Watching EA Play as the first E3 live event, I noticed something interesting. For a few years now, many major game development studios have received criticism on their lack of female representation. This includes EA themselves, as many were critical of Battlefield 1‘s lack thereof. Conversely, there were plenty of female leads and characters in the games being shown and even on stage.
Of course, one of the games adding in a female unit is Battlefield 1 for its DLC pack In the Name of the Tsar. This pack adds in the typical maps and weapons we’ve seen in shooter expansions before, but the most interesting aspect is the inclusion of the Women’s Battalion of Death. Not only is this a first for Battlefield 1, but also for the series at large.
During the Star Wars Battlefront 2 segment of the event, we were introduced to Janina Gavankar, who plays the role of Commander Iden Versio. Compared to the other bumbles during the event, Gavankar’s dominant stage presence and confidence was a stark contrast. Iden Versio is the main character of the much anticipated Battlefront 2 story mode, one that tells a dynamic story about the Empire and the people behind the helmets. Not only that, but it was also revealed that Captain Phasma will be added in December as free post-launch content. Truly, Battlefront 2 looks to be taking a few pages out of Rogue One’s book, which is refreshing considering the problems with the first game.
Lastly, for Need for Speed Payback, there is Jess. Jess is shown risking her life during the demonstration, bravely jumping on the side of a truck to steal a fancy car. While we don’t know much about her character quite yet, Jess seems to be breaking the mold of typical Need for Speed female characters.
Oddly enough, we didn’t get to see any women hardly in the major sports announcements from EA. This comes off as a bit strange considering one of FIFA 17‘s big selling points was the inclusion of several women’s national teams. This could have been an oversight by the marketing department, but its still worth bringing up for this topic.
All in all, I find it interesting that EA featured so many women during their event. If anything, its a notable point of discussion and I’d love to know what people think. Comment below or find us on social media.
For more information on EA’s games, check out their official website.
