"Why Doesn't the Industry Make Good Girls' Games?" – A Video Essay into the History and Market of "Girly Games"

Moon Channel, a YouTube creator of gaming video essays, has released a fantastic video tackling the history and market of so-called “girl games” – video games deliberately marketed to and targeted at young female players. This is includiding, but not limited to, Horse Games.

Parts of the essay echo many points that I often make here on TMQ – which is no coincidence, since channel host Moony mentions me and my work on The Mane Quest as an influence in the video. I am flattered, I feel heard, and I may have cried a little from sheer validation.

I hugely appreciate this nuanced and spot-on take about this often-forgotten niche, and can heartily recommend watching it.

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Horse Games and Gender – How Video Games often fail to combine Quality and Femininity
Horse Games and Gender – How Video Games often fail to combine Quality and Femininity

There has been a significant amount of progress in recent years in how female characters are included and designed.

What remains is an imbalance between how our industry tackles subject matters and activities that have a gendered connotation, which is a significant factor in the utter scarcity of well-made games about horses.

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“We expect to support the game for years to come” – Insights on Rival Stars Horse Racing from PikPok CEO Mario Wynands
“We expect to support the game for years to come” – Insights on Rival Stars Horse Racing from PikPok CEO Mario Wynands

Rival Stars Horse Racing is something of a rarity in our niche: it’s a polished game aimed at adult players, that’s generally well received and getting regular content updates. For the game’s five year anniversary, I sat down for a call with PikPok CEO Mario Wynands in order to talk about the game’s history, its position in the horse game market and why it takes different approaches to different platforms.

The Sims 4 Horse Ranch – An Alright Experience that Could Have Been So Much More
The Sims 4 Horse Ranch – An Alright Experience that Could Have Been So Much More

When the long hoped-for Sims 4: Horse Ranch expansion pack released in July 2023, I briefly thought I would be on time and relevant with a review for once. And then I got distracted and put on sick leave. My in-depth look at the Horse Ranch pack may no longer be timely, but it will be overly elaborate and familiarly pedantic about equine accuracy, because that’s what you all come to The Mane Quest for, isn’t it. 


Game Announcement & Key Giveaway! My First Horse: Adventures on Seahorse Island
Game Announcement & Key Giveaway! My First Horse: Adventures on Seahorse Island

My First Horse: Adventures on Seahorse Island is a brand new casual adventure game released on Steam for PC on April 8th 2024. The game promises an adventure about a young girl called Olivia that lets you explore the titular Seahorse Island, take care of and bond with your horse, take pictures and find hidden treasures.

Windstorm: Start of a Great Friendship – The first Windstorm Game gets Remastered and Released on New Platforms
Windstorm: Start of a Great Friendship – The first Windstorm Game gets Remastered and Released on New Platforms

The first Windstorm game, formerly known simply as Ostwind/Windstorm and later rebranded as Windstorm: Start of a Great Friendship is getting remastered and released on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S. The new version of the 2017 game is set to release on June 20th 2024.

Game Announcement: Horse Racing Manager – A 2D Horse Racing Simulation Game
Game Announcement: Horse Racing Manager – A 2D Horse Racing Simulation Game

Horse Racing Manager is an upcoming management simulation game. Solo developer Jon Mäkinen describes his goals for the project as “if Football Manager and Starters Orders got a child”. Let’s take a closer look at what Horse Racing Manager will offer, who it is for, and who is making it.

Caballus Collecting: The Virtual Model Horse Game is now on Kickstarter
Caballus Collecting: The Virtual Model Horse Game is now on Kickstarter

Caballus Collecting is a game about collecting model horses and has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund its further development.

Game Announcement: Fernhoof Grove - A Cute and Cozy Upcoming Horse Game to Keep your Eyes on
Game Announcement: Fernhoof Grove - A Cute and Cozy Upcoming Horse Game to Keep your Eyes on

Fernhoof Grove is a recently announced upcoming single player horse game. It’s still early in development with lots of work ahead, but read on to find out why it’s worth keeping an eye on, and why I believe it will might have the best horse care minigame of any game ever. 

New Horse Game: Eternal Trails – a Hands-Off Horseback Exploration Game
New Horse Game: Eternal Trails – a Hands-Off Horseback Exploration Game

Described as a “work background” game by its developers, Eternal Trails is a lightweight and low-resolution program intended to run on your computer as a casual, calm background activity. You can watch your horse explore or control its course yourself. 

analysisAlice Ruppertgirl games, horse game history, barbie games, recommendationComment