Horses, the Most Controversial Game of the Year, Doesn't Live Up to the Hype

"Shortly before the December 2 release of horror game Horses, developer Santa Ragione shared some news: the game would not be available on Valve's mega platform, Steam. Valve had already banned an early, incomplete version of the game two years ago and offered, according to Santa Ragione, little clarification about why at the time. Then, hours before the game's release, the Epic Games Store banned Horses as well."

"Many pieces have been written online about how the game doesn't deserve to be shunned by the distribution platforms, and about how the game's content is relatively tame. But too few of these pieces engage with the content of the game on a critical level. Horses ' storytelling is clumsy, and its blase treatment of the sexual assaults (plural!) depicted in the game fails to elevate the game beyond more than a lazy commentary of sexual repression."

"It's difficult to untangle the circumstances and controversy surrounding the game's release from the content of the game itself. As a writer, I think censorship of creative work is Bad. I think Horses has as much right to exist as any other game, and that the power of distribution platforms to ban and delist a game by a small studio should be a concern for everyone."

Horses was banned from Steam and later from the Epic Games Store, while Humble briefly removed then relisted the game. Public outcry and community support defended the developers, and many argued the game's content is relatively tame. The game's storytelling is clumsy and treats multiple sexual assaults with a blasé approach, reducing its commentary on sexual repression to a lazy level. Creative censorship remains harmful and the authority of distribution platforms to ban small studios raises concerns. Ultimately, the game relies on pseudointellectual pretension, loses shock value, and its three-hour runtime feels tedious.

Read at WIRED