Things From the Dark

When speaking of contrast in colour, the dark has an interesting effect on people. People are inherently afraid of the dark, for reasons both rational and irrational. It is something which stems from our earliest days, a sense of danger in the darkness, a sense of The Other, of alienation. They frighten us because they could contain anything, it is left up to our imagination and up to ourselves to decide how much we scare ourselves: all a good image or film has to do is make us feel like there is something lurking in the darkness, but not actually show it to us.

This tends to work in all media. Let's talk about video games because I love to play video games. Did I mention I love video games? I love video games.

Dear Esther is a simple narrative game. You, the protagnist, makes his way across a Scottish island, providing a disjointed narrative of his personal journey which brought him there - both recently and in his distant past, only hinting at a deeper storyline. The atmosphere is what really makes this game though, it is a journey through dark caves and beaches.

Alone on the island.

Furthermore, the protagonist is completely and utterly alone on this island. Right?

Dark shadows make occasional and subtle appearances.

Maybe not. The stark contrasts and deep shadows instill a sort of irrational but instinctual fear in us. The cold colours make us also feel cold and alone, perfect for the atmosphere.