10 Video Games That Use Your Imagination Against You

The purpose of a video game is not just to entertain the player, but to test them. There are many ways to do this, but it usually boils down to two things: Solving puzzles and having quick reflexes.

But there are some games which have a completely different objective: To mess with your mind.

And I'm not talking about games with overt gore or screen-filling bosses. Instead of creepy music, some games use silence to set up an eerie atmosphere. Rather than filling the screen with hundreds of monsters, some games only have a single enemy and yet, manage to provoke utter terror.

Instead of having fully-rendered HD graphics, some of the scariest games have primitive visuals, and yet, manage to leave the player in a sweat.

If you think about it, it's crazy that a game has the power to freak you out. You know for a fact you are not going to die if you lose. And yet, some games are designed so perfectly to unsettle you, they leave you reeling long after you finish playing.

And with that out of the way, here are some truly mind-bending games where the greatest enemy is your own imagination.

In this game, you need to locate eight pages in a murky forest while being hunted by the enigmatic Slender Man. If you take too long or come into contact with the mysterious being, it's Game Over.

Sounds easy enough, right? Just avoid the suit-wearing spectre and you should be fine. However, it's not as simple as that. Since Slender Man wears a black suit, it's difficult to see him, which causes the player to indirectly run into him, ending the game.

You'd assume he'd be easy to spot because of his white featureless face. However, players tends to mistake bright objects for Slender Man's head, causing them to panic over nothing. His face (or lack of) will sometimes fill the screen for a split-second while a loud piano slam is heard, scaring the hell out of the player.

If you glance at the paranormal being for a second, the screen will become blurred. After you have glimpsed at Slender Man three or four times, the screen will be full of so much static, you will be virtually blind.

The game may be short but there's one good thing about it we can all agree on; it's way better than the movie!