"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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Game Announcement: Blackboard Ponies is an Adorable Hand-Drawn Platformer with a Pony Protagonist, Coming to Steam this Year
Game Announcement: Blackboard Ponies is an Adorable Hand-Drawn Platformer with a Pony Protagonist, Coming to Steam this Year

Blackboard Ponies is a 2D Platformer where you play as a pony wreaking havoc on a classroom blackboard, developed by a two person team from Austria. The game’s prototype was originally created as an entry to the Tiny Horse Game Jam #2, a community game jam focused on making small horse games within just a month of work.

Game Announcement and Developer Q&A: Will Driftborn fill the Alicia-Online-Shaped Hole in Your Heart?
Game Announcement and Developer Q&A: Will Driftborn fill the Alicia-Online-Shaped Hole in Your Heart?

Driftborn is a multiplayer fantasy creature racing game coming to Steam for PC. Developer Redstride Studio aims to release a playable demo in 2026 and has been making waves primarily in the horse game spaces on TikTok and Instagram with a bunch of juicy creature animation showcases.

Recommended: Bringing ‘Horses Of Hoofprint Bay’ To Life – Interview with Thogli Studios and The Mane Quest by Video Game Town
Recommended: Bringing ‘Horses Of Hoofprint Bay’ To Life – Interview with Thogli Studios and The Mane Quest by Video Game Town

I am stoked to share this interview with the thogli studios team and myself from Video Game Town: Bringing ‘Horses Of Hoofprint Bay’ To Life. Definitely take a look if you’re interested in a closer look at how thogli studios works, how Horses of Hoofprint Bay and some of its features came to be, and some teasers for what’s still to come.

“Horses Deserve to be Main Characters” – Game Announcement & Developer Insight for HORSE CLUB: Ride West
“Horses Deserve to be Main Characters” – Game Announcement & Developer Insight for HORSE CLUB: Ride West

The Horse Club game series by developer and publisher Wild River Games announces its third entry! I’ve been in touch with the Wild River team before, and even consulted on the latest title: Horse Club: Ride West invites the player on a Western themed ranch vacation with the Horse Club characters and their horses. To celebrate the announcement, I sat down with Stefan Kummer and Daniel Boos from the Wild River team to learn more about their development process.

Horse Game Marketing 101 – The Do's and Don'ts of Sharing Your Passion Projects with People
Horse Game Marketing 101 – The Do's and Don'ts of Sharing Your Passion Projects with People

Indie horse game developers who make games out of a passion for the subject matter are becoming more common these days. Many of these up and coming horse game devs make basic mistakes in marketing and publishing. This article is aimed at those passionate newcomers: Guidelines, basic do’s and don’ts and things to keep in mind for anyone planning to make, announce and distribute a horse game of their own. 

Champions Stable: Equestrian Dynasty is a Horse Racing Management Game, now Looking for Playtesters!
Champions Stable: Equestrian Dynasty is a Horse Racing Management Game, now Looking for Playtesters!

Champions Stable: Equestrian Dynasty is an upcoming simulation strategy game about horse racing. The game aims to provide an in-depth sports simulation along with riding races in first person and being able to ride around an open world for side activities.

Cozy Free-To-Play MMO Palia Announces Horses in Upcoming Expansion: Promising Mechanics and Disappointing Visuals
Cozy Free-To-Play MMO Palia Announces Horses in Upcoming Expansion: Promising Mechanics and Disappointing Visuals

Palia is an online multiplayer life sim game that I’ve had a somewhat interested eye on even without the horses, as someone who enjoys cozy life sim gameplay and prettily stylized character designs. It’s now given me an immediately convincing reason to take a closer look: The Royal Highlands Expansion, announced for release on May 12th, will add horses to the game.

Game Announcement: Barbie Horse Ride and Rescue by PikPok is coming to Mobile, Steam and Switch 2
Game Announcement: Barbie Horse Ride and Rescue by PikPok is coming to Mobile, Steam and Switch 2

PikPok, the New Zealand studio behind Rival Stars Horse Racing, and Mattel, Inc have exciting news for horse game players today: Barbie Horse Ride and Rescue is a brand new horse game coming to mobile devices on June 16th 2026, with a release on PC and Switch 2 to follow in 2027.

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