Booth Babe: The Inside Story

1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JUNE 18 | GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND VIDEO GAMES

Booth Babe: The Inside Story

Cover Story: Are E3 booth babes a blight on the industry? We go to the source: The women themselves.

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ike energy drinks, over-priced lunch menus, and endless pamphlets, booth babes have always been a staple of the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Often tall and always svelte, these paragons of feminine beauty are a part of many a marketing companies’ armaments: A sultry if not always respected means to an end. Gaming’s female demographic may be on the rise, but for now video games remain predominantly a man’s world. And little grabs male attention like a shapely derriere artfully framed in skin-tight black leather.

At least, that’s what the PR specialists are probably telling their clients. I can’t think of a better explanation for some of the outfits on the show floor this year. Though there weren’t any pretty girls chained to consoles this time around, there was also no shortage of well-endowed women in questionable attire, something that may explain the age restrictions for E3 attendees. (“Mom? That lady isn’t wearing any pants.”)