Confronting Fear with Pajama Sam
Lessons learned from a 90s children game.
First, a confession: I was twenty-four years old when I first played Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside. This apparently makes me ineligible for the game, which has a disclaimer on its box art stating “For Kids 6-9.” But just like how Happy Meals and adventure playgrounds should remain socially acceptable for those above the age of eleven, I pushed through the stigma and shame and played the game some fifteen years past my Pajama Sam due by date.
I’m glad I did. What started as a random excursion born from the curiosity of having played other Humongous Entertainment titles like Putt-Putt and Freddi Fish as a young child, ended up being quite the experience. Simply put, the first Pajama Sam is a near perfect children’s video game. The game’s design and presentation are expertly crafted to cater for its age group, with everything being coated in a layer of charm that also appeals to adults. I also believe that, had I first played the game as a young kid, it would have terrified me. But in a good way!
Let’s start with a quick explainer. Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside is a 1996 point-and-click adventure game for PC and Mac that targeted, well, six-to-nine-year-olds. As mentioned, Humongous Entertainment developed the game. They were the development studio for child-friendly games in the 1990s and early 2000s, creating a string of much-loved series that struck the perfect balance between fun and educational. Many consider Pajama Sam to be their magnum opus.
No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside introduces us to Sam, a comic-book loving youngster who doesn’t fear anything. That is, until his bedroom lights go off. And then, he can’t shake the feeling that some evil monster lurks behind his closet door. Gathering the courage of his favourite superhero, Pajama Man, Sam gingerly steps into the black abyss of his closet and falls into the Land of Darkness. Sam’s greatest fear has manifested into a Wonderland-like setting of nightmares, talking border enforcement trees, freedom fighting carrots, gameshow loving doors, and the monstrous Darkness himself.
If it wasn’t already obvious, the imagination on display in this game is off the charts. As with any Humongous Entertainment game, clicking on many of the environmental objects will trigger some kind of whacky animation. My favourite of these was the kitchen where clicking on each appliance had them sing along with the cabaret-style background music. Eat your heart out, “Be Our Guest.” And that’s just one example of the developers going above and beyond in making this game feel alive with all its fun little details.
Like the best children’s entertainment, Pajama Sam also has a lesson to teach. I said earlier that this game would have scared me if it had made its way onto my family’s blocky white computer back in the day. And that’s not hyperbole. After all, what kid wasn’t afraid of the dark at some point in their adolescence? Darkness is the concealing of that which we perceive to be normal and safe. Take away the comfort of light and vision and our overactive imaginations can quickly run away to all sorts of conclusions. It certainly did for me when I was younger.
Pajama Sam is no different. He doesn’t want to sleep in a dark room where there could be a monster hiding behind his closet door. But instead of turning the lights back on or hiding under his bed sheets, he decides to confront his fear.
Naturally, PJ Sam does a bit of prep work first. Both in his bedroom and in the Land of Darkness, Sam doesn’t step outside his comfort zone without first equipping himself with his superhero mask, flashlight, and lunchbox (for capturing Darkness). I like this. It teaches children that facing your fears is a healthy course of action… but so is making sure you take the time to feel appropriately prepared, comfortable, and fitted out with the right tools (physical or mental) before doing so.
PJ Sam isn’t the only character in the game who must overcome a phobia. I related a bit too much to Otto the boat. In classic adventure game style, Sam’s progress is impeded by an uncrossable river. Fortunately, there is a talking boat named Otto sitting on the river bank who could offer Sam safe passage.
Unfortunately, Otto is a crumbling pile of anxiety. He refuses to get in the water as he doesn’t believe wood can float—even after Sam reassures him that it very much does. It’s only after Sam shows Otto a plank of wood floating in the river that the very anxious boat accepts getting in the water is safe for him. Heaven knows I have been guilty of avoiding what should be natural waters for me out of fear of sinking. But sometimes you do need somebody else to show you that everything will be okay before you take the plunge.
Another character I felt was specifically aimed at adults was King, the old mine cart. His wheels have rusted onto the tracks, meaning that instead of living his best life and speeding around the mine, he’s stuck in place. Boy, I bet a few of us oldies know a thing or two about feeling stuck. Whether that’s a job or a relationship or just life itself, how often do we feel like there’s something holding us back from racing towards our dreams?
PJ Sam eventually confronts Darkness and, well, I won’t spoil what happens. Let’s just say that Sam was right in dealing with his fears instead of letting them eat away at him. And I believe that’s a really powerful lesson—one that applies to people of all ages.
If you have a child or young people in your life who are starting to get into games, Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside is a terrific entry point. As is most of the Humongous Games catalogue, which you can find on Steam or Switch. And if like me, you are an adult who isn’t too “grown-up” to engage with something “made for kids”, then there’s still plenty of good lessons to take away from this game.
Just because you can sleep with the lights off now, doesn’t mean you’re free of fear. But instead of trying (and failing) to bury them, grab your superhero mask, flashlight, and lunchbox, and open that closet door…
The Video Game Storyteller is a free Substack that is written and formatted by Harry Fritsch on the lands of the Jagera and Turrbal people, the Traditional Custodians of Meanjin (Brisbane).
All images were either captured directly by the author or sourced from publicly available promotional screenshots.
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