Dark & Eerie vs. Grim & Gory

First of all, everything I saying is in IMHO...I hardly claim to be an expert in this, especially since I'm a only casual gamer who doesn't like my brain excessively fried. I bow to those who have the sophisticated game systems and can actually shoot zombies!

In the first category I tend to think of games like "Shiver" and "Phantasmat", as well as the first two "Ravenhearst" games. In the second...a lot of the "Asylum"-type games such as "Twisted Lands 2" and the latest "Escape from Ravenhearst". Some (like the new "Dorian Gray Syndrome" and "Sacra Terra") have elements of both categories. I admit that I have a soft spot for the more "eerie" ones, though I've enjoyed several of the others as well, especially if there is a good storyline involved.

So what do the rest of my D&E friends think? Am I splitting hairs? Is there really a difference?

Of course there's a difference! Kind of like implied horrors vs. graphic scenes. Both have their place in stories, and sometimes the implications are much more intense than the gore!

That's kind of what I was feeling, though you put it much more succinctly than I did But sometimes some of the more graphic games seem..."clinical". I suppose my soft spot is for the supernaturals, with their mysterious, often sad and tragic, background stories that you can gradually unravel.
The settings can contribute as well, I think. "Dire Grove" got it right, from that beautiful abandoned inn to the abandoned village. But by far I think the best ones for a true D&E settings were "Shiver" with it's sad, lovely town, and "Phantasmat" with the old, mysterious inn and drowned, empty town below. And, of course, a really great haunted house is awesome too!

I like D&E but have about had it with Asylums. Although I don't mind some ugly scenes, Asylum games just got old the first time I played one. I do own two or three. I am tired of Ravenhurst. I bought "Escape". I played it and finished it but mostly hated it. MCF used to be my favorite series but more and more I just don't enjoy those games anymore. I hated "Madame Fate". I don't like carnivals and circuses either. Most of my games are Hidden Object(I own well over 200 games at BFG!) and most of them are dark. I guess Asylums and games that involve cruelty to children are streatching my limit of enjoyment. I can't really explain it though because I am not sure I understand it.

A lot of us are feeling that way, bribling. The public was clamoring for dark & eerie games, and because they sold well, the developers listened... except that everything started looking the same after a while, and we (the public) are getting tired of the same old, same old. That's exactly why there's an anti-ERS-forumulaic-game thread at BF right now.

I love dark & eerie games, but we need a fresh perspective. All of this is exactly the reason why I enjoyed Mystery Stories: Mountains of Madness (our featured game this week!) so much - because it's something refreshingly different, both in graphics and in story.

Necro bump. (Hey, it's still on the same page!)

I'm all for Dark & Eerie, and its more condensed version, ambient horror (love Scratches!). Atmosphere, noises, disturbing story, all those subtle things can convey horror or just uneasiness better than grim stuff that often feels like the devs wanted to cram all unpleasant and shocking things into one game. I don't even find gore scary. Just disgusting. I actively avoid games with gore and too much emphasis on violence, it's just unpleasant to look at... A good Dark & Eerie can be disturbing without splashes of ketchup and needles everywhere. Shiver Vanishing Hitchhiker is one of the scariest casual games I've played, and it has no gore that I can remember.

I'm not 100% against violence though... An overlap between the two is also possible. Dorian Grey Syndrome was a beautiful game despite openly showing dead bodies. The theme of the game was presented very well (stopping because spoilers).

I don't mind seeing dead bodies in games, as long as it's not gory.  The only time gory would be acceptable to me would be in a serious zombie game, like Walking Dead (which I haven't played, but I've heard a bit about the game.)  I wouldn't even consider playing something like Plants vs. Zombies if it was gory -- there's no reason for that kind of thing in such a setting.

It's actually scarier to have inferred violence over gratuitous and obvious violence.

I am not a fan of gore, may have some gore based games on my steam library but not by choice, friend of mine keeps sending me gifts of games(usually through humble bundle) that are not my personal preference. Granted I have a gag reflex so bad that blood in games period usually sets me off.

Dorian Grey though I loved.

I agree... a game, movie or book does not need gore to be scary. To me, the developers or authors would be going for the shock rather than the scare factor and it's usually very distasteful.

Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker is a phenomenal game in the way the graphics are presented to us, with the splashes of color on a sepia-toned background.
The music sets the scenes perfectly.
And the story, a kind of urban legend don't-pickup-a-hitchhiker tale...very chilling!

Brink of Consciousness: Dorian Gray Syndrome, another awesome game! With the antagonizing voice of Oscar teasing and tormenting us throughout the game...just awesome!