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Do Booth Babes Really Matter?

Posted by Zonk on from the imho-no dept.

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."

9 of 110 comments (clear)

  1. Okay, we stopped caring three days ago by Benanov · · Score: 1, Interesting

    This is no longer news. They were banned in an attempt to make E3 an "industry" show again. We don't need to hear every pacing development. I mean, if you really miss boobies, you could go to CES. A very large adult entertainment expo was going on in the same hotel as part of CES at one point...

  2. Bring on the Game Booth Boy Babes by SpacialCoogs · · Score: 5, Interesting

    AS a female I have to say that while I do appreciate the amount of money these women are forcing all you boys to pay to see them what would truly impress me is to see booth babes who actually are gamers. I mean if they stand there loooking stupid and hot that's one thing but what if you could actually talk intelligently to one and still ogle her breasts? Hotness factor increases. But that's just my opinion.

    1. Re:Bring on the Game Booth Boy Babes by JUSTONEMORELATTE · · Score: 4, Interesting

      You mean, like these gamers? (SFW)

    2. Re:Bring on the Game Booth Boy Babes by shawb · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Exactly, booth babes are nothing new to trade shows. Hell, some car shows even have bikini contests and wet tshirt contests at night, and it's been known to see girls lost their tops completely (although I suppose this happens more at personal shows where people show off their mods than actual trade shows, but...

      Hell, if anything what's noteworthy about E3 booth babes is the lack of guys slobbering over them and the number of males who are honestly insulted that companies are using cheap candy trash to try and push the products. You'd probably turn more male gamer's heads with a group of slightly above average (maybe 6's and a 7's) looking girls in jeans, sneakers and hoodies actually playing the games in question than overly tanned, silicone ehanced tramps in miniskirts and cut off shirts standing around vapidly. Although some guys do go for cosplay girls, it would tend to be more girls who are into it for the fantasy aspect and fun of it than girls who stoop down to it for a paycheck which doesn't involve taking their tops off. Yes, I would be willing to bet that most booth babes regular job is stripper, or at the very least model.

      --
      I'll never make that mistake again, reading the experts' opinions. - Feynman
  3. PAX by oGMo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You know, while it may seem silly in some respects to ban the booth babes, they're really kinda silly anyway. At PAX there were occasionally booth babes. And they always seemed silly and out of place, especially since 99% of the attendees (yes, there were plenty of females around, I'd say at least 25%... check the pictures) were hardcore gamers. We're there for the games, and to game with other gamers. You don't need booth babes to attract us to your booth... just some interesting games. And maybe some swag.

    E3 might be a different story, though, given the sheer banal idiocy of so many game journalists recently...

    --

    Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage

  4. Obviously... by HunterZ · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Obviously it matters if that's one of the most popular aspects of E3. If the organizers want it to be taken seriously then cracking down on the use of boothbabes is a good idea. Of course, that's assuming that there's anything left of interest afterwards...

    --
    Arguing about vi versus Emacs is like arguing whether it's better to make fire by rubbing sticks or banging rocks.
  5. Having been to E3... by DeadPrez · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I found 90% of the so-called booth babes a distraction because they had no clue what they were selling besides their dignity. They seemed to have this aura of sadness behind their fake smiles.

    Then again, the other 10% were having a great time and probably highly effective at exposing lesser known games to industry representatives.

    A couple of my friends had a great time getting their picture taken with the ladies...THAT I will never understand.

  6. Heh by HalAtWork · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The people in charge of putting the booth babes there in the first place were probably just the type of people impressed by that kind of thing in the first place. To me, if the games aren't impressive enough, you've already lost. I guess they hope that with chicks there nobody will notice? But what about the female audience/reporters? Are booth hunks next? Wtf...

    It's like people who enjoy cars, they don't go to the car shows for the chicks. They're just there to keep your friends entertained while you're busy checking out specs etc. I guess this just shows how much of a consumer show E3 has become.

    --
    Twinstiq, game news
  7. Hell yes! by sakusha · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Booth Babes are a cultural institution.