Wait how did battlefield 1 ( video game) get into this thread?
Sorry, it was not meant as a derail-
It was just that, in a lot of MMORPGs that I have played you have a toggle options to allow players who feel their immersion is ruined by certain comical and silly items are present. Role players and other players who enjoy immersing themselves.
Usually these people have resistance from another group of players who tell those sensitive players to fuck off because the game is already unrealistic, to which they respond that just because a game has certain unrealistic elements doesn't mean you cannot be immersed.
I know this from myself. I know Battlefield 4 is very unrealistic, but I had some moments playing that game where I completely forgot I was playing a game. But suspense of disbelief is an impossible metric to measure, and it seems that some are evoking suspense of disbelief to shut down on wanting to not give players choices because of malice.
In MMO contexts the playerbase always fights. People want the developers to work on their aspect of the game.
So if some "sensitive" players come in and say they want a option toggle for this and that it takes time and resources away from things that matter for them, and then this circle of shutting down the gameplay features of other player types begins. Raiders hate PvPers and vice versa. The hardcore hate casuals, everyone hates the loser role players who are weird and fucked in the head.
It's just this.. It makes no sense to me.
Because if you want to play a woman in BF1, and I don't like that. I can just go into option and put on a toggle that loads your character model as default. Or disable gold blinged donald trump weapons. Or black characters. or characters with silly unrealistic gimmicks.
So to me, it's not even about diversity as much as just a general expectation. There is no way developers cannot give people who seek authenticity and those who want less realism in favor of personal expression.
I don't give a shit if its unrealistic for stormtroppers to be helmetless. I'll play what I want, but at the same time you have a right to want to play the battles like in the movies, and its true- there was no helmetless stromtroppers. There is no reason why we both cannot have what we want. But DICE went ahead and removed it all together, and its just so dumb. Make a toggle. Make it an option. It's a server side change. it doesnt take more bandwith. its not complex code. EA has the resources to do this.
We all have a right to game. both those that are sensitive to authenticity based on historical games and those who want to make different less frequent characters.
I've noticed a lot of women play MMOs, and I think it's because it is on of those genres where you have more control over making a female character. I can relate to wanting to have your own features exhibited in your avatar. As human beings we put ourselves into so many things. Both psychologically and metaphorically. It helps us care, it helps us be more invested.