《Fears to Fathom》(中譯：溯源之懼) 是印度獨立開發者 Rayll Studios 於 2021至 2024 年間製作發行的短篇章節式恐怖遊戲。有別於傳統恐怖遊戲採用超自然主題或嚴峻的動作要素達到恐怖效果，《Fears to Fathom》以一種精簡的遊戲互動設計，將遊戲之時空背景搬移至日常現實生活當中。 本論文將透過該遊戲之不同面向拆解，試圖釐清《Fears to Fathom》如何在日常生活當中呈現恐怖感。研究將分為三部分：開篇以心理學與遊戲學的角度理解「恐懼」及其相近的情緒之定義，以及情緒在遊戲進展時的動態作用關係，並在此基礎上探討 《Fears to Fathom》之分類歸屬問題。期望透過釐清恐怖的定義，分析遊戲媒介所引起之恐懼感，並提出 Horrordinaire –日常現實恐怖的概念。第二部分將研究本遊戲之敘事手法，主要探討遊戲到敘事的時空架構與視角所達到的焦慮感。最後一部分將分析遊戲的互動性設計衍生的恐怖感，藉此瞭解《Fears to Fathom》如何利用精簡的遊戲互動設計達到恐怖感。 本研究期望藉由提出 Horrordinaire –日常現實恐怖的概念開啟一種當代遊戲恐怖感製作的不同觀點與方式。恐怖感將不獨屬於超自然、血腥暴力或動作反應，而是源自平凡甚至平淡的日常現實生活。 ;This study investigates the mechanisms of fear in the episodic indie horror game series Fears to Fathom (Rayll Studios, 2021–2024). Unlike conventional horror games centered on supernatural themes or action-oriented intensity, Fears to Fathom develops a form of realistic fear where ordinary, everyday situations become the source of fear. Positioned at the crossroads of game studies and emotion theory, the research explores how Fears to Fathom constructs fear through the banality of daily life, giving rise to an aesthetic that can be described as “horrordinaire”—the horror of the ordinary. The first chapter establishes the conceptual framework. Drawing on Nico Frijda’s theory of emotions as modes of action readiness, and on Bernard Perron’s distinction between artistic, fictional, and ludic emotions, it clarifies the meaning of fear in the videogame context and defines its specific aesthetic contours. The second chapter analyzes how narrative structure and temporal organization create anxiety. In reference to Leon Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance, it shows how the contradiction between reassuring expectations and threatening signs produces a constant state of unease. The analysis highlights the perceptual asymmetry between player and avatar as a key factor of uncertainty. The third chapter investigates how gameplay itself generates fear. By examining developers’ reflections on horror design, it identifies Fears to Fathom’s distinctive tactics—such as the deceptive comfort of companionship and the use of the microphone as a mechanic of vulnerability. These strategies demonstrate how the restriction of player agency becomes a central source of tension. By combining psychological and ludological perspectives, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of fear in video games and proposes the “horrordinaire” as a new aesthetic category that better defines Fears to Fathom than existing labels like psychological horror or survival horror.
