Videogames: Horizon Forbidden West - Audience and Industry

 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?

71% male, 29% female - PS5 / 54% male, 46% female - Nintendo Switch

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

“hardcore” – those who say they take video games seriously, or play competitively – are a minority, and one with the highest representation on the PS5 (19%) and Xbox Series X|S (20%).

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

Pass time, escape reality, for challenges. 

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

1) How is the game promoted to an audience?

"outstanding entertainment, emotive story telling and compelling artistic vision"

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

1 player, offline gaming. 

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

Explore distant lands, fight bigger and more awe-inspiring machines, and encounter astonishing new tribes as you return to the far-future, post-apocalyptic world of Horizon. It's up to Aloy to uncover the secrets behind these threats and restore order and balance to the world. 

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

Complete version which has extra benefits for PS5 players - skins, resource packs.

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? 

 

Cosplay guides, and papercraft guides. 

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?

 I really enjoyed backtracking and being able to pace myself the way I wanted to. When I started feeling aimless, I could just move forward with the main story, but I didn’t feel forced to focus on anything in particular. 

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

Horizon Zero Dawn is the kind of game that stays on its rails for the first five to 10 hours, pulling you into the narrative before releasing you to explore. It creates structure and a sense of the goals for gameplay—the ideal introduction to a game built around wide-open spaces.

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

The Witcher 3 is designed to encourage you to explore before you tackle the main story quests, to the point that you’re actually punished if you don’t fully investigate an area before moving on. (If your current level is above the quest level, you get minimal or no experience points for completing quests. Let me tell you how frustrating that can be when you’re a person who likes to be constantly over-leveled so you don’t die all the time and you don’t find this out until 15 hours into a game.) I know some people thrive in games built like this, where there are no real rules or limits and the possibilities are endless; I am not one of them.

Industries

Industry research
 Sony PlayStation Studios. 

1) What studios are part of Sony PlayStation Studios?

2) What notable games have they produced? 

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

4) 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?

Orange Games, Digital Infinity, and Formula Game Development.

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

Killzone. 

3) How did Guerrilla maximise the Killzone franchise? 

They showed off by making two sequels and improving qualtiy.

4) What did Sony sign with Guerrilla in 2004? 

First-party contract for Guerrilla, ensuring that from 2004 onwards all the titles it developed would appear only on PlayStation consoles. 

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

VR title co-developed with Firesprite called Horizon: Call of the Mountain

Regulation and PEGI

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

 I think it's appropriate the way it is.

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

People can pirate and illegally download games which are not for their age group.