Game File: The Culture and Business of Video Games

Game File is a thrice-weekly newsletter that delves deep into the world of video games. Written by longtime gaming reporter Stephen Totilo (Kotaku, Axios, MTV News, The New York Times), it offers scoops, interviews, and regular updates. In this article, we explore the fascinating world of horse games and the impact they have on the gaming industry.

Uncover the Hidden World of Horse Games

Alice Ruppert's Horse Game Journey

Alice Ruppert has a lifelong love for horses. As a child, she rode them, and grew up playing horse video games like Tomb Raider and The Sims. In 2015, she embarked on a game development career focused on creating horse video games and helping others improve theirs. In 2018, she launched The Mane Quest, a blog dedicated to virtual horses, where she began publishing critiques of horse games.She is passionate about horse games and is not afraid to be critical. In her assessment of the 2017 Windstorm game, she noted that despite riding being the core of the game, it felt stilted and awkward. Her 2021 list of 8 Common Horse Mistakes I Want Game Developers to Stop Making highlighted issues such as incorrect horse animations and the propensity for games to keep saddles on horses at all times.Even in her favorite games like the 2020 PlayStation blockbuster Ghost of Tsushima, she was frustrated by the horse sleeping in its saddle. These inaccuracies broke her suspension of disbelief, and she believed many developers were well-intentioned but simply didn't know better.

The Rise of Horse Games

Ruppert has seen the horse game genre go through both lean and prosperous times. In the 2010s, there were fewer horse games, but now there are more, including indie horse games like Astride, Ranch of Rivershine, and Unbridled. She is also excited to see that some of the biggest studios are taking notice. A Rockstar game developer's post-mortem about horses in Red Dead Redemption 2 cited The Mane Quest, which was a thrill for her.There is even a new horse gaming blog called The Bridle Paths that has launched, aiming to create better products for horse fans.

The Legend of Khiimori

In September, Ruppert posted a 14-second clip of Windstorm: The Legend of Khiimori, which turned it into one of the most must-watch games slated for 2025. The game is designed as a period piece, an expensively rendered horse adventure set in 13th century Mongolia. It's a far cry from the typical fix-your-family-farm horse games.Ruppert was one of the key people who made the decision to set the game in Asia and play as a courier. The enthusiastic response to the clip affirmed her faith in horse games and signaled that the risk they had taken with the game might pay off. The game is slated for an early access release next year on PC, with console release TBD. And it avoids her eight horse game mistakes.

Horse Games for Kids

I discovered Ruppert's viral Legend of Khiimori tweet while searching for horse games for my kids. My seven-year-old son treats The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as a horse game. He loves taming and swapping horses, and Ruppert had praise for the horses in the game. She liked their pretty models and the fact that they have a bit of mass, making them feel tangible when riding. She also appreciated that even tamed horses have a mind of their own.While she didn't have major gripes, she did lament that a 2018 Zelda artbook showed sketches of "pointless stuff" she wanted the horses to do, like eating tree branches and peeking through windows.In conclusion, horse games have a rich history and are experiencing a resurgence in the gaming industry. With the efforts of developers like Alice Ruppert and the attention of major studios, the future of horse games looks bright.