Slashdot Mirror
Sexism Still a Problem At E3
An anonymous reader writes "Now that E3 has wound down and the big product announcements are out of the way, its time to take a step back and look at the culture represented by the giant gaming show. 'The presence of scantily clad women hawking games and gizmos seemed in particular contrast to a report released this week by the Entertainment Software Association, which organizes the gaming industry's annual trade show. It found that 45 percent of the entire gaming population is now women, and women make up 46 percent of the most frequent game buyers.' While there are fewer 'booth babes' than in earlier shows (and while some are trying to bring balance by adding 'booth bros'), the conference organizers are happy to let exhibitors make their own policy. By contrast, the Penny Arcade Expo forbids 'booth babes,' a controversial but widely lauded stance. A recent article in Kotaku about this year's E3 notes, 'For every confident cosplayer who might do the job at a con, I am seeing dozens of companies trying to sell me hundreds of women. They are not drawing my attention to the content of their games, or to their tactics or techniques. They are drawing my attention to thigh-high boots, to low-cut shirts, and, frankly, to the hard work of a really expensive bra. So much of what I see here at E3 is aimed directly at the lizard hindbrain of a 13-year-old boy. But you have to be 18 to get into the show, and it's nominally for industry professionals. Perhaps someday we—men and women alike—can all be treated like the grown-ups we theoretically are, and be trusted to judge a game by its content... not its double-D cover.'"
Judging by women's magazines, women like looking at pretty women too. There also an element of schadenfreude, criticizing celebrities' "plastic surgery" and "anorexia", playing to women's envy. Which is what is really going on here. The women aren't demanding the addition of "booth studs" or appearances by Justin Bieber, they want the women who look better than them to lose their jobs.
Scantily clad women itself isn't a problem. It is when it is seen as a predominant role for women at these functions that it is a problem. We are talking some gender equity. Not just with "booth hunks", but in other roles as well. Have some acknowledgement that your audience is larger than the male 20-something demographic.
Most at 30 are just smart enough to pretend otherwise to avoid arousing politically correct morons.
That's a new definition of "Fixing it" of which I was previously unaware. How does advocating treating women as people instead of objects turn them into politically correct morons? Do tell. And everyone else, grab some popcorn. There's about to be a roasting.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
Interestingly, the article points out that at E3 (a trade show), they are selling to distributors, not gamers. The boobs aren't there for you, the gamer, the boobs are there for the non-gamers who they need to convince to distribute their software. They need to attract people who aren't impressed by gameplay itself.
Like many heterosexual male gamers, I am very interested in boobs, but I don't need to see boobs to go to a gaming trade show. The only porn I need is the graphics porn. In fact, having that many boobs in your face, but having them be off limits, can get old. They are about the most numerous group of hot women you will ever find jammed into a convention center, and none of them are there for actual (unpaid) socializing.