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Do Booth Babes Really Matter?
Gamecloud wonders out loud, in the wake of increased fines for 'inappropriate attire', if Booth Babes even matter in the grand scheme of E3. From the article: "By far the most vocal complaint about E3 from some quarters is the attention paid to the paid models that exhibitors bring to the show. Of course, most trade shows do have "booth models" or "booth babes" but at E3 the nature of the video and PC game industry and the fact that its being held in Los Angeles causes exhibitors to bring in tons of models and have them wear costumes and clothing that in some cases can be very sexually provocative. Despite the complaints these models are a distraction from the games and can even be offensive to some, web sites (including Gamecloud) do post galleries of booth model pictures at every E3 and they tend to be some of the most popular features of any web site's E3 coverage."
Do they matter? Of course they matter. If they didn't matter we wouldn't have had 3 topics on slashdot about the same issue in a week. But we did, and you know why?, because we not only like to LOOK at booth babes, we like to discuss them. If it didn't matter this wouldn't have been an issue in the first place. Personally, I like to see a little ass being flaunted around; I'm just not shallow enough to think it is anything more than it is. You got a hot chick with big knockers and your both then hell yeah I'm going to stop by. Everyone wants to be PC about the shit but the truth is it does matter and booth babes do attract people to booths. The only thing banning them does is prevent us from oggling booth babes!
They matter because they generate traffic and interest to an exhibitor's area. They don't mean anything regarding the actual quality of the game but its part of the marketing.
Does a fancy box for a game make the game better? No but it helps market the game better which equals more sales.
If you don't like it, ignore them. If you like them, ogle away they know what they are in for. But please don't say they don't do anything. That's simply not true.
B O R I N G
There were booth babes, there were really there just to get attention, and then there were booth models. The one they had for Laura Croft a few years ago, was Perfect. She was a model, and actress, portraying a character. She had the looks, and the "attitude". There was also ones for the DOA models, Bloodrayne, and others. I, personally, think they add to the atmosphere, and do not have a problem with them. On the other side, though, you have the "booth babes". They use flesh to get people to come over. They usually look bored, or harried, and really do not add any content to the booth. When I was covering games, I wanted to find out what the game was, what it was about, the meat. The models, well, you went around them to find the PR people that usually had something of a clue. If you were LUCKY, you would find a developer, and have a really good conversation about their game. I remember SEVERAL years ago, seeing a poor, lone guy, flying around in space. I went over and talked to him, and found out that he was one of the developers of the B5 flight sim. He got really into showing me these technical details that I didn't fully comprehend, but thought looked awesome. The gentleman was kind, and very informative. Those are the few gems you truely find at E3.
Personally, I don't find the booth babes at these shows hot. I'm sure this will get me a lot of "lol, fag" type comments, but they just don't do it for me. I actually find it rather insulting that they're stuck there to try and make me look at someone's shitty product. I prefer to be sold on things based on their own merit and not what some eye candy tries to sell me on. Booth babes are nothing new to trade shows, but I honetly don't see how we can get past this "games are for immature, maladjusted escapists" mentality when they're using one of our basest instincts to sell product.
I've found as I've gotten older that intelligence is hotter to me than a nice figure. Don't get me wrong, being pretty is nice and all, but if I can't hold an intelligent conversation with you then the hotness factor goes down significantly.
"Apparently so, but suppose you throw a coin enough times. Suppose one day, it lands on its edge."
Also interesting was that the article's author thought it necessary to include 15 pictures of booth babes. Wouldn't 2-3 have been sufficient to make the case. Seems like they are themselves using the titillation to generate a buzz for their article. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for booth babes, I'm just against hypocrisy.
B O R I N G
The booth babes are the closest some nerds will come to some really hot girl..
even sadder... the booth babes don't give a rats behind about the nerds, or the games or the event for that matter
Come one.. most of these girls are basically cheer leaders from HS that were never really good for anything except looking pretty. The never really cared about you in HS, and I doubt they really care about you now.
Don't fool yourself, try improving your social/speaking skill and then go out and get your mack on.. you don't need those booth babes...
Oh and before you feel all superior as a geek girl with brains who is not reduced to a blittering idiot at the mere hint of boobs. Look! Over there it is actor XXXX XXXXXXX.
I did some rigging during an erotica convention and the one thing sadder then males lusting after the naked female performers was the females lusting after the naked male performers. The moment women stop throwing their panties at every good looking actor/popstar is the moment you can comment on us males.
Men and women aren't all that different really.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Aw, let's feel bad for the whores.
Give me a break. They're being paid thousands of dollars a day just to stand around and look pretty. They ought to be glad they live in a society where being worthless can get you a payday that nice as long as you have big cans.
So yeah, they should be smiling.
do babes in beer commercials matter? advertisers will always appeal to that primal instinct, regardless of whether it has to do with the product.
I have to say that there are men out there who can have an intelligent conversation without losing all brain power at the sight of any cleavage I choose to show. It's a refreshing and lovely experience. I have no interest in actor XXXX XXXXX. For me it's more about someone as a person than surface looks. Afterall the better you know a person the better looking they become. I agree that women can be just as bad if not worse than men when it comes to the ogling. We can get away with things that would get men arrested. A double standard I agree.