Residents

The haunted house and the ghost who haunts it: two of the oldest and most fundamental concepts in paranormal fiction. They have been widely represented in literature and film especially, and are a fascinating subject through which to view our relationships with the home.

This almost entirely visual essay explores the way hauntings appear in video games, with a particular focus on Hideo Kojima's demo P.T. It is an atmospheric, visually compelling look at the mythology of the ghost, level design in horror, and how the unique aspects of video games as a medium can tell new and exciting stories, scary or otherwise.

Content warning: mild horror, one animated image. No sound or music.

Created by Patrick Taylor for Emilie's Visual Essay Jam, in February 2017.

Updated 12/02/17: replaced an image in panels 3 and 14. Feel free to redownload and see the changes if you've already read this once!