Interview with Graeme Mason, editor-in-chief and founder of indiehorrorgamer.uk

The world of indie horror is vast, but how do small developers stand out among the big names? I spoke with editor-in-chief and founder Graeme Mason of indiehorrorgamer.uk about his passion for the genre, his roots in the eighties, and his mission to give hidden gems a stage.

What was the main motivation behind starting a platform specifically dedicated to horror games?

A few years ago, I was part of a project to launch an indie mag that sadly didn't come off. Nevertheless, the enthusiasm of the team I was managing was infectious, but even back in 2018, the indie market was bulging with great content. Since then, I've wanted to do something myself in this sphere, and decided to narrow down the scope to horror games.

I've been playing horror games all my life, from Haunted House on the Atari 2600 and Alien on the ZX Spectrum in the Eighties, so it seemed a natural niche to explore. Late last year I finally got around to doing something about it and launched the Indie Horror Gamer newsletter, and now website. I constantly discover so many indie horror games, and realised it must be a nightmare for developers to get their games even seen. So I hope to help with that, within the niche of the horror genre.

How do you select the games and developers that get featured on your website?

I use sites such as Gamespress and Pressengine to find titles, as well as regularly scouring Steam, Itch and press releases. Plus one of of my favourite YouTubers, Daz Games, is a prominent horror fan, and often highlights new indie horror games. I look at most that cross my path, but if they have a novel concept or look to be doing something a bit different then they'll get prioritised. I loved the idea of giant spiders in Huntsman, and the FMV stalker terror of The Run, so interviewed two developers behind those games. Next up is a chat with the guys behind Perceptum, a fantastic-looking horror where you play a medium who investigates a haunted house using a small mirror. It's a potentially terrifying concept.

In what ways do you think the British indie horror scene distinguishes itself from the global market?

There's always been a great cultural influence in British horror, such as in the Hammer horror series of movies, plus films like Witchfinder General and The Wicker Man. More recently, I loved how in Rebellion's Atomfall, the enemies warned you off and were almost polite, rather than just straight attack you. But in terms of the scene, I think we have just as much imagination and talent as anywhere else, it just needs to be seen – hence Indie Horror Gamer.

How does your platform support emerging developers with limited marketing budgets?

We can only give them a voice. While I love Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Five Nights at Freddy's and so on, I'll be studiously avoiding covering larger games like those, chiefly because they get plenty of coverage elsewhere. That's not what Indie Horror Game is about. I specifically want to champion those good horror games that would otherwise get lost in the vast morass of Steam and the other online platforms. Only the other day, the developer behind a game called Peek emailed me. I hadn't heard of the game, despite focusing on the genre 24/7. It looks great, with a superb central concept. If they hadn't emailed, I might never have seen it.

What are the future ambitions for indiehorrorgamer.uk and how do you plan to grow?

Hopefully the newsletter will continue to gain subscribers, but I've got the same problem as the games developers – getting seen! I'm a bit old school, so don't really do YouTube or streaming, but I plan to start a video channel to support the site at some point. I plan to expand the website's sections to include a retro-themed section looking back at an old horror game, but that's on the back burner. The current games are keeping me busy enough!