Horror games have subsisted on the common phobias of humanity since Alone in the Dark, but – unless you count F.E.A.R. – have never before made a thing of the rather rare fear of women. That’s where the indie shooter now soliciting your votes on Steam Greenlight, Gynophobia, takes its name from.
The game has been made without any apparent message or metaphor. Developer Andrii Vintsevych describes Gynophobia as a “classic” first-person shooter that straddles the line between horror and action.
Its plot concerns a man named Mark and his struggle with a number of crippling phobias – among them, the “abnormal” fear of women.
“At some point he will receive an opportunity to overcome his fears,” writes Vintsevych on Greenlight.
Not to be confused with misogyny, the hatred of women, gynophobia is a well-established idea with a grim history and its own Wikipedia page. Common symptoms reportedly include excessive sweating, nausea, and the inability to articulate words or sentences.
It’s not clear whether you’ll need to suffer from gynophobia yourself to experience the game at its intended level of terror.
Vintsevych lists “high quality” music and low hardware requirements among the game’s strengths – though commenters on the game’s Desura page report that it’s currently only 15 to 20 minutes long.
Gynophobia is playable on PC and Mac. Do you think you’ll try it?