Procedurality of Fear: Ludic Rhetorics of Gender-Based Violence in Haunting Ground

Abstract Aim: This article analyzes the survival horror video game Haunting Ground (Capcom, 2005) to investigate how interactive media reflect and problematize gender-based violence and female vulnerability. The primary aim is to explore the tension between the protagonist’s sexual objectification and the emergence of female agency within the game’s narrative and mechanical structures. Method: Adopting a socio-semiotic approach and utilizing theoretical frameworks from Game Studies and Sociology of the Body, the study examines the game’s specific “procedural rhetoric.” The analysis focuses on the “Panic Mode” mechanic as a form of radical embodiment and the interspecies alliance with the dog companion, interpreting them through the lenses of biopolitics, the male gaze theory, and post-human philosophy. Results: The results indicate that Haunting Ground functions as a “problematic object”: while it reiterates the male gaze through visual sexualization, it simultaneously subverts traditional power fantasies by forcing the player to experientially navigate social fragility. The game suggests a model of resistance based on care, negotiation, and interdependence rather than brute domination, challenging the biopolitical exploitation of the female body represented by the antagonists. Conclusion: In conclusion, the article argues that video games can serve as complex sociological tools for deconstructing gender norms. By placing the player in a position of situated vulnerability, the medium fosters a critical and affective awareness, highlighting the potential of video games as spaces for social resistance, ethical reflection, and educational transformation regarding gender dynamics.