Tania Dales

University of York

Tania is an indie video game designer and developer, working with horror, science fiction and games which are a little strange, bizarre and uncomfortable.

About Tania's research:

"My research explores the relationship between humanoid character design and existential horror in video games. I adopt a mixed methods approach, investigating existing games, designer interviews and player surveys, along with a research-through-design methodology, reflecting on the practice of character design.

The core games I am exploring incorporate themes of existential horror, identity, self, and human existence. In video games with horror themes, non-playable characters (NPCs) are often used to prompt a reaction from the player, and it isn’t always fear. There are often times when the NPC isn’t acting in an outwardly threatening way, yet it still causes us to become unsettled. My research explores unsettling NPCs that incorporate themes of existential horror."