Being scared because of computer game

[Compsognathus]

Do you remember, especially during childhood, that you were scared about anything in any PC game, and may even feared to play it?
 I remember, that Harry Potter 1 PC, I was scared, when I had to escape from Filch at night in library.

In Harry Potter II PS2, I was scared, when I had to go in magical menagerie, and the shopkeeper was chasing me.

Then I played some Czech freeware game, that when I lost the game, symbols of the game turned into skulls, and I was scared very much by it.

I vaguely remember, that in Commander Keen, on windows 98, I was scared of some monsters in the game.
Last thing, that I can remember now is, that in The Sims 2, when a person died, I was scared of the Grim Reaper, when it appeared.

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

There was a typing game we had to play in school. You're in a first-person view of a submarine cockpit, and you've got to type to make your sub travel through the water. Things go swimmingly enough while you're spelling words right; but every few typos or so, a loud crack appears in your windshield and your sub slows down. If you get too many typos, your windshield fully shatters and it fades to black.

As if that's not bad enough, as time goes by, a dark patch appears in front of you, and it gets bigger and bigger and closer until you realize it's a massive shark/whale/thing coming slowly towards you. If you don't complete all the words before time runs out, the beast covers the screen and massive teeth envelop the windshield.

I'm not sure why the developers thought learning to type needed to be more traumatic than it already was.

[Mumbling]

Do you remember, especially during childhood, that you were scared about anything in any PC game, and may even feared to play it?
 I remember, that Harry Potter 1 PC, I was scared, when I had to escape from Filch at night in library.

Oh my God, yes! So I played that, and that game had auto jumping which I relied on. And at some point it didn't jump from one bookcase to the next and I dropped RIGHT IN FRONT OF FILCH. And he went like, super loud, "HA I GOT YOU". Spooked me so much that my mom had to finish the level for me, hahaha.

Another game I was afraid to play as a kid was Heretic. For some reason it ended up on this disk full of random DOS games for kids that we owned. We called it the scary game, and I never really made it past the first level back in the day

Of course the maze in the Land Before Time Activity Center was super scary as well, as recently discussed here and on Discord haha.

In more recent years I have tried to avoid scary games, as I am no good with jump scares or the like. Last game I was too afraid to continue was The Last of Us. Spoiler:

Spoiler: ShowHide

Basically the part where you start playing as Ellie instead of Joel. Suddenly you are so much more vulnerable. I was trying to gather supplies and simply couldn't move at some point out of fear haha.

I ended up watching the rest of the game in a gameplay video to still experience the story.

[Sneak]

heh
heheh
hah
hahahahah

I simply say:

In childhood I could be scared of anything. By tiny dark or tense moments from any not-horro movies or games. Huge intense or little scary moments in not-horror fiction made me cover my eyes or put them to pause. And pure horror movies and games... Even simpliest ones... Can't describe what reaction I had sometimes. In worst cases, it could even give me nightmares. (sharptooth was not exception, for example!)

There was countless games, movies, cartoons, books, sounds that scared me in the past. About games - I couldn't forve myself to play pure horror games in the past. I tried couple flash games, small, simple, silly for some people maybe... It was traumatic experience.

And now, for last ten years - I intentionally seek for scary, dark and horror material. I am still scared by many things, if it has good and strong atmosphere - and I like it. Horror genre is my element now.
Can make my own scary fiction someday.

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

Found footage of the typing game I was describing. Just also imagine that every time you typo a crack appears in your windshield and eventually it shatters if you develop too many

[Littlefoot1616]

Plenty of games have had me leaping up in fright and for different reasons. 

Probably one my first proper VG scares I can remember was from an ancient BBC computer (yep, those existed) game called "Granny's Garden". The premise was you were a child, obviously, on the hunt for some... magical McGuffin (honestly can't remember) in a text and picture based styled adventure game for young kiddies. Although, you were stalked by "The Witch" your whole way through who was a blue faced evil hag with a single pixel for a soulless black eye and a nail-on-chalkbaord screeching tune accompanied her when she caught you. She was basically the game over state if do did too many things wrong. Looking at it now, it's about as scary as a fly striking a windshield would count as a jumpscare but to an infant child, this was some creepy stuff! 

Speaking of jumpscares, as much as I hate to default to the hype machine, gotta say that the FNAF series really had me spooked the first time it actually hit our screen, almost literally. I avoided watching any FNAF videos on YouTube coz I hated the idea so something leaping at you, pointblank and screaming in your face!  Again, over it now but I had genuine nightmares and sleepless nights just thinking about the lying there, defenceless and alone in the dark with the idea that something could be lurking, waiting to leap out at you.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent was another title that basically robbed me of sleep coz the idea of something creeping around in a desolate castle just made my skin crawl. The atmosphere was sodding well dank and choking and the moment-to-moment, full raging scare sprints from monsters when they occurred, which was few and far between, were always very well crafted and got me every time. Again, another title I have since overcome and streamed on my Twitch channel so like to think I've bested that one too.

Can't wait to see what's gonna scare me next. Maybe the idea of a mid-life crisis? Now there's a scary thought

[Sneak]

Found footage of the typing game I was describing.

O_O
scary indeed...

Edit:

Possibly - my very first scary moments from games:
either it was

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkxcBHl62nk
0:21 - 0:25

or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU32nE609bQ
0:00 - 0:36
yeah, dinosaurs...

[Flathead770]

I remember being scared of certain things back in the day as a kid. Earliest I can remember is playing Super Metroid and being terrified of fighting bosses. I remember being scared to fight Kraid, turning the game off as soon as I entered Crocomire's room, and in general just avoiding going to the Wrecked Ship to fight Phantoon.

I've generally avoided most horror games as I'm not a fan of the genre, but I do remember watching and getting scared the remake of the first Resident Evil on the Gamecube, with the dogs jumping through the window in the hallway being a notable example. Also never really got into the game because I wasn't a fan of the tank controls 

When I was a bit older I was also scared to play Doom 3. I could only play it on my brothers PC at the time and only when he wasn't around, so I was usually in his room alone. The game was much slower paced and darker then most Doom games with a good amount of jump scares and whispers and stuff going on haha.

The most recent example I can think of is probably the Silent Hill demo, PT. Never played it myself but watched a roommate play it. Was pretty messed up and was quite scary to watch.

[Mumbling]

The most recent example I can think of is probably the Silent Hill demo, PT. Never played it myself but watched a roommate play it. Was pretty messed up and was quite scary to watch.

Oh god, yes. I also ended up watching someone else playing. Amazing demo, too bad it was never realized into a full game.

[Littlefoot1616]

I played PT and remember being creeped out by it. Although, I didn't get jumpscared by the ghost lady from what I can remember.

I love the idea that a few code breakers have found a disturbing fact about the ghost in PT. The dead woman is actually always behind you the entire time, except when she is supposed to be in places where you can see. I.e. in the hall, on the balcony above you, in the main window.

Such a shame such an awesome concept and legendary team never got the chance to produce arguably one of the greatest survival horror games. Thanks Konami...

[The Mr E]

I remember being scared of certain things back in the day as a kid. Earliest I can remember is playing Super Metroid and being terrified of fighting bosses. I remember being scared to fight Kraid, turning the game off as soon as I entered Crocomire's room, and in general just avoiding going to the Wrecked Ship to fight Phantoon.

Yes @Flathead770 ... those bosses were pretty disturbing  , and I say that as a guy who first saw them as a young adult.

As a kid, this lovely fellow shook me up a bit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_CIjGmZhE0&ab_channel=A_S996

Kid Me: "Okay, let's win this game once and for all!  How do I beat this thing?"
Monster Ock: "NO WIN!  YOU.  DIE!!!!!!!!!!!"
Kid Me: "Oh ... I can't fight it.  I gotta run away.  Okay.  Lemme just-"
Monster Ock: *"NOOOO!!!!!!!!  YOU... DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!"*
10 Billion Fails Later
Kid Me:  "I ... think I understand now ..." (Curls up under the bed sheet and weeps softly).

[MF217]

Two examples come to mind, first one being directly PC related and the other being an example of personal choice.

The PC example is from the Carnivores Trilogy which involves you being on an alien planet with very vintage looking dinosaurs and other prehistoric life to hunt and earn points to progress in. The actively dangerous animals in the game terrified me and constantly had me on edge while trying to hunt the more docile herbivores, as often times I could never predict exactly when a given aggressive animal would be bum rushing me straight out of nowhere. I recall seeing a Diatryma for the first time in Carnivores Ice Age and I had quickly tried to escape back to the main menu when I realized it was probably going to kill me otherwise. It was literally like no more than 3 feet away from me by the time I successfully escaped.

As for a personal choice example, it's the Old Chateau from Pokémon, and any other area in Sinnoh which shares music with that place such as Turnback Cave. Old Chateau was the first place in the entire series I had seen actual human ghosts as opposed to Pokémon ghosts such as when in Lavender Town in Gen I or other Kanto based games. The worst part about the encounters that always had me on edge was the fact I needed to come to this place at night, which is past 8 PM in Sinnoh's time zone, to be able to catch the elusive Pokémon Rotom, in which for some unforsaken reason it plays the generic Legendary Pokémon theme from this game when encountered, if merely as if Game Freak knew how freaky sounding that battle music was in particular. Oh and let's not forget Giratina's entrance in Platinum with a flat out jumpscare in regards to horrifying even the normally stoic Cyrus.