(Lack Of)Female Enemies in Video Games

[Kriven]

I remember with Poison, there was concern that American audiences would not accept a "Generic Female" villain, and other games of that time period would even alter female bosses into male bosses. Heroes don't hit women, right? That's the idea, anyway...

Some people will call this sexism, but it was actually an attempt at avoiding it. The developers thought that having musclebound men beating on women would be considered sexist, so they cut or altered that content. I assume some portion of that mentality still exists in the industry. And it's not wrong... Which one of these is the PC choice:

1: Depicting Violence Against Women Is Wrong
2: Depicting a Diverse and Realistic Universe Includes Evil Women Who Should Be Treated Equally When Compared To Their Male Counterparts

Some feminists will say that the first option is the correct one... and others will say the second one. And no matter which choice you go with, some feminists will rally their troops to call you out on it. It's a zero-sum game. Developers often choose simply to not include women in these types of roles.

But that brings them ire as well.