Horizon Zero Dawn and why it’s so important to me.
Horizon was a game that was always made with a female character in mind. Now, I could wax poetic on why that’s important to me as a post-feminist but I think it is more than that.
Aloy is a character I would like to see continue being in games and other media. She’s not a sex-symbol like Lara Croft. She’s not looking for a saviour (definitely doesn’t need one) but she’s not the type of character that has all the answers yet. She’s imperfect, curious and head strong.
Aloy is a person.
She comes from a matriarchal tribe but she was raised out of that sphere. Aloy encounters tribes and people who think less of her because of her gender but she effortlessly puts that into question though her actions. By just being herself. I’m bored of “Eff the Patriarchy” and girl-power tropes we see in games.
Women are people too and Guerrilla Games have done a fantastic job at portraying her. Sony, in all of their wisdom, was concerned having a female-led game was risky.
"She's a female lead character," he said. "That has always been the vision by the team, but we had a discussion. Is it risky to do a female character?" - Shuhei Yoshida, head of Sony Computer Entertainment.
Their concerns were unfounded however, after market-testing and on release, Horizon Zero Dawn was overwhelmingly positive.
I hope for this trend to continue. Sex does sell but so does interesting characters and premises for games. The market is a lot smarter than what game studios perceived us to be. We want to see characters like US. Who represent US!
Aloy is someone we hope to be ourselves. She’s someone we want our children to grow up to be. Aloy is tenacious, sarcastic, courageous, headstrong, curious and kind.
This is not just represented by Aloy however, the many NPCs you see in the world all have their own faults and aspirations. There’s more to every character you see in the world of Horizon and the more I explore this game, the more that becomes apparent.
I want to see a trend to continue with more gender equality and not just male vs female but LGBTQI+ characters from a wide range of ethnicities. I don’t want them to be represented as a trope but as characters who represent their audiences. Who think and feel and react how we believe they should but in a way that you can identify with them.
The audience is ready. Game studios need to continue to take action.
Horizon Zero Dawn, the new game from the makers of Killzone, was the sort of title that had Shuhei Yoshida, head of Sony Computer Entertainm
