Can somone explain this "booth babe" thing to me?

[Vault101]

While I can understand the marketing strategy as a woman I kind of find it sickening. It makes me personally feel unwelcome in the gaming community because it reminds me that the games developers don't see women as equal consumers.

It's kind of hard to explain but it really does make me uncomfortable. I feel the same way when I see racing girls. It's like the industry is saying 'In this field you can be nothing but eye candy for the men, the people who really matter.'

I have a lot of love for computer games and I've played since I was 5 years old on my Dad's friends tiny black Atari. I have sometimes felt like it would be better to be a guy because they are so much more considered and respected by games developers and marketing.

The late 90's for example where even the previously cartoony CVG magazine switched over to having naked women strewn over the cover. When someone complained they said they didn't care becuase their demographic was young men and they could last without their small female readership. This was the editorial mind...I cancelled my subscription and just went by the internet from then on.

Booth babes, in my opinion, are just another way the industry is shouting in women's faces 'This is not for you!' I'm not saying all women feel that way, but that's how I see it.

I know what you mean...

however to be honest I dont feel right condemning it for some reason (probably because I hate coming off as a angrey feminiest) and I guess since I like a medium that...has a somwhat "imature" aspect to it..it feels a little hypocritical

 

[AbstractStream]

I have to wonder why booth boys or booth hunks or whatever isn't a thing, though. Can you imagine the mad cash you would get.
It'd be like selling ice-cream in a desert.

I would go to that Con in an instant. Someone should make this a thing.

 

[Vault101]

At E3 and other gaming convictions "booth babes" are hot chicks dressed as the main character of a game,or promoting a game.

Basically sluts.

now HOLD ON just a second there

first of all having alot of sexual partners doenst nessicarily make you a horrible person (but thats an issue for another day)

THIS has NOTHING to do with sexual partners

the women doing this are doing it BY CHOICE....and if your going to refer to them like that then what about the drooling man-children who like that kind of thing (thats not my opinion but you see where Im going}

I may not be 100% ok with the booth babe thing but I find that kind of offensive (and my "issues with women" alarm bells are going off)

Slut also means a girl who "shows" her stuff.(not in a stripper way)

But its NOT in the same way

Im assuming by "shows her stuff" she dresses tarty to attract attention

thease girls are being paid...AND its really no different to moddelling or somthing similar, its just a job

 

[yuval152]

At E3 and other gaming convictions "booth babes" are hot chicks dressed as the main character of a game,or promoting a game.

Basically sluts.

now HOLD ON just a second there

first of all having alot of sexual partners doenst nessicarily make you a horrible person (but thats an issue for another day)

THIS has NOTHING to do with sexual partners

the women doing this are doing it BY CHOICE....and if your going to refer to them like that then what about the drooling man-children who like that kind of thing (thats not my opinion but you see where Im going}

I may not be 100% ok with the booth babe thing but I find that kind of offensive (and my "issues with women" alarm bells are going off)

Slut also means a girl who "shows" her stuff.(not in a stripper way)

But its NOT in the same way

Im assuming by "shows her stuff" she dresses tarty to attract attention

thease girls are being paid...AND its really no different to moddelling or somthing similar, its just a job

exactly what i meant.

 

[Andrew_Mac]

Its mostly a way to attract your attention. Be honest, which are you more likely to look at, a board showing the name of a game with a few details about it, or a half naked woman standing next to a game? Its the woman, don't lie. They get you over, then start to explain about the game while pretending to like you no matter how much they don't (its what they're paid to do) to try and sell a game to you. It works. Obviously. Otherwise, they wouldn't have "booth babes" as they are called.

 

[crudus]

so Im GUESSING that its attractive scantiliy clad women at game conventions and such used to promote..uh games I guess?

First rule of Marketing: Sex sells.

They seem to be dying off though. I went to Gencon this year and there were only about 3 boothbabes that I saw. Now there were girls there promoting an item/service, but they had something to do with what they were promoting. For example I am not sure I would count the girls promoting their softcore porn website as "booth babes".

 

[Vault101]

At E3 and other gaming convictions "booth babes" are hot chicks dressed as the main character of a game,or promoting a game.

Basically sluts.

now HOLD ON just a second there

first of all having alot of sexual partners doenst nessicarily make you a horrible person (but thats an issue for another day)

THIS has NOTHING to do with sexual partners

the women doing this are doing it BY CHOICE....and if your going to refer to them like that then what about the drooling man-children who like that kind of thing (thats not my opinion but you see where Im going}

I may not be 100% ok with the booth babe thing but I find that kind of offensive (and my "issues with women" alarm bells are going off)

Slut also means a girl who "shows" her stuff.(not in a stripper way)

But its NOT in the same way

Im assuming by "shows her stuff" she dresses tarty to attract attention

thease girls are being paid...AND its really no different to moddelling or somthing similar, its just a job

exactly what i meant.

well forgive me but I was under the impression slut was a derogatory/nasty name which also has alot to do with double standards

but what ever

 

[Hagi]

...but doesn't the word 'hot' encompass anyone's personal idea of an attractive woman? There isn't one type of woman that counts as 'hot'. That's a very simple minded view of women.

If you don't want me to take it seriously, don't rant.

I don't think it does, which is why I included what I thought about it in my post. Attractive refers to someone's personal idea of an attractive women. I don't think 'hot' women are attractive. I like cute, nice and confident among many other things.

If you think that's a very simple minded view of women I can live with that, there luckily are many other people on this world with many different opinions.

And I don't think that second part means what you think it means, it logically implies (through modus tollens) that if I rant, I want you to take it seriously. Which is false, and as such that statement is also false.

And yes, I am looking too much into that.

 

[WaderiAAA]

I don't think it shows the industry in a favorable life, but then again it is not any worse than succesful businessmen marrying babes just for the sex and to have some nice eye candy beside them when they go to banquettes.

 

[AngloDoom]

I think it doesn't help the view that most people into games are immature basement-dwelling men with sweaty fat-rolls.

I'm not sure how valid this next bit is considering I'm male, but I imagine it sort of gives a "No girls allowed" atmosphere when it's so very much orientated toward heterosexual men.

Overall it gives me the same sense of facepalm I get when I women leans over in any film and suddenly saxophones. Everywhere.

 

[BoTTeNBReKeR]

I think it doesn't help the view that most people into games are immature basement-dwelling men with sweaty fat-rolls.

I'm not sure how valid this next bit is considering I'm male, but I imagine it sort of gives a "No girls allowed" atmosphere when it's so very much orientated toward heterosexual men.

Overall it gives me the same sense of facepalm I get when I women leans over in any film and suddenly saxophones. Everywhere.

I don't get this "I think it doesn't help the view of that people have towards gamers". The car industry has been doing it for years! Yet you don't see people complaining about a pair of tits and legs on every single car in an auto saloon now, do you?

 

[AngloDoom]

I think it doesn't help the view that most people into games are immature basement-dwelling men with sweaty fat-rolls.

I'm not sure how valid this next bit is considering I'm male, but I imagine it sort of gives a "No girls allowed" atmosphere when it's so very much orientated toward heterosexual men.

Overall it gives me the same sense of facepalm I get when I women leans over in any film and suddenly saxophones. Everywhere.

I don't get this "I think it doesn't help the view of that people have towards gamers". The car industry has been doing it for years! Yet you don't see people complaining about a pair of tits and legs on every single car in an auto saloon now, do you?

Cars aren't viewed by most of the population as toys. They're functional items that are not considered particularly gendered any more: while women aren't generally expected to know as much about cars it's not big news when a woman can drive.

Games are often viewed as immature toys man-children, and sticking tits on the front for everyone to ogle at doesn't help. Every girl I've gone out with until my current relationship looked down on me because I played with "toys" on my Xbox 360 and wouldn't give games a chance because they viewed it as hyper-masculine games about shooting zombies to save an ass attached to a woman.

It's entirely different matters.

 

[spartan231490]

Nothing wrong with it. It's advertising, they use it because it works, and I have no problem with that. it's not sexist.

 

[FPSMadPaul]

I find it amusing that there was this typo:

Every copy of The Saboteur ships with a special card that contains a code to turn on The Midnight Show, which removes the bras and pasties from some of the dancers in the Belle du Nuit.

Nothing more erotic than a stripper taking her pasties off... (though to be fair, I'd imagine they make terrible underwear...)

There's no typo
Pasties - plural of past·ie (Noun)
1. A decorative covering for the nipple worn by a stripper.

 

[ms_sunlight]

I don't get this "I think it doesn't help the view of that people have towards gamers". The car industry has been doing it for years! Yet you don't see people complaining about a pair of tits and legs on every single car in an auto saloon now, do you?

What car showrooms are you people going to that hire PR women to lounge all over the merchandise? I've never seen this in my life! Trade shows may have models, but I can guarantee you when it actually comes down to the nitty gritty of selling the product it's all about the vehicle!

Hell, the auto industry markets to women. They are not stupid. They know this is not the 1950s and that women earn wages and buy cars themselves; they also know that women have a big say in the purchase of family vehicles.

This is the difference: overwhelmingly, I still feel that most sectors of the gaming industry - certainly the AAA end of it - are marketed overwhelmingly towards young men, to the extent that many women and girls feel unwelcome. No wonder so many end up playing crap like Cityville - the casual gaming companies know that women have money too and are not afraid to market to them.

 

[funguy2121]

so first of all I dont know much about this or if its even commone anymore

so Im GUESSING that its attractive scantiliy clad women at game conventions and such used to promote..uh games I guess?

so what Im asking is how do you feel about it?

is it just innocent promotion...like no one complains when you have the same thing at car shows? AND it is true that gaming is still very male orientated...

OR do you find it off putting? and think it really needs to go if we are ever going to be taken seriously?

Control yourself! Ok, fine, I'll control myself!

"Sex sells." What else would it be? Why are near-nude women used to sell dishwashers? It is, of course, objectifying and demeaning. But I disagree with your last statement. Besides, marketing people are some of the most insipid, hateful fuckers out there.

 

[Matt9102]

Ask yourself this: What's more pleasing to look at, a nice set of titties on a fit young woman or a badly aliased low-res xBox 360 screenshot of Space Marine Simulator 9001?

I'd go for tits on that one cause I'm not a space guy. But seriously, I don't really understand the mass appeal to tits. They're just nipples with lumps below them. I like them, of course. I'm straight and saying that. People don't like MANLY NIPPLES OF MANLINESS for some reason, but they like lumps. If it was showing off the lower regions it'd make more sense but I still disprove.