The announcement of Battlefield V by Electronic Arts saw the Internet break out into a frenzy. The new game will see DICE return to the era that started it all: World War II. The frenzy was as much excitement as it was the backlash. This iteration of World War II sees’s the inclusion of women in the game – cue the shock and horror. Raising questions of the authenticity of the game in its ability to capture the essence of the historical conflict which shaped the world as we know it, resulting in the #NotMyBattlefield

Unwavering in the creative decision to diversify the game, Electronic Arts chief creative officer Patrick Söderlund  stated:

“We stand up for the cause, because I think those people who don’t understand it, well, you have two choices: either accept it or don’t buy the game,” said Söderlund. “I’m fine with either or…”These are people who are uneducated—they don’t understand that this is a plausible scenario, and listen: this is a game,” he added. “And today gaming is gender-diverse, like it hasn’t been before. There are a lot of female people who want to play, and male players who want to play as a badass [woman].”

Set to be one of the highly anticipated releases of the year. It is unclear whether the backlash will impact sales however developers and creators are steadfast in the world they choose to create.

It is crazy that creators need to validate the presence of women in video games, as though women did not carry economies and industries during World War II.  This debate can easily turn into a history lesson but we all have Google so let’s have a philosophy and psychology session instead.

I will not list the infinite reasons why women should appear in video games because women are not new to video games, nor are they new to society – we do not exist to try and convince anyone otherwise. Women have led wars, been conquerors, assassins, spies, and traitors. Women do not need nor want your permission to occupy spaces.

It’s more than just representation and diversity. Who are you to disempower individuals from being apart of culture and manifestation of art? What entitlement does your being male bestow on you?

Let us know in the comments below what your thoughts are and whether you’ll be playing.

Battlefield V is set to release on October 19, 2018, via the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Source: Comicbook