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

The debate over Horses’ delisting is emblematic of a bigger fight that’s taken place this year, when platforms such as Steam and Itch.io yanked down “NSFW” and “porn” games in July. Developers, players, and trade organizations have continued to be vocal about developers’ creative rights to make games that deal with adult content.

“Developers shouldn’t have to compromise their creative vision, but we also have to acknowledge that games exist within capitalist structures where access to platforms determines livelihood,” says Jakin Vela, executive director of the International Game Developers Association, a nonprofit supporting game developers. “The key is informed decisionmaking and understanding what each platform allows, what risks exist, and whether your artistic goals outweigh those risks.”

Still, Vela says, these removals have exposed the fragility of developers’ economic security. “We should be concerned whenever a system allows a creator’s livelihood to be cut off without transparency or recourse,” he says. The video game industry is highly consolidated, with a handful of platforms controlling access to the vast majority of players. “That imbalance creates a structural issue, not necessarily because platforms enforce rules, but because there are so few viable alternatives.”

Santa Ragione’s future should not hinge on its ability to exist on Steam or any other platform. A bad project should not spell the end of a developer who is, for all the criticisms I have of its game, trying to say something. That part of this story may still yet have a happy, or at least a survivable, ending. The Streisand effect is paying off for Horses. On the digital distribution platform GOG, where it’s still available, the game is a top-seller.

Horses needs to be defended against censorship. It is also a bad game that should be examined as such. But while the conversation around Horses is still stalling out about why the game is allowed to exist, or how it’s not that offensive, the better question is why we really care about it at all—and why, as players, we feel so reluctant to talk about its failings like any other piece of media.