Horses, A Game That Dares to Tackle Taboo Topics
A new game from Italian developer Santa Ragione, Horses, has been banned from sale on Steam and the Epic Games Store due to its graphic content. But is it as incendiary as critics make it out to be? The game's premise - a young man named Anselmo sent to work on a farm where he discovers that his companions are human beings with horse heads strapped to their bodies - sounds like the stuff of bad satire, but trust us, things get very weird, very fast.
Players must tend to the "horses", perform mundane tasks and deal with the unsettling implication that their companions have been forcibly enslaved and subjected to degrading treatment. The graphics are minimalist, which detracts from the experience, but it's a deliberate choice meant to highlight just how much the game is pushing boundaries.
Steam and Epic Games Store initially pulled Horses due to alleged violations of community guidelines regarding in-app content and hate speech, but critics have taken issue with what they perceive as censorship. The developer has claimed that no specific details were provided on what content was deemed problematic.
But the controversy over Horses goes beyond just its explicit content. It raises questions about the role of art in society and whether certain themes should be tackled at all. As one critic noted, "the conversation that has ignited around it - about video games as art and the censorship of art" is proving to be more profound than the actual game itself.
The gameplay experience is deliberately unsettling, with a focus on psychological horror rather than explicit gore. The result is an unnerving atmosphere that leaves players feeling uncomfortable and frustrated. While Horses is not for everyone, its bold approach has sparked a wider conversation about the limits of what can be said in games.
A new game from Italian developer Santa Ragione, Horses, has been banned from sale on Steam and the Epic Games Store due to its graphic content. But is it as incendiary as critics make it out to be? The game's premise - a young man named Anselmo sent to work on a farm where he discovers that his companions are human beings with horse heads strapped to their bodies - sounds like the stuff of bad satire, but trust us, things get very weird, very fast.
Players must tend to the "horses", perform mundane tasks and deal with the unsettling implication that their companions have been forcibly enslaved and subjected to degrading treatment. The graphics are minimalist, which detracts from the experience, but it's a deliberate choice meant to highlight just how much the game is pushing boundaries.
Steam and Epic Games Store initially pulled Horses due to alleged violations of community guidelines regarding in-app content and hate speech, but critics have taken issue with what they perceive as censorship. The developer has claimed that no specific details were provided on what content was deemed problematic.
But the controversy over Horses goes beyond just its explicit content. It raises questions about the role of art in society and whether certain themes should be tackled at all. As one critic noted, "the conversation that has ignited around it - about video games as art and the censorship of art" is proving to be more profound than the actual game itself.
The gameplay experience is deliberately unsettling, with a focus on psychological horror rather than explicit gore. The result is an unnerving atmosphere that leaves players feeling uncomfortable and frustrated. While Horses is not for everyone, its bold approach has sparked a wider conversation about the limits of what can be said in games.
. I mean, it's just a game, right? It's not like it's promoting actual hate speech or anything 
. The graphics may be minimalist, but that's part of its charm - it's like the devs are saying "we're gonna make this uncomfortable" and boy do they deliver 
. The fact that it's sparking a conversation about censorship in games is actually pretty cool, imo 
. It's not always easy to tackle tough subjects in media, but sometimes that's exactly what we need - like with this game, it's not trying to be all flashy and over-the-top, it just gets right under your skin 
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, the whole thing with Horses just highlights how messed up our society's boundaries are when it comes to art and free speech 
. I mean, some people are freaking out over a game that's literally about exploring uncomfortable themes, but at the same time we're constantly bombarded with more "content" that's just as problematic 
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. Before Horses even came out, there were already people freaking out about its supposed "incendiary content" 
. And now that it's been banned, people are all like "oh no, censorship!" 
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. Art should be challenging and uncomfortable sometimes – that's what makes it worthwhile 
. So yeah, I think Horses has sparked something important, even if it was just a way for people to freak out online 
... I mean, what's next? Are we going to ban books and movies because they're too thought-provoking? The real issue here is that some people are more comfortable with art pushing boundaries than others 
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. The controversy around Horses has actually brought attention to some really important issues, and for that, I think the game deserves some credit 
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. I'm curious to see how this whole thing plays out - are they gonna lift the ban later? And what do you think, should games be able to tackle super sensitive topics like this? 
. The controversy around art in society is interesting, I guess... we should be having more nuanced conversations about what games can tackle, rather than just banning them outright 
. But with Horses, it's like they're actually doing something different - they're not trying to shock us for the sake of it, they're trying to make a point 
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. Whether or not you play it is up to you, but I'm definitely curious to check it out now 
But seriously, the whole thing feels kinda satirical, like someone took a look at some '70s horror movies and went "this is what we need to tackle in gaming". Minimalist graphics or not, it's still a pretty weird game. And yeah, I get why Steam and Epic Games Store got all upset about it... but censorship is one thing, censoring art is another 
)
. can someone pls provide a source for these "community guidelines" that got it pulled tho? i'm all for discussion but let's not jump to conclusions just yet 
I mean, isn't the goal of art to challenge our perspectives and make us uncomfortable sometimes? 
... Ugh, I'm so confused now 
. The graphics are pretty basic, but I think that's the point - it's all about the atmosphere and making you feel uneasy 
. I mean, sure, the premise might sound a bit weird, but that's kinda the point - it's not meant to be taken literally, it's more like an allegory or something 