Blog FeedI Hate Booth Babes
Well it is nearly time for E3. Just a few days from now and the internet will be so full of new game screenshots, videos and articles that it will take weeks to properly analyze, overanalyze, get excited and probably eventually be let down. I like E3 though. I love all the new information and this is one of the great E3s where we get to see the new consoles unveiled. While Xbox 360 had to drop the ball before the show (attention whores) it still seems like its going to be worth keeping tabs on.
However, there is something about E3 that I really hate, Booth Babes. I’ve heard the original booth babes started out as attention grabbers. To get more people to come to your booth hire nearly naked ladies to stand around and fake being interested. This obviously worked so everyone did it. Now I won’t even get into the broader point of if you want more booth visitors how about making a compelling product that can stand alone. The big problem I have with booth babes is it almost makes me feel ashamed to be a gamer.
The idea that companies pay women to stand around and pretend they are interested in E3 attenders disgusts me. Not only does it objectify women but it is a step backwards for gaming as a whole. The Booth Babe philosophy tends to prey off the old gamer stereotype. Unsocial nerd who never had a girlfriend. Over the past few years games have finally broken through that “geek” threshold and are becoming embraced by many people. Included in the many people are women. Now it is pretty evident that most girl gamers would not approve of Booth Babes. Also, and this might be just a personal thing, whenever some big breasted bimbo starts reading a script about a video game or technical specs it feels like a cheese-grater is running over my brain. I cannot exactly describe it but it is always pretty certain when someone is into something or not. Regardless of how enthusiastic they pretend to be.
In an industry that has been trying to mature for years it seems ridiculous that their biggest yearly event is soaked in sex for sale.
17th May | Reply
Yeah, I feel exactly the same as you do Holliday. Nothing we can do though
Well, maybe some Booth Dudes for the girls then? 
17th May | Reply
I don’t really care as it’s not like i’m going to E3. But i mean in an industry where DOA:Extreme Beach Volleyball went Platinum Hits on Xbox, and Crimson Skies or Freedom Fighters don’t break the 1percent attach rate mark well it only makes sense to sex it up a bit.
17th May | Reply
Well, they still have women at car shows, and I would say that there is a greater percentage of females interested in car shows than there are interested in shows like E3.
At E3, it’s all about glorifying the products on display, whether or not they’re good enough to stand on their own. I would say that the attendees at E3 probably just see the girls as part of the booth displays. Nothing serious. I know if I was there, I would be looking through boothes based on nothing other than the product on show. Especially if I was there as a journalist, which is what E3 is made for.
17th May | Reply
Considering there are huge lines for people to get ‘touched’ and have their picture taken with booth babes… I dunno if its just a set piece. In fact there is a website that sells DVDs purely of “booth babes” from E3.
17th May | Reply
Well then I would say that the people who buy the DVDs and line up to get their shots taken are the ones who give gamers the bad name, not the people who provide them. The providers are just supplying for the demand, keeping interest in their booths high, to make sure they end up with more money in the end. Responsible? No. Ethical? Probably not. But it’s hardly different to a bunch of other corporate strategies, which exploit human nature and desires.
17th May | Reply
Yeah, I was going to cite motor shows as well. To be honest, I expect that many types of shows employ attractive women to drum-up business, particularly if the exhibit is expected (or intended) to appeal to me. I can’t see much wrong with this (if it didn’t work then they wouldn’t be employed) since the audience obviously responds to it such that it makes it worthwhile - we only have ourselves to blame. Further, while I can’t confirm for game shows, the women at motor shows often know their stuff. I remember having a long conversation with a woman who was representing TVR about 5-years or so ago and she was genuinely in love with the cars as well.
Anyway, no big deal for me.
18th May | Reply
If you read the first link it is a girl that goes and talks to the Booth Babes. They are just hired models who do not possess a shred of knowledge about the subject.
18th May | Reply
As well as Booth Babes, another thing that annoys me are the celebrities that are roped in to advertise the product. Especially when most of them havent got a clue what they are advertising. They just read from the script (usually filled with awful puns) and say something about how much they love the game, despite the fact that they have probably only played it once. And if a game is big enough, it shouldnt need all the added razzmatazz. The game should sell and advertise itself.
As for E3 itself this year, I am actually less excited about it this year than I have ever been. Mainly for a number of reasons. One of them is that my exams exactly coincide with E3, so I will be spending the whole period revising. Another one is that I have stopped reading gaming magazines and to an extent, gaming websites like Gamespy and IGN so I havent been as hyped up by them as I usually am. The third reason is that slowly but surely I am losing interest in gaming. I fail to see the same excitement and anticipation for new games, the vast majority of which I cant afford, that I used to get. Its a sad time…
18th May | Reply
Interesting. Right now is a very interesting time for me as far as gaming in general goes. The Xbox 360 is the first console I’ve really been interested in since the Super Nintendo, and even with E3 aside, recent information on Age of Empires 3 and Civilization 4 have me pretty excited, as they’re both actually coming out this year. And even though UT2007 isn’t due out until next years, te screenshots now have me anticipating it heavily already.
For me, this stuff is much more exciting than the last big-couple-o-months for gaming, which was when Halo2, Doom3 and HL2 came onto the scene last years. I got over all of those games pretty quick, without playing any of them in much detail.
18th May | Reply
Right…reassessment. E3 is distracting me from revision..seriously so. After my last comment I decided to actually check out some of the stuff about E3, most notably the PS3…and I am starting to get VERY excited. I watched the tech demos, and the ones with the ducks, and especially the glass/water demo really whet my appetite. I havent really checked out the XBox 360, as I have no interest in it, but I may do so later. From reading articles though, it is interesting to note that it seems like the PS3 could be more than twice as powerful as the XBox 360, which is a complete turnaround from the current state of things.
I am slightly worried about the lack of Nintendo coverage…but hopefully this will pick up. Especially as new Zelda details are being announced.
I am finding myself getting caught up in E3 all over again, and there is nothing my exams can do to stop it.
19th May | Reply
This just in So if you like booth games what do you think of a sex simulator from Jenna Jameson. I mean yeah the show is pushing some hawt chicks in our face to try to get our attention, that’s just part of the terrain. The fact is that their is a market for this is the issue not that their is sexuality being pushed at us. Publishers are always gonna follow the money; and this wouldn’t happen if it didn’t work.
20th May | Reply
I’ve seen a number of sex simulators for the PC before. Never with a um.. “brand” name like this though. I am sure “Naughty E3 Booth Slut Tour” isn’t far behind if this takes off.
24th May | Reply
You made me feel so ashamed that I got my picture taken with Lara Croft in SDW.
27th May | Reply
I didn’t realize Lara Croft was a real person. Kudos!
And maybe that post above speaks to some of the fault of this very issue.
People like to live in fantasy, so until they decide enough is enough, Booth Babes will continue to exist.
1st June | Reply
It’s not so much fantasy as it is just cool to have a “character” right there. As long as it’s not so one can be inches away from some hot chick, taking a picture with a booth babe is like taking a picture with Mickey Mouse at Disneyland. Mind, I wouldn’t wait in line to do it.