can’t get through Prince of Persia games anymore. What was fine on an early-1990s GameBoy, is too realistically scary now.