Battlefield V, coming out November 20th, has been long awaited. However, it is going to be slightly different than the rest of the games in the series. Instead of playing as Sergeant Daniel Recker in the campaign, you now get to play as a woman. This has sparked a conflict within the gaming community and Battlefield’s vast fanbase.

The major debate is whether Battlefield is historically accurate and if adding a female character will negatively affect this accuracy. Also, several men are arguing that they buy these games to escape reality and play as someone they admire, so the last thing they want is to be forced to play as a tiny woman with an amputated arm.

However, as recorded by The Verge, “Women did fight in World War II, from the air force units known as the ‘Night Witches,’ to secret agents like Nancy Wake.” Even though they weren’t fighting on the front lines, women still held a key role in the war.

“[…] Since when was Battlefield made to be historically accurate?” said Dax Wilson, former student at Taylorsville High School. “Also, it’s about time they did [add female characters] since there are the same amount of female gamers as there are male gamers. I work at Gamestop and I see those statistics every day I clock in.”

According to the Motherboard, the reason why Battlefield is so fun is because of its historical inaccuracy. No one was jumping out of jets, quickscoping an enemy, and then landing back in their jet in real life. Soldiers didn’t just find flamethrowers and rocket launchers in packages/ load out kits on the ground. Also, no one has ever used an explosive to launch a tank into the air. Ever.

Call of Duty has been using female characters in their games for years, and just recently added a female lead to their games with Black Ops 3. Rainbow Siege also uses strong female characters, who men actually choose in gameplay. Additionally, almost half of the characters on Overwatch are female. So why then, is Battlefield V such a controversial shift?

“I think it’s a good thing to kind of have equal representation in that industry. A lot of people have a problem with it. I personally don’t,” said Drew Holland, senior at Taylorsville High School. “I like the game Tomb Raider and that has a female in it. It’s still a good game regardless if it’s a boy or a girl.”

More than likely, those against this adjustment are just worried that the gameplay won’t be the same. They fail to realise that they can still play as men. Hristos Vlamakis, senior at Taylorsville High School said, “Yes, even though the main character changed, there are always other key members in the game. Some happen to be women […].”

Maybe, if Battlefield wants less backlash, they could offer an option of being a man or a woman in Campaign. This is just one change that gamers are going to have to adjust to, especially if they are devoted to the series.