What defines a "Survival" game or a "Horror" game?

There have been too many dumb arguments over whether or not KF1 qualified as a "survival horror" game, as it was marketed, whether it "drifted away from what it was supposed to be", and what we should expect out of KF2 based on whether it in turn will be classified as (and if it should in fact actually BE) a "survival horror" game as well.



And these arguments get nowhere, because a lot of people don't seem to understand WHAT makes a game a "survival" game or a "horror" game to begin with. So here we're going to try this again, starting with the basic definitions of these genres, and decide once and for all what KF1 was and what KF2 should be.



(To be accurate, KF2 is going to be whatever Tripwire wants it to be, but I'm sick of people whining and crying every time they announce a new feature "because KF is supposed to be survival-horror and this feature isn't survival-horror enough". It's not constructive at all and it grinds discussion that IS to a halt)

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Survival



The "Survival" genre is defined by having most or all of the following features:

• The win condition of the game is staying alive for long enough, or the game cannot be definitively won but player score is based on how long they stay alive.


• The player can die through environmental or status conditions not dependent on an ANIMATE ENTITY such as an enemy, themselves, or friendly fire. In other words, starvation or dehydration, exposure to harsh environmental or weather conditions, disease.


• If the game has combat, it takes second seat to the survival elements.


• Most of the game's obstacles can be solved entirely through preparation or avoidance.


• Most enemies can be avoided entirely, and if the game has a win condition it can be met without ever confronting avoidable enemies.


• Most of a player's equipment and supplies come from scavenging or crafting. Very little is given to them at the beginning of a game, and if 'shops' exist they are rare and will not always have what the player needs.


• Like a Rogue-like, Failing to stay alive is an ultimate failure of the game and is irreversible; all progress must be reset to resume play.

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Horror



The "Horror" genre is defined by having most or all of the following features:

• The player is alone, because one automatically feels safer when their backs are being watched.


• The player is outmatched by the most common enemies in terms of combat ability, or has NO means to defend themself, or the enemy is literally unkillable


• The enemy remains at least somewhat unknown. If it is seen, it will not be seen clearly or for very long.


• The enemy's actions are not overly predictable. Once you know exactly what something can do and what it will do, it ceases to be threatening.


• If the enemy IS seen clearly, contrary to the above point, then its appearance must be SO nightmarish as to terrify the player even if it never makes an actively hostile action.


• The player's senses, ability to move, or ability to interact with their environment are often impaired in some way.


• The game's audio direction evokes fear itself; the music is creepy and any dialogue is almost never lighthearted or humorous.


• The player has no notable abilities unless those abilities themself torment the player


• The player never becomes notably stronger as the game progresses; Any advantage gained is temporary. In fact, if possible the player will experience some kind of loss or self-degradation.


• The player will inherently want every ordeal to be over as quickly as possible. When the game ends they will probably shelve it and speak of it only in the past tense.


• The player will never wear silly costumes for any reason. Nor will the enemy.


• At all times the player feels like a victim, and not the hero of anything.


• NO amount of CAUTIONARY or DEFENSIVE play will lessen the horror or the danger the player feels themselves in.

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There may be other common criteria that I have forgotten (if so, feel free to suggest them) but I'd say these lists are large enough to be fairly definitive.



Now, how many of these elements, from either category, were present in KF1?



Which of these elements do you expect out of KF2? Which would you like to see in it? Or, perhaps, would anyone like to just go ahead and give up the notion that it will be, or is supposed to be, a "Survival-Horror" game at all, and acknowledge that the Killing Floor franchise is just a brutal, squad-based slaughterfest FPS with hardly anything in common with Survival games OR Horror games?



I welcome any counter-argument if you're going to actually explain your position or otherwise say something constructive, but if you just plan on hurling empty insults or going "nuh-uh that's wrong but I won't say why" then don't bother wasting my, your, or the moderators' time.



P.S. No disrespect intended towards Tripwire by disagreeing with Killing Floor's "survival horror" label. The first game came out so many years ago and the genres weren't as well-defined as they are now; Probably some of the things that wouldn't be called survival mechanics today would have back then, and some of the things that today's jaded players wouldn't find horrifying at all would have terrified people years ago.