Substitute Theater: A Digital Theater Experiment in Video Games—Taking the Game Layers of Fear as an Example

With the emergence of new media, traditional art forms have also undergone further transformations, revealing their inherent vitality in the media age, as exemplified by the embodied perception of theatrical spaces and stages in video games. The game “Layers of Fear” begins with ancient Horror and immersive artistic illusions, constructing a unique atopia space within the game. The game evokes theatrical memories through “haunted” mansions and paintings, highlighting the dramatic nature of the game and thus building a theatrical pathway at the game’s design level. The game also features unique digital avatars that materialize the player’s presence, further exploring this pathway. Using embodiment as a medium, and visual immersion and the perception of Horror as bridges, further experimentation with digital avatars gradually expands the player’s world and brings the player’s character to the audience. In the virtual world, digital avatars retain the immersion of fiction and illusion, and also imply the possibility of immersive theater practice on digital interfaces. The immersive digital theater of illusion will ultimately be staged in video games and completed in virtual reality games.