Sam Barlow (game designer)

Lore & Background

Barlow was active in the interactive fiction scene of the late 1990s, most notably releasing the game Aisle in 1999, which won the XYZZY Award for Best Use of Medium. Like his later Silent Hill games, Aisle features a psychologically damaged viewpoint character, a contemporary setting, and a positive meaning at its heart. In March 2016, during the Game Developers Conference, Barlow announced he had joined the interactive media firm Interlude, later rebranded as Eko, to help develop an interactive media reboot of the 1983 film WarGames; the work #WarGames launched in early 2018.

Barlow frequently cites novelists and film directors as influences. He claims that Hitchcock, Luis Buñuel, and J. G. Ballard influenced his work on Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Both Silent Hill titles reference Shakespeare: Silent Hill: Origins features a performance of The Tempest, while Silent Hill: Shattered Memories has multiple references to Twelfth Night. He has also been inspired by David Lynch, Mark Z. Danielewski, Paul Auster, Shirley Jackson, The Exorcist, and Gene Wolfe. His most frequently cited influence is Hitchcock, noting that 'Hitchcock said that all horror goes back to childhood' and that he 'bored everyone with Hitchcock and talking about his techniques and his ideas of suspense.' Barlow cites Cronenberg's The Fly and Paul Schrader's Cat People as showing how best to reboot an existing story.

Reader's Guide

Sam Barlow's significance lies in his pioneering of the 'desktop thriller' genre, beginning with Her Story in 2015, which redefined how narrative can be delivered through non-linear, video-based gameplay. His work often explores psychologically damaged characters and contemporary settings, a thread that runs from his early interactive fiction Aisle through his Silent Hill titles. By founding Half Mermaid in 2017, he established a platform for further experimental storytelling. His influences—particularly Hitchcock—are evident in his focus on suspense and childhood as a source of horror. Barlow's approach to rebooting existing stories, as seen in his work on #WarGames and his admiration for Cronenberg's The Fly and Schrader's Cat People, demonstrates a thoughtful engagement with adaptation. His legacy includes expanding the possibilities of interactive narrative, blending filmic techniques with game mechanics, and inspiring a new wave of narrative-driven indie games. The critical and commercial success of Her Story, Telling Lies, and Immortality has cemented his reputation as a key figure in modern game design, particularly in the realm of narrative innovation.

Did You Know?

• Sam Barlow's first independent game, Her Story, was published in June 2015 and launched the genre he calls the 'desktop thriller'.
• His early interactive fiction game Aisle (1999) won the XYZZY Award for Best Use of Medium.
• Barlow joined the interactive media firm Interlude (later Eko) in March 2016 to help develop an interactive reboot of the 1983 film WarGames.