Censorship Today: Boundaries, Backlash & the Horses Effect
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Hello everyone. Welcome to our exciting new gathering! Our primary goal is to create a space where kindred spirits come together to engage in thought-provoking conversations, and forge meaningful connections along the way. At our events, we love to delve into the profound and the curious, so you won't find us engaging in small talk. Prepare for stimulating discussions on philosophical topics that will inspire your curiosity. Plus, we'll be conversing in English, making it an inclusive experience for everyone.
In recent years, debates around censorship have intensified across media, culture, and digital platforms. This meetup explores what censorship means in the 21st century — from corporate moderation decisions to public perception and artistic expression.
For this event, I took inspiration from the controversial case of the indie horror game "Horses", developed by Italian studio Santa Ragione. Horses is a surreal first-person psychological horror released in December 2025, where the player spoiler discovers that a seemingly ordinary farm is populated by enslaved humans wearing horse masks.
Despite receiving mature age ratings (PEGI 18 and ESRB M), Horses was refused distribution on major game storefronts like Steam and the Epic Games Store — with both platforms citing content guidelines without clear specificity. This decision sparked public outcry and accusations of censorship from players and developers, leading to widespread discussion about how content moderation works and what limits platforms should have.
Interestingly, the controversy boosted Horses’ visibility: the game became a bestseller on alternative platforms such as GOG and itch.io, illustrating a kind of “Streisand effect*” where attempts to suppress content make it more prominent. This phenomenon raises questions about the effectiveness, intention, and impact of censorship in open digital ecosystems — especially outside contexts with strict governmental controls.
Censorship isn’t just about being “banned” — it’s about who gets to decide what is acceptable, and why. Is it a protection — or a silencing? How do corporate content policies interact with artistic freedom? And what happens when the reaction to censorship becomes louder than the content itself?
In this meetup we’ll reflect on censorship not only as a restriction but as a social trigger and cultural force, using Horses as a concrete example to frame broader discussions.
- What is the Streisand effect
? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect
> Questions we'll discuss: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_ikfRxvT31g1bHjZ0SRtA5E8YTdE4s8fyUttrP_9MXs/edit?usp=sharing
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