The new 'Battlefield' game is bringing the grim realities of World War 1 into video games

There are plenty of good reasons why World War I doesn't get a ton of exposure in video games.

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It was an awkward technological era where, yes, we had airplanes and tanks, but they were such rickety contraptions that good old fashioned horses were still used. Huge parts of the war involved people just sitting in trenches for months on end, succumbing to diseases just as often as gunfire. This isn't the kind of stuff that translates well to video games.

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This is "Battlefield 1." DICE

DICE, the developer of the long-running and hugely popular "Battlefield" series of multiplayer shooters, is taking on the challenge of making a World War I video game fun. The signature large-scale battles of the "Battlefield" games are being transported back to the early 20th century, with jet fighters and high-powered assault rifles being swapped out for biplanes made of wood and unwieldy Gatling guns.

We've broken down the chaos of the first gameplay trailer for you below:

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"Battlefield 1" takes players back to the Great War, and they'll have to depend on the technology of the era to come out on top against the opposing team.

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DICE

That means you'll be able to pilot or face off against these tanks. Yes, that's what they looked like back then. You can target individual parts of the tank, such as the treads, to damage the vehicle in different ways.

battlefield 1
DICE
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The European countryside is beautiful, but you won't be able to take it in too much, seeing as there's a huge war happening all around you.

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DICE

The main appeal of the "Battlefield" series is that players can take several roles in any battle. As you can see, you can engage in infantry firefights, zoom around the maps in ground vehicles or give your team an advantage through the air,

battlefield 1
DICE
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The aerial side of things actually looks the most interesting. WWI was the first major war with airplanes, and air superiority was key to victory for the Allies in the war, despite the primitive airplanes they used.

battlefield 1
DICE

Players will actually be able to take gunner positions in massive zeppelins and try to ward off those pesky biplanes. If the zeppelin gets destroyed, it will actually fall to the ground and create massive destruction in that part of the map.

battlefield 1
DICE
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DICE is promising that dynamic weather effects will add unpredictability to each battle. As you can see here, the rain has turned the battlefield into a muddy, miserable place to be, even moreso than it already was.

battlefield 1
DICE

There's a lot more to see in "Battlefield 1," so check out the trailer below in all its chaotic glory.

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