10 Insane Reasons That Video Games Were Missing Features
4. No Female Protagonist Because Players Will Look Up Their Skirts - Every Team Ico Game
While something as basic as female representation in video games is so much more than a mere "feature," Team Ico leader Fumito Ueda nevertheless revealed an utterly bewildering - if not downright gross - reason for refusing to develop a game with a female protagonist.
In a 2010 Q&A to promote The Last Guardian, Ueda was asked why Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian all featured male leads, and gave the dubious reply that "girls wear skirts."
Ueda elaborated that he considered making The Last Guardian's main character a woman, but decided against it for two reasons. Firstly, they wear skirts, and given the climbing involved, there was the potential for pervy players to look up said skirts.
And secondly, Ueda surmised that given all the climbing, a male character would have "more grip."
Naturally this logic was widely mocked by fans, because of course, is it impossible for a female lead to simply... not wear a skirt and maybe hit the gym a little? Utterly baffling.