I don't know how mods feel about reposting something you said on another thread, but I am going to do it here because I think it adds to the big discussion that I know is about to start.
"I am really conflicted by this whole issue. On one hand I can understand why women feel unrepresented in video games on the other hand I feel like at this point Ubisoft just can't win. When it comes to characters in video games, books and movies, I don't look for great female characters I look for great human characters. The problem I have with the whole we want more female characters movement is I just feel like they are so picky. Seriously, if a female character is not exactly what they think a great female character should be, even if they show characteristics of being human, they consider it sexist, misogynist and the best part they will consider it a personal attack on their entire gender. You can't win with these people, we are talking about the kinda people that said Lara Croft going to therapy makes her look weak, the kinda people that say Female Shepard is just too similar to Male Shepard and if any character shows any sort of cleavage, looks weak or is influenced by men of any sort despite any context given, it is thrown in the bad female character pile. If I was a writer of any kind, making a female character would scare the hell out of me because I feel like making one is like getting zero on a roulette wheel. The zero is a female character people want and all the others are condemned.
At this point, if Ubisoft put in a female character it would be half assed and the people that were crying for would then end up unsatisfied and would start complaining all over again and would say well it was better off without the female characters.
well I am looking forward to getting all the replys on what a horrible person I am, but I believe there is a lot of truth of what I said. I want more diversity in games too, but not in the same way most people are, at least what I seen on twitter anyway. I am also not saying that developers shouldn't put female characters in games nor do I think what i said was the only reason female characters are not put in games because I know there many reasons/excuses."
I will also add that yes what Ubisoft said was incredibly stupid and it was a bad excuse or they had another one, but decided that one was better than the one they had. Also I am not saying that Ubisoft or anybody shouldn't try to make female characters, more like people should being picky and over analyzing the characters that exists. The only way female characters are ever going to be more of a thing is that the attitudes of female characters needs to be changed by both developers and gamers.
Edit: also one thing I forgot to add, going around to every developer and asking for female characters and then going on a rage fest on twitter because of the answer given isn't going to make much progress, or at the very least it does more harm than good.