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Some of you may remember this: I Hate Booth Babes.
Last year right before E3 I expressed my distaste for the “booth babe” philosophy at gaming conventions. Well perhaps I wasn’t alone in hoping that the industry was above this. It appears that this year’s E3 will actually ban booth babes. That is not to say models cannot be hired to wander around a company’s booth, but they will have to be properly clothed this time. According to the E3 handbook for 2006, “nudity, partial nudity and bathing suit bottoms” are banned from E3. Hefty fines are in place to actually enforce this rule as well.
The full chunk from the handbook also hints that people will not be able to get around the letter of the law: “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. ESA, in its sole discretion, will determine whether material is acceptable.” So no one will be argueing “Sir, that is a Thong not a bathing suit bottom”.
The E3 officials have also stated that these dress code rules were always “in effect” at previous shows, however, there was no fine or enforcement ability in previous years. I am not entirely sure why they would bother to point that out because it makes them seem like they are fine with letting their laws be broken year after year.
Am I pleased? Actually yes. I think its great that the industry is at least trying to grow up. With all the heat gaming has been getting lately from poorly written game laws to game controvery I think we should not feed the beast any more than we have to.
26th January | Reply
The oft-repeated “sex sells” mantra never seemed to connect in this arena as it might elsewhere. I’ve failed to see how, other than catching one’s attention for the briefest of moments, the tawdry apparance of women in gaming magazines and industry events actually said anything of worth to the actual content being advertised or how marketers and booth planners deemed it a necessary inclusion to “pretty” up their product. It strikes me as juvenile (and inconsequential to my gaming hobby) now as when I first heard the fateful term, “E3″. This tardy enforcement is a refreshing change made, I feel, for the greater long-term benefit.
26th January | Reply
I’m all for it.
As the previous poster said, sex does not necessarily sell this industry. As a matter of fact, games the feature scantily cald women as the main selling point turn me off to the product, as it is generally being used to cover up the general crapiness of the product to begin with.
26th January | Reply
I would like to suggest that I don’t care. Given that I am never likely to attend E3, nor have any particular wish to anyway, the impact of Booth Babes is negligible. While there are the usual “Best Booth Babes” articles in the coverage of the show, such articles do not prevent “real” news from being reported.
If someone wants to stick a naked model performing sexual favours on their stand then, as far as I am concerned, I don’t care since it will make no difference to whether or not I can read an article on how great Generic FPS 173 will be when it is released.