Videogames: Horizon Forbidden West - Audience and Industry

The final part of our Horizon Forbidden West case study focuses on Audience and Industry.

This requires us to research the companies that produced the game and also consider how the videogames audience is changing. 

Audience

Target audience

Does Horizon Forbidden West really target a female audience? Or is the console gaming audience still male dominated? Research by YouGov in 2022 suggests that console gamers are still majority male:

 

YouGov show that the major console audience is still male dominated - 71% male for PS5 and 68% for Xbox. However, the Nintendo Switch demonstrates that the videogame market is changing and perhaps games like Horizon Forbidden West are also pushing that change.

Postmodern pleasures

Horizon Forbidden West is a good example of the blurring of 'high' and 'low' culture that Strinati identifies as a key convention of postmodernism. We can see this in the game where the character Tilda's vault contains real exhibits from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Henry Jenkins suggested videogames as the "art form for the 21st century". Is HFW the evidence of this? 

This collaboration is also a good example of Baudrillard's hyperreality - the increasing difficulty in telling what is real in a media-saturated world. The works of art in HFW are real - but the game is entirely constructed. Do audiences now enjoy greater pleasures from 'real' media products? 

Industries

Guerrilla Games is the result of a merger of three earlier companies (starting in 1993) which reflects gaming’s origins in small independent companies in contrast to its current status as a global, billion-dollar industry.

The structure of Guerrilla Games and its parent company (Sony) is an example of contemporary media practice in maintaining control of production, distribution and circulation. This is also a case study in vertical integration.

20 years of Guerrilla Games - Killzone and Horizon

Working at Guerrilla Games: behind the scenes

Does this behind the scenes video challenge Hesmondhalgh’s theory regarding the lack of diversity in the cultural industries? It also links to the global nature of the multibillion dollar videogames industry.

Horizon Forbidden West: Audience and Industry blog tasks

Create a blogpost called 'Horizon Forbidden West: Audience and Industry' and work through the following tasks.

Audience

Look at this YouGov blog on the console gaming audience and answer the following questions:

1) What statistics can you find for the number of male / female players for the major consoles?

2) What is the difference between 'hardcore' and 'casual' gamers - and which do you think would play Horizon Forbidden West?

3) What are the different reasons YouGov researched for why players play games? Which of these would apply to Horizon Forbidden West?

Look at the PlayStation website page for Horizon Forbidden West. Complete the following tasks: 

1) How is the game promoted to an audience?

2) What are the key features for the game listed on the site?

3) What information does the website offer players about the game world and characters? Give a few examples.

4) What spin-offs and additional content are available as part of the Horizon franchise?  

5) Applying Henry Jenkins's work on fandom, what aspects of the website (you may need to scroll down) encourage fan activity and engagement with online Horizon communities?  

Read this Wired feature on Horizon Forbidden West's open world design. Answer the following questions: 

1) Why did the writer enjoy Horizon Forbidden West?

2) How is Horizon Forbidden West structured for players when they first start the game?

3) Why does the writer feel HFW created a more successful open world game than The Witcher 3?

Industries

Industry research

1) Research Sony PlayStation Studios. 

2) What studios are part of Sony PlayStation Studios?

3) What notable games have they produced? 

4) Now research Guerrilla Games. Look at the 'Explore' page in particular. Who owns Guerrilla Games and how does it reflect the modern videogames industry? 

5) Choose one of the 'Guerrilla Spotlight' features and write three things you learn about the videogames industry and/or Guerrilla Games from the interview.

Read this USA Today feature on Guerrilla Games. Answer the following questions: 

1) Which three companies merged to become Guerrilla Games?

2) What other games and franchises were created by Guerrilla Games?

3) How did Guerrilla maximise the Killzone franchise? 

4) What did Sony sign with Guerrilla in 2004? 

5) How is Horizon Forbidden West described in the article and what is the next stage for the franchise?  


Regulation and PEGI

1) What is HFW's PEGI rating and what age rating do you feel would be appropriate? Why?

2) Why is regulating videogames difficult in the digital age?

3) Are attitudes towards media content and regulation changing as a result of the internet? Explain your answer.

Due date: on Google Classroom

A/A* extension tasks

Read this fantastic GQ feature on Horizon Forbidden West - it takes in the history of the franchise, audience pleasures and also gender appeal and videogames. This is the kind of article that will make you an expert on the CSP and help you form opinions on the big media theories and debates. GQ is also another one of our in-depth CSPs too! 

Read Factsheet 258 - Exploring the consumption of computer games. Look particularly at the application of media theory on the last two pages. You can find it in our Media Factsheet archive.