Twitter Reacts as Women's Football Is Introduced to 'FIFA 16' Video Game

In a week where FIFA is elbow-deep in one of its biggest scandals in years, football's governing body has been gifted some positive PR from the video game series that bears its name... 

EA Sports' FIFA 16, which will launch in September, will be the first to feature a full complement of women's international teams (h/t the Huffington Post). "FIFA 16" became the top trend on Twitter as the decision was showered with praise...

United States star Megan Rapinoe approved of how she was depicted in the early images of the game. 

"

.@easports really nailed it!!!! Hair✅noodle arm✅ rounded no.15 😜. This is really amazing ... https://t.co/HPqdEzm3sH pic.twitter.com/9Vm3Z3aCfX

— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) May 28, 2015"

Unfortunately, the inclusion of women in the world's most popular sports computer game drew a barrage of negative comments. Naturally, disappointment was expressed toward the sexist attitudes on display... 

Many of the negative reactions cannot be published here, but some of the Tweets seen below ranged from lazy stereotyping and outright disapproval to the odious misuse of the word "banter"...

"

Banter when female footballers are all rated like 60 in FIFA 16 and feminists rage

— ⠀ (@crowej_) May 28, 2015"

For reasons unknown, many Twitter users also seemed obsessed with the idea of pregnancy affecting gameplay... 

"

What if a player on FIFA 16 women's career mode gets pregnant loooool?

— Yousef imo (@Boreinho) May 28, 2015"

Thankfully, at least one of the jokes being made about the game upgrade was not at the expense of women... 

"

John Terry aproves FIFA 16 with Womens Football

— Lucas Samuels (@lucas_samuels) May 28, 2015"

The Telegraph might have won the day with their tweet that poked fun of Arsenal's propensity to sabotage online polls and "ruin the Internet"...

The gaming news also inspired some excellent memes surrounding FIFA's current political mire...

On a day when Twitter was overrun by sexism and sexism-inspired outrage, one Tweet, in this writer's opinion, seemed to stand out as the voice of reason...