HP Lovecraft’s influence in gaming is huge, and despite what you might suspect, it’s not limited to the horror genre. From Amnesia: The Dark Descent until Bloodborne, many titles have embraced Lovecraftian horror, leading to interesting gameplay mechanics that leave players feeling like their character’s sanity is being bent. Lovecraft’s cosmic horrors have also inspired terrifying foes, and developers will likely continue to draw on his works for many years to come. This is certainly not a bad thing, as Lovecraftian horror has proven to be a treasure trove of dark science fiction for artists to draw from.
Long after his passing, Lovecraft continues to draw fans, and his horror still hasn’t stopped inspiring artists across all media. Lovecraft’s history is interesting, and it can shed light on why themes of madness are so common in his stories. However, he is also a controversial figure due to his racist views which are sometimes reflected in his works.
Who is HP Lovecraft?
HP Lovecraft, born in 1890 in Rhode Island, is one of the most recognizable names in science fiction and horror. His early life was marked by tragedy, and his father, Winfield Lovecraft, was institutionalized in 1893 before finally dying of syphilis in 1898. His mother, Susan Lovecraft, was institutionalized in 1919 before dying in 1921. Lovecraft’s love of writing began at a young age, and some of his earliest works were written when he was seven. He was also an avid reader, calling Edgar Allan Poe and Lord Dunsany some of his most beloved authors. Throughout his life, he drew inspiration from a variety of sources, including Greco-Roman mythology, astrology, science, and Gothic literature.
In 1916 he published one of his first short stories, titled The Alchemist. His writing was well received, so he continued to write, if not until… Dagon, published in 1917, that the elements common in Lovecraft’s writings would show up. The short story contains a lot of mystery and the main character is confronted with an alien who is confusing his mental faculties. Lovecraft would continue to write this way, eventually carving out his niche of weird horror fiction that has come to be described as Lovecraftian horror. In 1918 he would start his Dream Cycle series, featuring stories of an alternate dimension only accessible through dreams, and in 1920 he began publishing short stories about Cthulhu, which would become some of the most iconic of his career.
Lovecraftian horror is characterized by its focus on madness, which is often triggered by exposure to cosmic horror. In his writing, Lovecraft loves to bypass descriptions altogether, instead claiming that the aliens you encounter are simply unspeakable. Reading Lovecraft’s works, one is left with the feeling that the mysteries of the universe are far beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, and that perhaps even science is a puny instrument in the face of the incomprehensible phenomena that make up reality. to inhabit. There isn’t much gore in Lovecraftian horror, and the terror comes from how powerless humans are against unknowable cosmic forces.
Some of Lovecraft’s creations have become a staple in pop culture. Many science fiction fans are familiar with Cthulhu, an evil cosmic entity worshiped by cultists. Cthulhu is indescribable and is said to contain elements of octopuses, humans and dragons. The necronomiconor the Book of the Dead, has also been mentioned frequently in pop culture. Like many things in Lovecraft’s stories, necronomicon is shrouded in mystery, and not much is known about what the dark text contains.
While Lovecraft’s influence and impact are undeniable, it should be noted that in recent years the controversial aspects of his legacy have come into the limelight. Lovecraft, in particular, expressed many racist views, and some have argued that the intersection between humanity and cosmic monsters featured in his short stories may refer to his negative views on miscegenation. These aspects of his legacy are explored in lovecraft country.
Lovecraftian horror in video games
Lovecraft’s impact can be seen in a variety of art media, including gaming. Mostly, games will use Lovecraftian horror’s fixation with madness to create the terrifying moments. This can be seen, for example, in Amnesia: The Dark Descent where players attempt to navigate Castle Brennenburg by solving puzzles and escaping monsters that look like they came straight from Lovecraft’s imagination. Players must keep their sanity by staying out of the darkness, or in classic Lovecraftian style, by not looking directly at monsters.
One of the most popular Lovecraftian games is the one from FromSoftware Bloodborne, which was released in 2015. It has a heavy Gothic aesthetic, and as players explore the streets of Yharnam, they gain insight, changing the world around them in strange ways. Yharnam has its own cosmic beings, the Great Ones, and they were worshiped by the inhabitants of the city for providing powerful healing blood, though it also brought with it a terrible plague. Not all games try to be subtle with their Lovecraftian influences, including Cyanide’s Call of Cthulhu, which is inspired by Lovecraft’s short story of the same name. It contains plenty of elements that will be familiar to Lovecraft fans, including twists on common sense, the necronomiconand a lot of cosmic horror.
Lovecraftian horror continues to inspire games like Bloodborne because of how effectively it is reminiscent of how minuscule humans are in the universe. Though humanity might rule the little rock called Earth, there’s no telling what tyrants might lurk in the dark corners of the cosmos, and while humanity may have found solace in science’s ability to To explain, Lovecraft’s stories serve as a reminder that there are still plenty of unknowable mysteries. In ways Lovecraft could never have imagined, his creations have spawned some of gaming’s most iconic titles, many presenting his own cosmic horror in new and shocking ways.
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