I have a 13-year-old daughter that when the trailer came out and she saw all the flak, she asked me, 'Dad, why's this happening?' She plays Fortnite, and says, 'I can be a girl in Fortnite. Why are people so upset about this?' She looked at me and she couldn't understand it. And I'm like, ok, as a parent, how the hell am I gonna respond to this, and I just said, 'You know what? You're right. This is not okay.' These are people who are uneducated—they don't understand that this is a plausible scenario, and listen: this is a game. And today gaming is gender-diverse, like it hasn't been before. There are a lot of female people who want to play, and male players who want to play as a badass [woman]. And we don't take any flak. We stand up for the cause, because I think those people who don't understand it, well, you have two choices: either accept it or don't buy the game. I'm fine with either or. It's just not ok.As if this wasn't enough, one of the game's design directors wrote on Reddit:
I knew this was going to be a fight when i pushed for female soldiers in Battlefield. I have a daughter, and I don’t want to ever have to answer her question of “why can’t I make a character that looks like me” with “because you’re a girl.” I fundamentally feel to my core this is the right way and I will find myself on the right side of history. And I think many people will play the game despite their reservations. And maybe learn something about either history or themselves. That is part of the making games art.And let's not forget this gem that was revealed when DICE celebrated the game's release:
With an obnoxious push to seemingly pander to SJWs, Battlefield V's lack of historical authenticity left a bad taste in my mouth. For all DICE's talk of being inclusive for women, there is virtually no mention in the game of real women who fought during the war, such as the Night Witches bomber group or the female Soviet sniper credited with 309 kills. And you can't run around as Wonder Woman or wear a Japanese school girl uniform. In a final twist of fate, appealing to SJWs didn't help the game in compensating for turning away hardcore Battlefield fans, as its sales numbers can attest.
#EVERYONESBATTLEFIELD done better
My first reaction to the video was "what on earth is this?!" It felt so unbelievable to see what appeared to be pro SJW feminist propaganda actually existing. With that in mind, I decided to look a bit into the comments section. Unlike Battlefield V's reveal trailer however, what struck me was that most of the video's top rated comments were... positive? I was expecting people talking about "no women were in the war", but most of them were folks who seemed to have an appreciation for World War II and/or tanks. I knew something was off upon seeing this. Turns out the footage came from a 2012 anime called Girls und Panzer.
What finally sold me were two videos called "The History in Girls und Panzer". It was then I decided to bite the bullet by watching the whole show. That was no easy decision as I'm no fan of anime (its simply not my cup of tea). But sheer curiosity and a partial desire to prove myself wrong that this was trash ultimately prevailed.
The show takes place in an alternate reality where girls can partake in a martial art or sport known by various names: tankery, sensha-do, or (my favorite) Panzerfahren - literally meaning "the Way of the Tank". Although it seems dangerous at first glance, the tanks in the show use "live rounds but with an emphasis on safety" and have "special carbon coating lining tank interiors, protecting the tank crews by minimizing the force transfer of hits that would otherwise be lethal in the real world." All tanks also move at a much faster speed and have better maneuverability than their real world counterparts. The show features various schools, with each school modeled after the major combatants in World War II. So you have British, American, Italian, Russian and German inspired schools. Each of the participating schools use real-world marches as their "theme song" or leitmotif. Thus, you have Panzerlied for the German school, The British Grenadiers for the British school, and The Battle Hymn of the Republic for the American school. Oh, did I tell you that each school is actually located on giant aircraft carriers that can accommodate tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people?
The show takes place in an alternate reality where girls can partake in a martial art or sport known by various names: tankery, sensha-do, or (my favorite) Panzerfahren - literally meaning "the Way of the Tank". Although it seems dangerous at first glance, the tanks in the show use "live rounds but with an emphasis on safety" and have "special carbon coating lining tank interiors, protecting the tank crews by minimizing the force transfer of hits that would otherwise be lethal in the real world." All tanks also move at a much faster speed and have better maneuverability than their real world counterparts. The show features various schools, with each school modeled after the major combatants in World War II. So you have British, American, Italian, Russian and German inspired schools. Each of the participating schools use real-world marches as their "theme song" or leitmotif. Thus, you have Panzerlied for the German school, The British Grenadiers for the British school, and The Battle Hymn of the Republic for the American school. Oh, did I tell you that each school is actually located on giant aircraft carriers that can accommodate tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people?
With all that in mind, don't expect a show that faithfully recreates the experience of being a tank crew member in World War II. Or one that explores profound material such as the "horrors of war."
Twelve episodes later, I... ended up being a fan. Something I never thought I would admit, but for the first time ever in my life, I actually got to watch and enjoy an entire anime series. Upon reflecting now, I have to go back and modify the quote that DICE developer wrote on Reddit:
And I think many people will [watch the show] despite their reservations. And maybe learn something about either history or themselves. That is part of the making [TV shows] art.That quote is more applicable for Girls und Panzer than Battlefield V, as the show reinvigorated my passion for World War II. The English speaking fans of the show sealed the deal. As I mentioned, this wasn't a pro-SJW group of weirdos, but folks who are tank and World War II enthusiasts. Some are not only World of Tanks or War Thunder gamers, but some are Battlefield veterans or even play (to my surprise) strategy games such as Hearts of Iron! And some are excellent artists, as the below selection will show:
Other creative fans meanwhile love to mashup things:
After watching all twelve episodes, I was impressed that an anime with an outlandish setup had more historical references crammed into it than Battlefield V. I couldn't help but get this odd feeling that DICE saw Girls und Panzer, and came to the conclusion that because the show had girls partaking armored warfare was the main reason why it was a surprise hit. They obviously had it wrong.
As one fan commented:
This waifu anime has more attention to detail and passion for history than some allegedly serious war movies.The creator of "The History of Girls und Panzer" best summed it up when he said:
Although the plot is predictable, the characters are kind of dumb at times and I'm not an anime fan, I'm extremely impressed with the historical detail put into this show. Not just the tanks (which are displayed to the smallest detail)... but in all other aspects of the show.... there is so much packed into the show itself. This show was clearly made by history fans for history fans. And its honestly pretty awesome.... But seriously, even if you dislike anime like I do, I would implore you to watch the series. Even the movie.So if you want women on the Battlefield done in a way that DICE was aiming for in a non historically accurate manner without hitting you on the head with any pro-SJW tripe, Girls und Panzer is it.
No comments:
Post a Comment