Slender Man in my opinion is one of the most minimalist yet effective foes in survival horror video game history. His appearance plays on both the unnatural and the common, as Slender Man is tremendously thin and almost completely faceless (except for some indeterminable protuberance and sunken eye sockets), and is seen perpetually dressed in a sharp suit. He is the perfect example of what I like to call 'interactive fear' because the impact of the scare wasn't dependent on the game's element of surprise, anticipation and vulnerability, but I'm highlighting here the need to assess what it was that set the anticipation. And this is beyond knowing the fate the character has upon running into Slender Man. We like to scare ourselves, and it is almost instinctual. Every player has the liberty to assign traits they think suit the Slender profile even though there is already an existing meme which had brought it into existence. This, provided of course that it doesn't override any canon.
This is how players relate in their own ways to a common feared X --- they personalize the fear. The unnatural faceless-ness is sinister and may either be perceived as blankness or accidental, the equated gore of the melted effect. And for some, his extra appendages are tentacles which grab and perhaps symbolize some form of sexual aggression or crime. Others may also interpret this form as arachnid-al, attaching the impression that the being is a predator, which is more so if the art portrays eight appendages. The silent, stalking attitude is initially interpretable as Pedophilia, especially after hearing or reading of the background of Slender Man. However, in the game itself, it was not clear as to what age range the character being played is classified. The first installment of the Slender series is open for rumination, as Slender Man had also been reported to have "attacked" both children and adults.
From the Anthropological vista, the faceless-ness of Slender Man paired with the corporate attire may symbolize the fear of loss of identity as well as the fear of losing individuality. Corporate attire, being formal and serious, has tones of conformity. If the character is a child, aside from the Pedophilic overtone, it may also mean being forced to grow up sooner than required (such as needing to own up to obligations or duties or the expectations of some cultures in society). In the context of being caught which as a consequence makes you 'die' in the game, it could mean giving up individuality and identity to adapt the 'cog mentality'. (I'm adapting a term used very comfortably by Manuel Dy in his collection of essays entitled The Philosophy of Man.) The idea of ridiculous thinness is on the one hand related to fear of sickness. It can also be interpreted as the antagonization of a certain type of body image advanced by today's body fascism. In a society that condemns curves and lumps, the Slender Man indirectly speaks against what is held as the "ideal" by many through his being the enemy in the game.
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