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Cartoon-Infused Horror Games

Modder Creates Hilarious Flashlight Effects for the PC Game Alan Wake

— January 22, 2013 — Tech
Leave it to a clever PC user to inject some hilariously adorable Hello Kitty horror into a terrifying video game. The game in question is Alan Wake, a gritty and horrifying game about an author who has lost his wife in a mind-bending world of terrors.

The developers of the game, Remedy Entertainment, didn't officially release modding tools for Alan Wake because they were deemed too complex. That didn't stop modder Xymbiot3 from uncompressing and then recompressing the massive 3 GB texture files to make the dark a little more approachable. Beyond the Hello Kitty horror, Xymbiot3 also gave Alan Wake a Mike Tyson-esque facial tattoo and placed other logos and faces into the flashlight beam.

Even the darkest woods and most terrifying enemies are more tolerable with a Hello Kitty flashlight.
Trend Themes
1. Cartoon-inspired Horror Games - Opportunity to create scary games with a humorous twist using cartoon aesthetics.
2. User-generated Content in Games - Opportunity to provide official modding tools to users to create unique and creative game experiences.
3. Branding in Video Games - Opportunity for companies to promote their brand in video games through modding tools and in-game content.
Industry Implications
1. Gaming Industry - Can capitalize on user-generated content to make games more customizable and engaging.
2. Marketing Industry - Can explore creative ways to integrate branding into video game content.
3. Animation Industry - Can leverage cartoon aesthetics to create unique horror game experiences.
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