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P.T.: A Video Game Ghost Story
In August of 2014, a demo innocently appeared on the PlayStation Store. It had a spooky old tombstone with P.T. painted on it, sitting silently in a wooded area. Playing this demo would take players to a rather ordinary hallway, one that would lead to one of the most terrifying horror games ever made.
And now you can't get it any more.
Even just as a short demo, P.T. created a powerful atmosphere of terror, dragging the player into its ordinary environments and steadily filling them with dread. Through its steady erosion of reality, striking visuals, cryptic completion criteria, and the chilling ghost, Lisa, it creates a fear that can sicken in its intensity, leaving players begging for the ghost to just appear and end it all.
It was to show what Hideo Kojima, the man behind Metal Gear, could do with horror and the Silent Hill series. It was to set a new bar for horror. Then, not even a year later, it was gone, pulled from the store for nebulous reasons as relations between its creator and Konami broke down.
P.T.: A Video Game Ghost Story is an unofficial investigation into the strange history behind this lost horror game, how players came to solve its complex puzzles, and what makes it so effective at scaring its players. Featuring interviews with the first player to complete it, the Let's Players who broke its mysteries, P.T. speedrunners, video game historians, and Konami staff, it looks to shine a light on what made the experience so compelling, why we subject ourselves to these horrors, and what will happen as this fearful experience fades from memory to become its own real-world ghost story.
And now you can't get it any more.
Even just as a short demo, P.T. created a powerful atmosphere of terror, dragging the player into its ordinary environments and steadily filling them with dread. Through its steady erosion of reality, striking visuals, cryptic completion criteria, and the chilling ghost, Lisa, it creates a fear that can sicken in its intensity, leaving players begging for the ghost to just appear and end it all.
It was to show what Hideo Kojima, the man behind Metal Gear, could do with horror and the Silent Hill series. It was to set a new bar for horror. Then, not even a year later, it was gone, pulled from the store for nebulous reasons as relations between its creator and Konami broke down.
P.T.: A Video Game Ghost Story is an unofficial investigation into the strange history behind this lost horror game, how players came to solve its complex puzzles, and what makes it so effective at scaring its players. Featuring interviews with the first player to complete it, the Let's Players who broke its mysteries, P.T. speedrunners, video game historians, and Konami staff, it looks to shine a light on what made the experience so compelling, why we subject ourselves to these horrors, and what will happen as this fearful experience fades from memory to become its own real-world ghost story.
134 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2018
20 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 2, 2019
A fascinating scrutiny of a truly terrifying gaming experience. I was impressed by Couture's ability to capture the imagery and atmosphere through words, and his analysis of what draws us to horror and what horror can teach us eroded some of my personal reservations.
November 25, 2018
This book wasn't quite what I expected. Most of it was a breakdown of the infamous P.T. demo, and then a little bit of background for the actual history of this demo. The breakdown has a unique Creepypasta feel to it, which I enjoyed. Most of this information is available online in much shorter articles. A quick, easy read.
June 24, 2018
I have a confession to make. As much as I love horror games, and as often as I tout myself a fan of the genre, I've never finished PT. I can't. Not because I don't have it--one of my two PS4s has the game--but because I can't bring myself to face it. I've been at odds with this truth for years. I'm a game historian, and by scrubbing PT from the PlayStation Store so that no one can download it, not even those who can see it in their account history, I have only tenuous access to this gaming gem.
That's what makes Joel Couture's PT - A VIDEO GAME GHOST STORY so handy, and so powerful. I was expecting to read a short history of how the game was made, learn details on why Konami took its ball and went home, and maybe delve into the lore behind the location and its haunting mistress. GHOST STORY delivered all that and more.
GHOST STORY offers comprehensive and thought-provoking analysis not only of PT's gameplay cycles and environs, but the psychology of the horror that drives them. Couture waded deep into what maes the game, and horror, tick. Later chapters explored how its community banded together to solve its most perplexing riddles in record time.
The book ends with a look at possible circumstances behind its fate, and I found myself even more interested in learning about them because I'd come away from the rest of the book with a newfound appreciation of and respect for what has attracted me to horror media all my life. My only niggling complaint, not great enough to detract from an honest 5-star rating, is that Couture repeated himself in many sections, causing them to drag ever so slightly.
PT may be destined to disappear forever, but I hope Couture's book does not. It's a great read not just for those interested in PT, but for anyone interested in horror media and the underpinnings that appeal to humans on a fundamental level.
That's what makes Joel Couture's PT - A VIDEO GAME GHOST STORY so handy, and so powerful. I was expecting to read a short history of how the game was made, learn details on why Konami took its ball and went home, and maybe delve into the lore behind the location and its haunting mistress. GHOST STORY delivered all that and more.
GHOST STORY offers comprehensive and thought-provoking analysis not only of PT's gameplay cycles and environs, but the psychology of the horror that drives them. Couture waded deep into what maes the game, and horror, tick. Later chapters explored how its community banded together to solve its most perplexing riddles in record time.
The book ends with a look at possible circumstances behind its fate, and I found myself even more interested in learning about them because I'd come away from the rest of the book with a newfound appreciation of and respect for what has attracted me to horror media all my life. My only niggling complaint, not great enough to detract from an honest 5-star rating, is that Couture repeated himself in many sections, causing them to drag ever so slightly.
PT may be destined to disappear forever, but I hope Couture's book does not. It's a great read not just for those interested in PT, but for anyone interested in horror media and the underpinnings that appeal to humans on a fundamental level.
February 13, 2025
I read this book as part of a buddy read/reading challenge.
I am one of the nerds who kept my old Playstation 4 with the P.T. demo still installed, although I never finished the short game because I got too scared... This book detailing not only what happens in the demo, but also why the different horror elements are so effective, a surface analysis of why horror games appeal to people, lots of background information about the halted development of Silent Hills (for which P.T. is a demo), and how gamers worked together to solve the horrifying puzzles of P.T. was a great read for me. As a (former?) horror gamer I found a lot of interesting points, although the author got a bit repetitive and rambling at times. Another minus point were the many spelling and grammar errors - the book would have benefitted from another pass by an editor.
A short read for a very niche group of people who are interested in horror games, game development, and nonfiction texts about video games.
I am one of the nerds who kept my old Playstation 4 with the P.T. demo still installed, although I never finished the short game because I got too scared... This book detailing not only what happens in the demo, but also why the different horror elements are so effective, a surface analysis of why horror games appeal to people, lots of background information about the halted development of Silent Hills (for which P.T. is a demo), and how gamers worked together to solve the horrifying puzzles of P.T. was a great read for me. As a (former?) horror gamer I found a lot of interesting points, although the author got a bit repetitive and rambling at times. Another minus point were the many spelling and grammar errors - the book would have benefitted from another pass by an editor.
A short read for a very niche group of people who are interested in horror games, game development, and nonfiction texts about video games.
May 24, 2022
A Gamasutra contributor Joel Couture presents an Interesting investigative piece of gaming literature, about the scariest horror game that never was made past its playable teaser. “P.T.” A teaser for “Silent Hills” Made by Hideo Kojima with collaboration of Guillermo Del Toro, being last project of Hideo before leaving Konami to his own Kojima Productions is truly a special project. Given both context of its development, tensions between Konami Entertainment and Kojima but also a strange history of Silent Hill projects, neglected through years by Konami executives despite strong fan base and undeniable cult classics of video game horror in the series.
Book takes a closer look at the development stages of P.T. from scraps of publicly available information, arranging them as well as info catches by data miners that shed some more light on “P.T.” story and unused assets lying in a code of a game that has been removed from PS Store by Konami after Kojima’s separation.
To me P.T. is a special type of medium. Not only because of cleverly used DNA of the Silent Hill series elements- like ambience, playing with lighting, psychological underpinnings, but also because it can be looked at as cryptic way of Kojima speaking indirectly to Konami. Through visuals and lines. Thing that was catches by the fans making a Twitter meme “Dad was such a drag(...)” monologue at the end of the game, replacing “Dad” with “Konami” and tabbing Konami official Twitter account with a quote.
So there’s also more personal side to the project, that’s both inspired by 1971 John List family murder and also a metaphor for Kojima’s affair with Konami. He tied it so cleverly that one interpretation doesn’t put weight the other. Two fit simultaneously and are two in one. Being one of the most interesting video game horrors of the last few decades. Also impressive technically. With a ghost following you constantly even if you don’t see it. A thing that feels like a development of mechanic from “Silent Hill 4 The Room” with Walter Sullivan also stalking you across the apartment complex.
Anyway it’s a treat for a Silent Hill & Kojima fan.
Book also explores the inner mechanics of a game and lays out the reasons audiences were so invested with it.
Difficult puzzles, symbols included in a game are thoroughly discussed by the author. Even if there’s hard to make an universally agreeable answers for such a mysterious projects elements, I respect this attempt.
Cool of Joel Couture to write something that can be read years later as a ray of light onto a “lost” horror medium as this, also injecting it with discussion about its strength as horror video game.
Enjoyable read. Highly recommend for P.T. Fans!
“Konami was such a drag(...)” ;)
Book takes a closer look at the development stages of P.T. from scraps of publicly available information, arranging them as well as info catches by data miners that shed some more light on “P.T.” story and unused assets lying in a code of a game that has been removed from PS Store by Konami after Kojima’s separation.
To me P.T. is a special type of medium. Not only because of cleverly used DNA of the Silent Hill series elements- like ambience, playing with lighting, psychological underpinnings, but also because it can be looked at as cryptic way of Kojima speaking indirectly to Konami. Through visuals and lines. Thing that was catches by the fans making a Twitter meme “Dad was such a drag(...)” monologue at the end of the game, replacing “Dad” with “Konami” and tabbing Konami official Twitter account with a quote.
So there’s also more personal side to the project, that’s both inspired by 1971 John List family murder and also a metaphor for Kojima’s affair with Konami. He tied it so cleverly that one interpretation doesn’t put weight the other. Two fit simultaneously and are two in one. Being one of the most interesting video game horrors of the last few decades. Also impressive technically. With a ghost following you constantly even if you don’t see it. A thing that feels like a development of mechanic from “Silent Hill 4 The Room” with Walter Sullivan also stalking you across the apartment complex.
Anyway it’s a treat for a Silent Hill & Kojima fan.
Book also explores the inner mechanics of a game and lays out the reasons audiences were so invested with it.
Difficult puzzles, symbols included in a game are thoroughly discussed by the author. Even if there’s hard to make an universally agreeable answers for such a mysterious projects elements, I respect this attempt.
Cool of Joel Couture to write something that can be read years later as a ray of light onto a “lost” horror medium as this, also injecting it with discussion about its strength as horror video game.
Enjoyable read. Highly recommend for P.T. Fans!
“Konami was such a drag(...)” ;)
October 4, 2019
A really interesting analysis of a game whose content, puzzles and meaning are just as mysterious as its production and disappearance. The author discusses the game itself in detail, describing the infamous hallway down to every corner, as well as the insanely difficult puzzles. They also talk about the psychology behind the horror genre, the communal/global aspect of solving the game, and includes interviews with other players, data miners and a Konami insider. If you love P.T. or just the horror game genre in general, this is a quick read that will give you a deeper dive into this short game's history and give insight into why it's still resonating with players years later. But just as with all good horror games, mysteries still abound. I feel like this book could be re-released in a few years and perhaps more will be known about P.T.'s production, ultimate disappearance, and even more about its final puzzle solution (which notoriously doesn't have a universally agreed-upon solution).
September 29, 2019
An interesting analysis of a game that has been an important milestone in gaming history, effectively becoming the first rare digital only game after Konami decided to pull it off the PS Store. I played P. T. once: you couldn't pay me to play it again ever, as one jump scare broke something inside of me and Lisa is still what I see during the occasional sleep paralysis. The game invokes a strange kind of fear: it's repulsive, you want it to be over, and yet you can't help wanting to find out more about what is going on. The book makes a good job going over why P. T. created that sort of reaction and why we seek out that kind of experience in general, and it also goes over the reasons why the game became the rarity that it is. We can only hope it doesn't completely get lost in time: while we will never see the game it could have been, it would be a shame to lose something so impactful forever.
March 24, 2022
DNF. It started off interesting but quickly got repetitive.
January 10, 2023
uses a lot of description
April 18, 2024
It attempts to discuss PT in a thoughtful way, but there tends to be moments of rambling or redundancy. Not for me
January 27, 2022
Great structure, lots of new information, although I found some chapters to be useless for the book's sake. Clever ending.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews