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E3 Needs to Grow Up

Despite a growing call for change, the organizers of E3 have no plans to address the booth babe issue at the industry's biggest show.

I'm sure these women are well versed in the talking points for Namco Bandai's upcoming fighting game.
I'm sure these women are well versed in the talking points for Namco Bandai's upcoming fighting game.

There’s been no shortage of discussion about women and video games this past week.

The conversation’s been driven by the gross response to Anita Sarkeesian’s nearly finished Kickstarter about the unfortunate and exclusionary tropes of female video game characters, and the quickly scrutinized comments from a producer on Tomb Raider about a potential rape scene (a description the studio has walked back) in the new game.

These are all good, uncomfortable conversations to have, but if we're talking about the depiction of women in games at such a serious level, how do we still have E3 booth babes? Other than for easy hits in web galleries, anyway.

The commonly referred to booth babe (also known as a "woman") is hired solely to wear skimpy clothing with a game or company’s logo and take photographs with attendees (who does that, by the way?). Typically, they are not well versed in the product they are hired to represent.

It seemed like a good time to check in with the Entertainment Software Association, who manages E3.

Despite some of the recent heated conversation, there are no plans to shift E3 policies.

"Exhibitors determine for themselves what is the best representation for their companies. Models are welcome if companies would like to have them, but that's an individual exhibitor decision,” said ESA VP of media relations and event management Dan Hewitt in an emailed statement to me yesterday.

Ghost Recon Commander designer Brenda Brathwaite sparked a vocal debate on Twitter over booth babes before she headed to the E3 show floor last Thursday.

“I dread heading off to work at E3 today,” she said. “The show is a constant assault on the female self esteem no matter which direction I look. I am in good shape, yet it is impossible not to compare. I feel uncomfortable. It is as if I walked into a strip club w/o intending to. These are the policies of @e3expo and @RichatESA. I feel uncomfortable in an industry I helped found.”

Her comments found plenty of support, such as Inside Network managing editor AJ Glasser.

@br The worst is when I get so good at seeing right through it that I forget they're actually women underneath the barely-there clothes.

— AJ Glasser (@Joygirl007) June 7, 2012

It’s not a new critique, but it was louder this year, and there seems to be a growing desire for change.

There was also the usual “what’s the big deal?” responses, including 3D Realms co-founder George Broussard.

@br I think you/others take it too seriously. It's not some academic event. It's a glitz show full of spectacle. #serious_business

— George Broussard (@georgeb3dr) June 7, 2012

It’s been a few years, but the ESA policy on booth babes has changed from E3's inception. The last major shift came in 2006, as new penalties, fines and policies were introduced regarding women featured in E3 exhibits.

"What's new in 2006 is an update and clarification of the enforcement policies; as we do from time to time, we have taken steps to ensure that exhibitors are familiar with the policy and how it will be enforced," said E3 show director Mary Dolaher to Reuters at the time.

A violation of the clothing policy would result in, at first, a warning, and then a $5,000 fine. Here’s what the handbook from 2006 said to exhibitors considering booth babes--er, sorry, live models:

"Material, including live models, conduct that is sexually explicit and/or sexually provocative, including but not limited to nudity, partial nudity and bathing suit bottoms, are prohibited on the show floor, all common areas, and at any access points to the show."

Hewitt told me there have been no changes to ESA policy since 2006.

Maybe there should be. Consider this anecdote that didn’t even take place on the show floor itself.

This was one of the first results the search term
This was one of the first results the search term "Devil May Cry strippers" gave me, sorry.

We arrived to our Capcom appointment, I plunked down with Lost Planet 3, and Alex Navarro was ushered over to play Devil May Cry. In a room of kiosks, there were pole dancers. It’s unclear what that has to do with Devil May Cry. The girl hired to skimpily waltz around was sitting on the floor, looking bored. Everyone in the room is focused on playing the game, and Alex wasn't playing Devil May Cry in a see-through bubble. No one on the show floor could see this room. Can someone explain how this helps anyone do their job?

Elsewhere, I refused to play any 3DS games at Nintendo’s booth because the company didn’t have a table with machines, and instead tethered its lineup to attractive women. I let that gimmick slide when Nintendo pulled the same trick at the original 3DS unveiling, but I’ll just wait until those games are out now, thanks.

Nintendo probably thought it was a cute idea. I doubt (and this is my sincere hope) Nintendo meant to undermine the credibility of women at gaming’s biggest show. It's still ignorance. Many of the issues regarding women and E3 aren’t overtly offensive, and can be easily rationalized by those who don’t see a problem.

That’s okay--we should have a debate about it.

And this is all hardly an issue that’s exclusive to games. The same week as E3, the Computex Summit was happening in Taipei, and computer manufacturer ASUS sent out the following tweet:

No Caption Provided

That tweet has since been deleted and ASUS released an apology, obviously.

I can gripe all I want, but the most effective solution has to come from the ESA itself. Only the ESA can enforce regulations on exhibitors, and let them know this archaic marketing tool needs to go away. If games are growing up, so does the way we go about advertising them in front of, ostensibly, a bunch of professional. This isn’t 1994.

PAX figured this out years ago, even if there have been incidents along the way (i.e. Lollipop Chainsaw at PAX East).

“Our definition of a ‘booth babe’ has been a model (male or female) that has been hired to stand/sit in skimpy clothing to market the product,” said Penny Arcade president of business development in 2010. “If that person knows the product inside and out then it’s less of an issue. A company representative that can interact with attendees in a way that provides value as opposed to ‘hey stare at my body’ is something that we encourage whether or not that representative is physically attractive or not.”

If E3 is supposed to represent the industry’s best, why can’t it figure out how to respect its own attendees?

Patrick Klepek on Google+

1013 Comments

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deactivated-5833500e27d17

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@ANDS: Amen, Brother

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Robaota

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Edited By Robaota

I agree with a lot of the folk here saying that editorial and news articles need to be distinguished a bit, though I don't think I'm quite as angry as some about it.

The article itself puts me in two minds, as it's a subject I feel strongly about. I agree with (what I hope is) the sentiment of the article, in that companies thinking that we as consumers are such base creatures as to buy anything that is being advertised by a woman, regardless of the relevance that woman has to the product. I find that in itself rather insulting, and a negative representation of the video game industry to the rest of the world.

On the other hand, this article is a little bare without more in the way of interviews from the 'booth babes' and companies that employ them. Perhaps it's something that could be expanded on in the future, as this seems to be a topic a lot of people have some good opinions on. It's definitely one of the more commented stories I've seen on this site, which is great.

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EXTomar

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Edited By EXTomar

I see what others are getting at though. It isn't like you see promotions for Prometheus featuring girls in underwear like what you see Shaw in the movie but would anyone be surprised if this were a game they'd have them there? I'm not letting movies off the hook but it should be pointed out that it isn't the content of a game but the marketing and advertising at E3 (only at E3?) is very "odd".

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knoxt

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Edited By knoxt

Jesus, a day later and this article still pisses me off. Pat, you are an opportunistic, false attention seeking know-it-all of a 'journalist' who knows how to use strong language and a hot topic but apparently not how to exercise logic very well. Someone said it better but this topic is so old, so benign and so talked about already, and you of all people preaching about it as news, without the opinions of the 'babe's in focus, makes you look like the biggest fake-ass hipster in the world of game reporting.

What a joke. I hope this article undermines your castle of undeserved credibility as a journalist. Or at least I hope YOU grow up a little.

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napalm

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Edited By napalm

@shodan2020 said:

@Anwar said:

She talks about a lot of important issues, I can't understand how somebody could've thought that she has no idea what she's talking about.

I'm really excited to see the results of her Kickstarter project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/566429325/tropes-vs-women-in-video-games .

That video is one of the biggest, agenda-pushing pieces of shit I've ever seen. If you want to talk about groping and female harassment in public places, fine. I've no issues with that, and clearly, with her well-cited arguments, it is truly a fucking preposterous epidemic, but rope-a-doping Bayonetta into this like it's the fucking cause is blind, misleading and fucking shameful. And yes, that ad campaign is innovative as it's already been used in different scenarios all over the world. Previously there was an STD protection campaign in some third world countries where people would come and pull condoms off the board until it revealed a positive message over time.

Goddamn it.

As for people taking "snapshots" and seeing her nude, guess what? It's the fucking internet. Jesus Christ. Fuck.

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CommanderZx2

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Edited By CommanderZx2

Not sure what all the fuss is about, what you see at E3 is pretty tame compared to the likes of women's own magazines, Car shows, race queens, perfume adverts, etc.

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supertom11

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Edited By supertom11

This oversensitiveness towards any type of sexuality is getting old. Thousands of gamers flock to see dozens of games where the primary objective is to shoot people in the face, and somehow they come away offended by girls in short shorts. Next year I hope they hire nothing but overweight greasy fanboys to model their games and we'll see how the game journalist community reacts.

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Terrorbite

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Edited By Terrorbite

@Bocam said:

I honestly can't bring myself to care about ether side of the argument.

I feel the same, I think both sides of this argument has large holes (Men are objectified as much as women in games, but booth babes are still childish and manipulative.) and as such I will retreat to the easy, but useless answer of "whatever man".

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Daftasabat

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Edited By Daftasabat

Sex Sells regardless if its video games, cars, chocolate. At the end of the day i buy a game because i like that game not because i saw a fit woman advertising it. Btw Bayonetta was a great game in its own right.

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eigenstates

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Edited By eigenstates
No Caption Provided

You know, coming from a first time attendee, I think you are on to something but you might be missing what it is. That women are being 'shown off' in the manner are is a symptom of it fo certain. Have a look at the picture. Look at all the cameras throughout the frame. What I saw the most of this year was cameras. Someone playing a game? There was a camera. Next, the obvious. The interaction between this guy (don't care who he is) who is trying to make this girl play this game. Why? Not because he loves the game but because he loves the spectacle and numbers on the balance sheet (I now this because I stayed and watched the interaction for a while and a marketing tool is easier to spot than a blonde in a skin tight yellow dress who just wants her check). And that's the problem- E3 isn't for gamers. It's barely about the games- they are just a vehicle for who can be the loudest and the shoutiest. And that's my thesis- E3 isn't about the games, it's simply about eyeballs(marketing term for essentially branding and brand loyalty). To be fair, when I wandered the rim of the event I found some interesting stuff with people who were giving it their all but the rest of them, they were just building their brand. It left me with such a gross feeling- probably the same feeling as that poor girl. But really, what is to be expected from a marketing orgy in Los Angeles?

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DrLove

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Edited By DrLove

@Supertom11 said:

This oversensitiveness towards any type of sexuality is getting old. Thousands of gamers flock to see dozens of games where the primary objective is to shoot people in the face, and somehow they come away offended by girls in short shorts. Next year I hope they hire nothing but overweight greasy fanboys to model their games and we'll see how the game journalist community reacts.

this x100

Pat is just picking the easy topic to get butt hurt over, if some parent group wanted to ban Darksiders because they felt the content was too offensive he would laugh at them. Cheerleaders, car babes, etc have always been a part of adverting.. Who cares about knowledge of their product?? You think all cheerleaders know /care about the plays the team is running? They are there to get eyes on the product that is all. They dont have to do the job, and Pat can stay home if he doesnt want to see them. Saying you think E3 should grow up is cool.. Saying it NEEDS to and the governing body of e3 should enforce more booth babe by laws is crazy non sense.. You can not make that argument for just sex and not violence at e3.

The article is lame.. actually interview a booth babe and see what they have to say, or if they have been forced into the job by some underground booth babe trafficking..

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misterfaulkner

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Edited By misterfaulkner

Great article, Patrick. I'm glad people legitimately want to see our medium taken seriously.

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misterfaulkner

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Edited By misterfaulkner

@Supertom11 said:

Next year I hope they hire nothing but overweight greasy fanboys to model their games and we'll see how the game journalist community reacts.

Why can't professionals sell games without modeling? Greasy or otherwise.

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DemBones

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Edited By DemBones

It won't grow up until the majority of us grow up.

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Edited By koolaid39

@heatDrive88 said:

@Evercaptor said:

At least it generates jobs for those models/ladies that get the gigs and hopefully with the heightened attention to credentials, it's a nicer environment for them to be working in.

Yes, because if anything, we must think about the women who are simply not capable of getting real jobs. E3 and convention expos - we're all about giving today's beautiful woman jobs, and keeping them off the pole from dancing at strip clubs.

Seriously, think a little harder before making your awful reductionary comments.

As a person that has friends that model, saying that they are "not capable of getting real jobs" is more offensive to me than them dressing up in whatever their employer asks them to (and they willingly agree to) and getting paid for it.

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Sherlock_Pwnz

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Edited By Sherlock_Pwnz

Really appreciate these kind of articles. Thank you Patrick.

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Edited By NMC2008

I think it's the people calling for people to grow up are the ones who need to grow up and accept the fact that not everyone has to think and act as they do and because they don't doesn't mean they are somehow a lower tier of intelligence than them, what if there are a large group of people, both men and women, whom enjoy this sort of thing? Are they degenerates? Are they lower forms of life for liking things sold to them by sexy women or men? Are they 12 year olds like most like to throw around like rocks? I see them as people with a preference and a different set of morals and opinions than you, as being some sort of PC hypocritical bringer of morality just screams douche to me. Instead of screaming people need to grow up how about you accept the fact that everyone is different. *shrugs*

Also, some of the folks are 12 years old, don't they have the right to like what they like if they like it? Are you telling actual 12 year olds to grow up too? Heh. I hate speaking out my opinion about these sorts of things because usually I have the wrong opinion or I don't get the situation or conversation, but whatever.

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EXTomar

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Edited By EXTomar

The issue is that at E3 they aren't marketing to 12 year olds. They are marketing to mid and upper level management of major retail chains as well as the press. Do they need scantly clad girls to entice them to come into the booth and hear a pitch for software? I guess they might have too if they all have the attention span of a 12 year old.

But we've seen what happens when E3 doesn't do that. It is a boring "disaster" so people look at it in a wiry way and keep wandering around the floor space.

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Edited By BrianP

It's really weird to me how the idea of treating women like human beings makes some dudes SO MAD.

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NMC2008

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Edited By NMC2008

So only 12 year olds like hot ladies? Well shit!

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Edited By JesterPC238

While I personally will have nothing to do with the booth babe thing, I have to respectfully disagree that this is an issue that should be engaged by the ESA. The problem is that while sites like Giant Bomb may decry these practices, major media outlets (G4 TV comes to mind) encourage this type of behavior. Furthermore, a lot of fans enjoy seeing skimpily dressed women parading games around. I've seen that picture of the Tekken women across the Internet, probably 20 times. The extra buzz and attention (even negative) that they have received will probably sell enough copies to make it worth it for them. I think the grander solution is for the people who dislike this kind of thing, press and developer alike, to go somewhere else (*cough* PAX *cough*), E3 will re-calibrate, or go under. That is, of course, if the people complaining about this issue are more than just the vocal minority, which I suspect they may not be.

And that, my friends, is the depressing part. The real problem is not E3, it's the people who, by and large, consume the media.

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Edited By CaLe

Why does no one care that the one in the middle is past her sell by date? No standards in here? Shit.

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Edited By deadmoscow

Without fail, any article posted on any video game website that deals with gender politics, sex, or white / male privilege, is going to bring the most ridiculous, awful people out of the woodwork. I thought our community was at least marginally better than the scumfest that is Kotaku commenters, but then you read things like this:

@CaLe said:

Why does no one care that the one in the middle is past her sell by date? No standards in here? Shit.

Not only is this jackass missing the point of the article completely, he's actually dragging the conversation backwards. As a community, are gamers just that terrified of women that they have to lapse into knuckle-dragging misogyny at the slightest provocation?

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Edited By JasonR86

@deadmoscow said:

@CaLe said:

Why does no one care that the one in the middle is past her sell by date? No standards in here? Shit.

Not only is this jackass missing the point of the article completely, he's actually dragging the conversation backwards. As a community, are gamers just that terrified of women that they have to lapse into knuckle-dragging misogyny at the slightest provocation?

Jokes dude! It was a joke! Lighten up everyone! Jesus.

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Edited By ANDS

@BrianP said:

It's really weird to me how the idea of treating women like human beings makes some dudes SO MAD.

My god what an asinine comment. Paying (not forcing) hyper-sexualized to the point of fantasy women to help advertise your product to a male dominated tradeshow is not a symptom of female abuse or misogyny. Recognizing that a large majority of men are turned on by the female form, and using that as a means to draw (albeit a false) comparison between that reaction and your product is not female abuse or misogyny.

The objectification of women is a real problem (especially for the youth of this country), one that needs to be addressed - but where there is smoke there isn't always fire.

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koolaid39

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Edited By koolaid39

@rm082e: You had me at split roast. :)

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albedo12

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Edited By albedo12

Given that booth babes are completely unnecessary, who suffers if they no longer appear at cons? I don't think there's anyone on this site who can honestly say that their con/expo experience would be lessened if they knew they wouldn't see any scantily-clad ladies with fake smiles.

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Edited By Nobuyuki

Great article. I'm glad this issue is getting more and more attention because otherwise it just will never change.

I'm also incredibly amused by that response from Broussard. And not at all surprised, since he's always struck me as being the perfect manchild.

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Edited By mrfluke

@Terrorbite said:

@Bocam said:

I honestly can't bring myself to care about ether side of the argument.

I feel the same, I think both sides of this argument has large holes (Men are objectified as much as women in games, but booth babes are still childish and manipulative.) and as such I will retreat to the easy, but useless answer of "whatever man".

gotta agree. i mean, e3 could do without the bounce castle bullshit and the poledancers and strapping consoles to chicks, but other than that boothbabes are fine they are whatever, they are just part of the glitz and glamour thats e3,

i bet if e3 just went back to being just with plain koisks with consoles, the bitching wont stop,

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TheYear20XX

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Edited By TheYear20XX

I'm just here for the Dante pic.

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kiwi_whisker

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Edited By kiwi_whisker

@ANDS said:

@BrianP said:

It's really weird to me how the idea of treating women like human beings makes some dudes SO MAD.

My god what an asinine comment. Paying (not forcing) hyper-sexualized to the point of fantasy women to help advertise your product to a male dominated tradeshow is not a symptom of female abuse or misogyny. Recognizing that a large majority of men are turned on by the female form, and using that as a means to draw (albeit a false) comparison between that reaction and your product is not female abuse or misogyny.

The objectification of women is a real problem (especially for the youth of this country), one that needs to be addressed - but where there is smoke there isn't always fire.

The community made some great points in this thread but your last paragraph sums it up quite well. Lets explore the deeper issues rather than just get all offended and demand regulation.

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Draxyle

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Edited By Draxyle

I regret reading more comments. Some of the direct, personal attacks on Patrick here (from people who are completely missing the point) are abysmally shameful. If anything, they've proven how valid this article is after all.

Thanks again for the write-up, Patrick. This is important stuff and I'm glad someone is taking it seriously.

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dead_eye_sam

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Edited By dead_eye_sam

@Sweetz said:

The thing about all the hullabaloo that I hate is there's this undertone that a man shouldn't be allowed to look at an attractive women or appreciate her only for her appearance in a wholly incidental context. That somehow getting enjoyment out of looking at a pretty woman makes us misogynists or rapists. God forbid a man ever experience a purely physical attraction with a women that he will never interact with in a meaningful manner, because looking at boobs turns all men into monsters, apparently.

If there was a trade show whose attendees were primary women and the vendors used hunky guys to promote their products, would any male in the audience here give a fuck about it? I really don't care if a women gets a rise out of looking at an attractive man. I really don't care if all they only see that man as a sexy man - and I'm betting he doesn't either. It doesn't degrade me in any way - it doesn't even degrade the model because he's not in a context where he should even care about the people's opinions of him.

In the sense that booth babes are marketing that doesn't actually speak to the quality of the product - yes they're not doing any good; and if they were banned, it's not a big deal. This isn't an anti-booth-babe-banning argument. However, the feminist angle that always comes in about it being degrading to women (all women, everywhere) is just bullshit. A guy can appreciate an attractive women without thinking of all women as sex objects; and if the situation were reversed (with male models that I hereby dub: stand studs) no rational man would take issue with it.

My exact thoughts about this topic and in most feminist movements. Why does it bother them so much that some women choose to become models to be looked at by other guys while they do not mind looking at male models all the time in the a female favorite magazine "Cosmo." Now, if MOST feminists (not all) were not so hypocritical, then I would give their arguments some merits. The gaming community was, and may still be a predominantly male community and, therefore, all advertisements and treatment of costumers were geared towards males. When the industry becomes more of a 50/50 ratio then things will probably change because, well, sales won't be as high. If you look at facial products (other than shaving products) they USED to be advertised towards women. You would see a female washing her face with this product and would have better skin or whatever. Only recently as men started to appreciate being well groomed has there been ads that have some guy make a testimony saying that his skin is much better. However, you still see that its mostly geared for women and that's absolutely fine.

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Barrock

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Edited By Barrock

934 posts. How and why?

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flindip

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Edited By flindip

@Barrock said:

934 posts. How and why?

Thats only this thread, your excluding the exhaustive amount of side threads that have cropped up about this issue.

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Edited By rjaylee

@koolaid39: You're referring to the original post I quoted, not me right? Because I was fairly certain my sarcasm was obvious, before outing the original poster with "Seriously...etc".

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Edited By Nettacki
@JasonR86 said:

@deadmoscow said:

@CaLe said:

Why does no one care that the one in the middle is past her sell by date? No standards in here? Shit.

Not only is this jackass missing the point of the article completely, he's actually dragging the conversation backwards. As a community, are gamers just that terrified of women that they have to lapse into knuckle-dragging misogyny at the slightest provocation?

Jokes dude! It was a joke! Lighten up everyone! Jesus.

Joking in the heat of the moment here doesn't seem like a good idea, you know.
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JasonR86

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Edited By JasonR86

@Nettacki said:

@JasonR86 said:

@deadmoscow said:

@CaLe said:

Why does no one care that the one in the middle is past her sell by date? No standards in here? Shit.

Not only is this jackass missing the point of the article completely, he's actually dragging the conversation backwards. As a community, are gamers just that terrified of women that they have to lapse into knuckle-dragging misogyny at the slightest provocation?

Jokes dude! It was a joke! Lighten up everyone! Jesus.

Joking in the heat of the moment here doesn't seem like a good idea, you know.

If people are so emotional about this topic that they can't take a joke it would be in their best interest to leave before something else really sets them off. Nothing will be accomplished by these forums except jokes and thoughtful discussion. Nothing practical will come of it. So getting 'heated' about it seems dumb to me.

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AlexanderSheen

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Edited By AlexanderSheen

@JasonR86 said:

@Nettacki said:

@JasonR86 said:

@deadmoscow said:

@CaLe said:

Why does no one care that the one in the middle is past her sell by date? No standards in here? Shit.

Not only is this jackass missing the point of the article completely, he's actually dragging the conversation backwards. As a community, are gamers just that terrified of women that they have to lapse into knuckle-dragging misogyny at the slightest provocation?

Jokes dude! It was a joke! Lighten up everyone! Jesus.

Joking in the heat of the moment here doesn't seem like a good idea, you know.

If people are so emotional about this topic that they can't take a joke it would be in their best interest to leave before something else really sets them off. Nothing will be accomplished by these forums except jokes and thoughtful discussion. Nothing practical will come of it. So getting 'heated' about it seems dumb to me.

I hope this thread is getting locked soon. Oh wait...

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ursa1979

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Edited By ursa1979

What is with the prudence brigade that has dominated the conversation lately. It is especially bizarre coming from the site that almost gave Saints Row the Third game of the year. Sex and violence sell and get people pumped up and excited. This is not new and it is not unique the games industry. From car shows, to movies, to soap commercials, attractive men and woman draw attention and get people to check out your product. There is a larger conversation about misogyny in our culture, but when it comes to selling with sex you will find prominent feminists on both sides of the debate.

But to the general point i think it is strange and a tad bit fascist to want there to be some sort of top down ban on booth babes. In my opinion it should be up to the developer/publisher and the product they are trying to sell. It would not make sense to advertise for Schindler's list with women in bikinis. Likewise, for games that are trying to be mature and tasteful like Beyond or Journey etc. it does not make sense to have booth babes (and they probably don't have them). On the other hand, games like Saints Row the Third, DMC, and God of War trade in sex and violence, and so of course they should try to sell with booth babes. My point is that it should be up to the developer/publisher and any critique should be leveled at the developer/publisher (not the ESA). For example, I agree that Nintendo chaining women to 3DSs is strange, awkward, and offensive given the product they are selling, but that is on Nintendo.

There is, of course, a line that can be crossed. Unfortunately it is not one that is easily articulated. The best the Supreme Court could do is say, "You know it when you see it." I agree that games should be pushing into more mature and tasteful territory, and I tend to prefer games that do. But there are many gamers (including myself when the mood strikes me) that like dumb adolescent vulgar and violent entertainment also. There is nothing wrong with that and it exists in all mediums from music to movies to books. Some developers are trying to make something adolescent, and using sex to sell the product makes sense to me. They should not pretend to be something they are not.

Finally, modeling is a legitimate profession and many of the women who model actually like their job. I know this anecdotally since my wife use to be a model (she is a lawyer now). She and many of her peers really enjoyed what they did including the crappier work like trade shows.

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jerseyscum

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Edited By jerseyscum

One-Two-Three-Four.....I declare a flame war!

You really want this to stop? Get more women into the gaming industry. And stop fucking fellating Gametrailers and G4, put them on blast for their shitty coverage and encouraging this crap.

It'd also be nice to see actual developers tell the E3 organizers to go fuck themselves and move all their press to PAX. Might even get publicity for their developing titles!

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wardcleaver

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Edited By wardcleaver

@Supertom11 said:

This oversensitiveness towards any type of sexuality is getting old. Thousands of gamers flock to see dozens of games where the primary objective is to shoot people in the face, and somehow they come away offended by girls in short shorts. Next year I hope they hire nothing but overweight greasy fanboys to model their games and we'll see how the game journalist community reacts.

I denouce the objectification of overweight, greasy fanboys!

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DanteFaustEsq

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Edited By DanteFaustEsq

@big_jon: Way to undermine any point you would have been trying to make by insulting a whole group of people, but hey "neckbeards" are unattractive and lonely for the most part so they are less then human, amiright. Good to know your sticking up for one group while blanket insulting another.

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bloodsoul5

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Edited By bloodsoul5

Friggin man hating fest is what this thread is. But yea booth babes are ridiculous, should get rid of em.

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big_jon

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Edited By big_jon

@DanteFaustEsq said:

@big_jon: Way to undermine any point you would have been trying to make by insulting a whole group of people, but hey "neckbeards" are unattractive and lonely for the most part so they are less then human, amiright. Good to know your sticking up for one group while blanket insulting another.

hahaha. Really? If you feel that is directed toward you then that's your issue, I was not generalizing, I think the average nerd, like me would avoid Booth babes because of how awkward, and demeaning they are.

Not sure if you got this, but I am on Giantbomb.com, and I went to PAX, so clearly I am a nerd, so why would I use a negative blanket term for all nerds if I am one exactly?

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Nettacki

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Edited By Nettacki
@Draxyle said:

I regret reading more comments. Some of the direct, personal attacks on Patrick here (from people who are completely missing the point) are abysmally shameful. If anything, they've proven how valid this article is after all.

Thanks again for the write-up, Patrick. This is important stuff and I'm glad someone is taking it seriously.

You know, they had at least one valid point: Using a picture of booth babes on the top of an article meant to criticize this practice is of somewhat bad taste because we don't get the perspective of the babes themselves.
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OllyOxenFree

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Edited By OllyOxenFree
@ursa1979: Finally somebody making sense around here! 
 
At least Patrick got what he wanted out of this article which is a ton of hits and "conversation".
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biospank

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Edited By biospank

Most of the stuff that I heard sounds creepy but then again I am not at E3 and probably never will.I can see why car shows have them. It makes perfect sense to see a atractive woman dry humping a car or dacing near its range. But I guess these sorts of things does not work with electronics?