Farming Simulator 17 will let you play as a woman

Something big is coming to the 2017 edition of Farming Simulator , and I'm not talking about the return of the mighty Fendt .

. (Although that's pretty cool too.) No, I'm talking about something even better, even more impressive, more mind-blowing than that. I'm talking about women.

I actually didn't realize this, because I don't spend much time thinking about agricultural simulation, but all of the previous games in the Farming Simulator series have only offered male farmer avatars. But as someone who actually lives in a rural area, literally surrounded by farms on all sides, I can confirm it: There are women here. And they sometimes do farming stuff. This fact has not escaped the notice of Giants Software or the people who play its game.

“As requested by the passionate Farming Simulator community, the ability to play a female farmer reflects the diverse and ever-expanding industry of agriculture, making Farming Simulator 17 more realistic and rewarding than ever before,” the studio announced. “Players will now be able to select their avatar's gender at the beginning of the game, along with customizing their clothes. This exciting new option will also appear among the workers you can hire: both men and women will give you a hand with the many tasks that a farmer sees throughout the day!”

Okay, maybe it's not “exciting” in the same way as fending off an invasion of demon-aliens bent on exterminating humanity, but Farming Simulator is a world unto itself, with its own unique rules that transcend conventional wisdom and understanding. And this is pretty great.

Farming Simulator 17 will be out on October 25.