Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 may have some glitches and launch issues, but there’s one way in which this installment really excels. For the first time, you get to choose your gender. In most Call of Duty campaigns, your soldier is always a man. Here, you can be a man or a woman. Sure, the game might still refer to her as a him, but it’s a situation where the thought counts.
After all, it’s the first time in a 12 years that Call of Duty has offered people the option in the campaign. Considering the number of women playing games, it’s quite the inclusive move. That isn’t even factoring in men who enjoy having female avatars in games because they want to see a different sort of character on-screen.
The thing is, some people don’t see this as a good thing. The Scottish Daily Mail had a child development expert named Sue Palmer weigh in on the game, saying, “[ Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 ] will have the same impact on girls as it will have in any child. The evidence is that it will make them more cold and reckless or more withdrawn and fearful.” The same article also says this installment is “encouraging young women to be more violent by introducing its first female soldiers.” This is unsubstantiated rhetoric designed to make people panic.
People have been playing Call of Duty for years. That includes both men and women. Adding in female avatars isn’t going to suddenly make violence more attractive to the girls who play because now their avatar looks like them. Rather, it gives them the option to play as someone who shares a physical resemblence. For those who don’t play, it might encourage people who may have eased into shooters with Mass Effect or Fallout to give Black Ops 3 a try.
The idea that video games promote violence has been debunked time and time again. Men and women both have been enjoying the medium for years. That all of a sudden one installment in one series could make women more violent is like saying Mortal Kombat has been encouraging women to wear skimpy outfits and fight or Super Mario Brothers makes every girl want to be a princess. These broad generalizations are unfair to the people who make and play the games.
Treyarch shouldn’t be faulted for this decision. It’s something the developer didn’t have to do. Call of Duty earns billions of dollars every year. The inclusion of women is an acknowledgement that this is a game for everyone. The Daily Mail is relying on the notion that sensationalism sells and everyone is talking about Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 . It’s best to ignore such talk and focus on the positives. The game offers people more options, and that’s always a good thing.