In the football game released today FIFA 23 Players can play with all-female teams from major European clubs for the first time. This means that there are more female characters than ever before in the popular football game. And in many other games too, women and minorities are ahead.

Experts say the game industry is paying increasing attention to diversity. Where previously classic roles were the norm, with mainly men in the lead role and one woman in a supporting role, in recent years anything seems possible.

“More female characters appear in games and they are also more developed characters. They have their own story and their own goals,” said Romy Halfwig, a game industry consultant and volunteer with the Games Initiative. [4Diversity]that are committed to representing minorities in the game world.

Sacha Blum also works in the gaming industry and is happy with the developments in FIFA:

With over a billion gamers worldwide (nearly half of the total) and a growing number of women working in the games industry, it’s no surprise that game developers are introducing more female characters. The diverse cast also gives developers more flexibility in storylines.

“Everyone is tired of the white macho hero who has to save his girl,” said Eileen Mogres, a producer at a Vienna game studio and member of the Games Board of Directors. [4Diversity]. “I often compare this to painting. Yes, you can make beautiful things in black and white, but with a full color palette you have an amazing number of possibilities.”

“There are still enough people to be saved, but it’s no longer about the traditional male/female ratio,” Halfwig adds.

Experts also point to the social impact of video games. A larger set of characters allows players to identify people with whom they find it difficult to communicate. Muijres: “By putting yourself in someone else’s shoes in a game, for example in a Like me As a person or person from a different culture, you can access new insights and gain more understanding of the situation that person is in.”

“More than books and movies, you can expand someone’s world with games,” says Halfweeg. In the second part of life is strangeThe series plays the role of the son of an immigrant in the United States. Then you experience for yourself that there are biases that have a certain effect, no matter what choices you make in the game.”

Games with diverse actors also seem to be commercially popular. Guerrilla Games’ most successful new game, Horizon: Forbidden WestIt has a female lead and a colorful crew. Our last part 2 He has two atypical leads and a trans man in a major role; “This game broke all kinds of sales records,” Muijres says.

According to Halfweeg, it’s a hit in sales of popular games like FIFA And the Doctrine killer It doesn’t matter how many women or people with immigrant backgrounds can be seen. “They always sell well. But if their makers focus on diversity, that also provides them with positive marketing.”