Is Battlefield V Marred by Politics?
Here’s a question about videogames that I answered on Quora and wanted to share with you.
As a game designer, I think this looks more like a stylistic error than a “SJW” political issue. This world has enough Gamergate bullsh*t so I’m loath to see yet more political griping, especially when it so quickly gets personal and irrelevant to the game.
IMHO it was a stylistic decision. And honestly, it wasn’t necessarily a bad one; I mean, BF has NEVER been a combat simulation. I mean, have you ever blown up a tank with a grenade? Just take a look at BF 1942: Secret Weapons. You didn’t see all the battlefield reality fascists up in arms about Natter rocket planes flying around like pigeons. And amped-up costume choices and style can be fun. But I do think the team went too far with some of these designs. The character classes need to be identifiable, and it’s jarring to see a character with makeup and a prosthetic arm in a WWII game. At a certain point it’s not a WWII game any more.
I see that the devs did say some things about being inclusive and diverse. Sure. But this is a videogame, and devs love to put a hot girl on the box. What I see here is an attempt to evolve the genre in the Quake/Gears of War direction. DICE tried to pivot their franchise, and the fans didn’t like it.
Nobody goes to the drawing board and says, “How can I take our gravy train franchise and use it to advance my personal politics?” That kind of crap just doesn’t happen. Advancing this kind of conspiracy theory is simply naive.
Follow the money. This was DICE’s attempt to spice up the genre and do something fresh. But they should’ve done themselves a favor and simply called it an “alternate reality WWII.”
