Fear for Fun?

My daughter is in the bedroom watching a horror video game with her friend in Atlanta. A few things I find fascinating about this fact.

1)     There exists a genre called “Horror Video Games”.

2)     Video games are apparently now an online spectator sport.

3)     She is able to do these things in real time with a friend a thousand miles away. Technology.

But #4 is the one I want to talk about today:

4)     She and her friend are choosing to watch something meant to be frightening. And enjoying it.

When did being scared become something fun and desirable? I suppose it’s nothing new in civilization. For centuries, people have done risky and dangerous things for the thrill of it, I guess. But I don’t get it. It is not fun to be frightened.

As I sit here listening to the dramatic screams coming from her computer, I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever found delight in fear. I remember the first horror movie I ever saw was Halloween at a friend’s Halloween party in 8^th or 9^th grade. But I think the only reason I enjoyed it was because of the social interaction happening during the viewing (my first real “boy/girl party”, as I recall).

Another friend and I saw a horror movie in the theater a year or so later – I can’t think of the name of it, but it was really more campy than it was scary, and that was what made it fun. I’ve tried watching scary movies since then and found that they are either all gore, which is not appealing at all, or if they are genuinely frightening, they are too frightening for my enjoyment.

“Haunted houses” at Halloween are also a big No for me – always have been. I used to like roller coasters, but not anymore. When I was a teenager, Worlds of Fun in Kansas City opened a new ride called the Screamroller. It was a big stinkin’ deal! Basically, all the ride consisted of was a big hill, a corkscrew loop, and that’s it – but the line to get on was an hour long, and when my youth group went to Worlds of Fun that summer, I rode it over and over and over.

But I’ve gradually come to not be able to handle roller coasters at all. I remember riding one in Disney with the family several years ago and being genuinely afraid about the way my heart was pounding – not just when the ride was over but before the car even started moving. That’s when I decided I had to stop this craziness.

Fear for pleasure is not my bag.

I'm suddenly remembering a young lady I taught thirty years ago who was Goth before Goth was a thing. We were all worried about this girl. She loved to read (which made me happy), but the only books she loved to read were by V.C. Andrews (which made me very concerned). She acknowledged that they were about freaky stuff, and I asked her once why she enjoyed them. After a minute or two of deep thought, she replied sincerely, “When I read these things, I know my life will never be as awful as this. And that’s comforting.” SIGH . .  again, seriously concerned.

But that’s a different ball game, I suppose. With haunted houses and rides and such, I suspect it’s probably just about the adrenaline rush. Yes? That's what y'all like about it, right? But then, is that adrenaline rush good for you? Really?

I looked that up. 😊

Apparently, seeking adrenaline on purpose can be okay – in small spurts and in controlled, safe conditions. But if you find yourself needing more and more adrenaline, using it for emotional regulation, that’s a problem. And I worry a bit about our Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids, that they are addicted to the constant adrenaline and dopamine hits they get on social media and TikTok . . . and watching other people play horror video games online.

Just putting this out there. Leisure time and play are very important; many of us don't get enough of that. But I do think it’s good to examine what we look to for pleasure and be sure that even that aspect of our lives is healthy.

(And I am once again convicted to get the chocolate out of my pantry . . . sigh . . .)