The Impact of Abnormal Environmental Design on Player Tension in Horror Games
Jiawen ZHANG
Level Design
The Impact of Abnormal Environmental Design on Player Tension in Horror Games
My Thesis explores how spatial design in video game levels can be used to generate player tension and sustain fear in the absence of enemies or direct threats. The goal of the project was to investigate how abnormal environments such as non- Euclidean structures, looping spaces, and dynamic environmental changes could disrupt players’ spatial understanding and increase psychological tension.
I chose this topic because I am interested in how level design alone can drive emotional responses, particularly in horror experiences. By focusing on spatial manipulation and environmental storytelling, I aimed to understand how players build and lose their mental map within a game space.“ Echoes of Manor” was developed over several months using the Hammer Editor for Half-Life 2, in which I designed and implemented a fully playable level based on a tension – release pacing structure.
Throughout the process, I conducted a pre-survey to evaluate the perceived tension of different environmental elements and used the results to construct a tension map that guided level progression. This project helped me develop skills in level pacing, spatial design, and player psychology.
I believe the findings of this research can be applied to the video game industry, especially in designing immersive horror and narrative-driven experiences where environmental design plays a primary role in shaping player emotion.
72 LEVEL DESIGN