Hi Guys,

Just some musings while I sit here in Lockdown...

As mentioned in the CP2077 thread, I'm really enjoying the GOG release of Horizon Zero Dawn. This definitley deserved it's 9.5 scores in my book, a game made very close to perfection in all aspects, if you happen to like that kind of open-world action.

As I was describing it to a colleague who's a fellow Witcher 3 fan, I realized I ought to warn him that it has a distinct "Pixar" - as in, made (also) for teens - vibe to it. While there is combat, and human opponents, it's definitley one of the least violent titles I have currently installed. The way characters act, talk, and how the story progresses is closer to a Disney movie or other animated film than some kind of graphic adult novel.

Which got me to think, because HZD is pretty much a mix of the recent Tomb Raiders and Far Cry. And the recent Tomb Raiders have been very violent, very dark. By contrast, the first one had less than a handful of human enemies, and you were mostly shooting wild animals attacking you.

When did the industry actually start developing most of their blockbusters for the 18+ crowd? Not too many years ago, admitting that you played console or computer games as someone 30+ kind of got you weird looks. But nowadays, it actually appears the multi-million budget titles are aimed squarely at grown ups.

Not that I'm complaining. It's just interesting how a hobby that used to be "for kids" (or maybe that's just my perception as someone who was a teenager when the Gameboy came out) has turned into a full-on adult centered industry.