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?

Statistics that I can find for the number of males that play on the PS5 is a significant amount more compared to females (71%-29%), Xbox (68%-32%) but for playing on a Nintendo Switch it is almost at an evenly spilt between males and females at 54% for males and 46% for females. 

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

The difference between 'hardcore' and 'casual' gamers is for 'hardcore' gamers these are people who say they take video games seriously, or play competitively meanwhile 'casual' gamers are people who just play video games to have fun and pass time by. Since HFW is a PlayStation 5 game I would say that this game is meant for 'hardcore' gamers as most hardcore gamers are seen playing on a PlayStation instead of playing on a Nintendo Switch which is meant for causal gamers. 

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

Some of the different reasons as to why YouGov researched into why players play games is because when asked most gamers across every system say relaxing and winding down is a key motivation for playing video games – but especially for PC (77%) and Switch (78%) gamers compared to Xbox (56%) and PS5 (63%). This group are also more likely to say they play games “to pass the time” or “to escape from reality for a while”. I think the best one which will apply to HFW is gamers who ant to 'relax and wind down, to pass time by', 

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

1) How is the game promoted to an audience?

When you open up the website the first thing you see is the picture of the main protagonist Aloy who is posing for action already. This shows towards players that this is an action/adventure game. In addition, there are many different videos and trailers of the game which gives players a better understanding of what kind of game this is and if they might enjoy it or not before buying it 

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

Brave an expansive open world - Discover distant lands, new enemies, rich cultures and striking characters.

A majestic frontier - Explore the lush forests, sunken cities and towering mountains of a far-future America.

Confront new dangers - Engage in strategic battles against enormous machines and mounted human enemies by using weapons, gear and traps crafted from salvaged parts.

Unravel startling mysteries - Uncover the secret behind Earth's imminent collapse and unlock a hidden chapter in the ancient past... one that will change Aloy forever.

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

The website offers key information towards players about the game world and characters such as PlayStation having a section as to "Why you should play HFW" which gives multiple reasons and examples as to why you should play this game. Some examples they offer is exploring the deep sea and seeing the underwater secrets that states "will change Aloy forever" which can grab a players attention towards wanting to play HFW to unlocking the seas secrets and seeing how it alters and changes Aloys mission. 

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

Additional content that is available for the Horizon franchise is having different editions for players to play that is available in the PlayStation store such as the 'Standard Edition' (which costs £49.99) that offers the basic such as the game. However in the 'Complete Edition' players are offered (at a more expensive price of £59.99) Burning Shores expansion for PS5®, Carja Behemoth Elite Outfit and Bow, Nora Thunder Elite Outfit and Sling, Digital Art Book, Comic & Soundtrack, In-game resource pack,  Pose and face paint (Photo Mode), Apex Clawstrider Machine Strike piece. This shows that the more players pay towards the game the more they receive out from it meaning they can get the most out of the experience from playing HFW.  

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?  

Aspects of the website that links and supports Henry Jenkins' work on fandom is having products available that relate back to HWF such as having a papercraft guide for fans to follow and make their own paper template of characters from the game. In addition, players are given cosplay guides into how to dress up as some of the characters in the game. 

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?

The writer enjoyed playing Horizon Forbidden West as there is nothing more exciting or daunting than playing an open-world video game. 

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

HFW is structured for players when they first start the game is 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 writer feels HFW created a more successful open world game than The Witcher 3 as it is too overwhelming. This is because the writer threw down his controller in frustration when he arrived at a massive city and realized it would take hours to traverse all of its streets, talk to all of its NPCs, and finish the quests. He still enjoyed the game somewhat, but it failed to lure him in the way Horizon Forbidden West did.

Industries

Industry research

1) Research Sony PlayStation Studios. 

2) What studios are part of Sony PlayStation Studios?

The studios that are part of Sony PlayStation Studios is Asobi, Bend Studios, Bluepoint, Firesprite, Naughty Dog, Guerrilla. 

3) What notable games have they produced? 

Astro Bot, Helldivers, Until Dawn. 

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? 

Geurrilla Games is owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe, It reflects the modern video game industry as they employ more than 350 professionals from 50 different nationalities meaning that they can get different viewpoints and ideas from all kinds of different people from backgrounds and what they feel can be like the next new latest trend for video games. 

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.

1. "I’d also recommend to everyone interested in designing for games: don’t just play what’s popular, but also play games that are not as popular or mainstream. There’s always something to learn from all kinds of games. Identify what you feel works or doesn’t work, and that can help you in the games you work on!"

2.  "At Gurrilla, we work alongside level designers, who place little boxes to show us what the intentions are (where the player takes cover, finds hints). It’s our job to change the box into a believable and pretty 3D space. It leads to researching a lot of interesting subjects. For example, to create a Forge, we’d research what’s the structure of a forge, what tools are needed to do it and the process of a blacksmith, to help the space be “believable”. So we end up learning a lot of small things along the way!". 

3. "Collaboration! In order to plan the base design of tools far in advance, this is very important. Even though every Tools Programmer here has their own area of what they like to work on, we collaborate with each other as much as possible."

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

1) Which three companies merged to become Guerrilla Games?

Collective of developers was formed by Orange Games, Digital Infinity, and Formula Game Development. 

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

Killzone, Shellshock: Nam ‘67, Big Brother: The Game, Zelda: The Magic Wand of Gamelon. 

3) How did Guerrilla maximise the Killzone franchise? 

Guerrilla maximised the Killzone franchise by having it availblae on many different other gaming devices. PSP spinoff Killzone: Liberation took the shooter into isometric dungeon crawler territory for the sake of portable convenience, Killzone: Mercenary found uses for the touch panels of the PlayStation Vita in a shooter format, and Killzone: Shadow Fall showed us what the PS4 was capable of on a technical level: huge levels filled with high fidelity assets, loading on the fly. 

4) What did Sony sign with Guerrilla in 2004?

Sony sign with Guerrilla in 2004 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?  

HFW is described as having a different atmosphere entirely. It’s a world bearing the scars of a mysterious lost civilization, a far future that looks like a distant past, and it’s just about hospitable that you can exhale and take in the scenery now and then. The next stage for the franchise is a VR title co-developed with Firesprite called Horizon: Call of the Mountain, is in many ways the perfect example of what the studio’s about: a deepening of a universe it created itself, making fortuitous use of a Sony hardware platform. 

Regulation and PEGI

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

HFW rating from PEGI is 16. I feel like this is the right age rating which is deemed appropriate for this game as there is shocking scenes of blood and violence that other younger players can find terrifying and scary. 

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

Regulating video games in the digital age has proved a challenge as ir has become easier for players to bypass the age restrictions that games have such as lying and pretending to be older than they say they are when ordering the game online, This is because since the internet is hugely unregulated anyone can just say they are over the minimum age for the game and purchase it from the PS Store even if they are not the correct age for it. 

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

Yes the attitudes towards media content and regulation changing as a result of the internet as it is easy for people especially the younger generation to fall into illegal or unsuitable content for their age meaning they are exposed to the many things that the internet has to offer when it should not be able to be accessed by young people such as them.