LogFAQs > #962463977

Veggeta_MAX posted...

Right? LMAO. It's more erie than spooky. It's more atmospheric than spooky.

Sorry, boys but these all pretty much mean the same thing especially when we're talking about this kind of game.

There's a very clear distinction.

Something that's scary plays off of your fear. It presents a dangerous situation and lets your mind consider the worst possible outcome. Then when that outcome happens, there's a catharsis. That's why the jump scare is the go-to trick for horror films. It's a constant building of tension until 'that' moment you were expecting to happen happens.

Creepiness is more a state of discomfort or unease. You may not necessarily be scared of something bad happening, but you're taken outside of a state of normality.

You might be scared of heights, but nothing is necessarily creepy about high altitudes. On the other hand, reading about the actions of a serial killer from the past will definitely creep you out, but you're not necessarily scared of a potential outcome. Bioshock leans more on the creepy side because the story focuses less on making terrifying things happen to you, and more on putting you at a constant state of unease due to isolation.

The two are used in tandem a lot of the time, but they're not necessarily interchangeable.