We first learnt about Battlefield 2042 last week when EA gave us a shiny new trailer and various details such as the fact that you can play in a game with up to 128 players (it's multiplayer only). Over the weekend more details emerged, including our first look at the gameplay.
Maria Falck, the only female specialist revealed to be playable at present, has a stereotypical background: she’s a healer who is looking for her missing son, the Battlefield 2042 website has revealed.
Character stereotypes are in play for all other revealed characters, too. There’s an untrustworthy Russian, an introverted and anti-social sniper, and a grunt who’s seen too much.
Women have been long portrayed as genteel carers in art and media, and their backstories crafted in association with their male counterparts — in this case, Maria is looking for her son David, i.e. the important one — so it’s disappointing that EA has decided to craft characters with such carelessness. Why can’t one of the men be a healer looking for his son, while Maria is a bad-ass gunslinger?
Come on, EA, the players deserve more thoughtfully written characters than this.
EA is set to reveal more about Battlefield 2042 at EA Play Live on 22 July.
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