LadyLuck34
11-07-2009, 09:31 PM
http://www.platformnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/e3-booth-babes.jpg
So this is a heavy and weighted question for a lot of people because everyone has an opinion on it.
What do you really think of booth babes?
Normally, these are women hired through an agency and don’t have any connection to the gaming industry or the company they are being hired to represent. So are they really insulting female gamers when they’re just doing the job that they are hired to do? It’s no different than the rest of us with jobs (or at least wishing we had a job).
On one side, they usually give a stereotyped and completely inaccurate view of women in the industry. Most members of the general gaming public aren’t well informed about the real number of women in gaming. So when an attractive female is hired to represent a game or company, and more often than not lacks the knowledge necessary of being a representative (however temporary) to market other than her body, it gives a very bad light to females in gaming.
Example: the VGAs. I can name all number of people affronted by the fact that scantily clad, thin and attractive women were a main element of the on stage appearance. As one of the few programs to be heavily advertised and easily visible to not only gamers, but also the non-gaming public, many of those people will take the show’s appearance as fact. And in my opinion, that’s very bad facts to have.
But on the opposite side, they are just doing their job. They’re making money like the rest of us (well, some of us). And not all of them are scantily clad and unknowledgeable. I have actually met some agency hired booth babes who did their homework and asked questions. Granted, they would never be the same level as say you or me, but they definitely get credit for not just relying on their pretty face for that event.
Also, companies do occasionally hire through clans or groups to do events. Of course, the whole appeal relies on the female factor but in those cases it’s more the female ‘gamer’ factor than the ‘attractive’ female factor. So do we generalize as all booth babes or only the ones hired via an agency? Are the female gamers that get hired compromising their position?
Example: me. I have in the past been hired, with a written contract and through my clan, to work at an event. Normally, my job was to simply play video games against event attendees. Now, let me note that these were more electronic (TV, speakers, etc companies) events than gaming events. I asked questions and did my research so I could talk about the products our booth was displaying (besides just the gaming). I was not required to wear a pre-determined outfit or anything other than my regular clothes. No swimsuits or booty shorts. (I have done 3 such events over the past year and a half for the record.)
So does that make me a booth babe as we normally describe them? Am I compromising myself as a gamer by doing a job such as the above mentioned? Am I giving female gamers a bad reputation by allowing myself to be marketed upon the fact that I am female and a gamer at the same time (even if it isn’t a gaming event)?
Personally, I feel there is a difference between the two and that I am not working negatively against the image of the non-stereotyped gamer that happens to be a female. I merely was chosen or accepted a job and went about it for the designated days so I could get paid. I didn’t change the way I dressed or acted or attempted to be anything I wasn’t. I wasn’t relying on my looks or anything besides my ability to be a good representative. However, I don’t think everyone would agree with me.
So what do you really think? (I mean this seriously, I want your opinions on any of the above.)
So this is a heavy and weighted question for a lot of people because everyone has an opinion on it.
What do you really think of booth babes?
Normally, these are women hired through an agency and don’t have any connection to the gaming industry or the company they are being hired to represent. So are they really insulting female gamers when they’re just doing the job that they are hired to do? It’s no different than the rest of us with jobs (or at least wishing we had a job).
On one side, they usually give a stereotyped and completely inaccurate view of women in the industry. Most members of the general gaming public aren’t well informed about the real number of women in gaming. So when an attractive female is hired to represent a game or company, and more often than not lacks the knowledge necessary of being a representative (however temporary) to market other than her body, it gives a very bad light to females in gaming.
Example: the VGAs. I can name all number of people affronted by the fact that scantily clad, thin and attractive women were a main element of the on stage appearance. As one of the few programs to be heavily advertised and easily visible to not only gamers, but also the non-gaming public, many of those people will take the show’s appearance as fact. And in my opinion, that’s very bad facts to have.
But on the opposite side, they are just doing their job. They’re making money like the rest of us (well, some of us). And not all of them are scantily clad and unknowledgeable. I have actually met some agency hired booth babes who did their homework and asked questions. Granted, they would never be the same level as say you or me, but they definitely get credit for not just relying on their pretty face for that event.
Also, companies do occasionally hire through clans or groups to do events. Of course, the whole appeal relies on the female factor but in those cases it’s more the female ‘gamer’ factor than the ‘attractive’ female factor. So do we generalize as all booth babes or only the ones hired via an agency? Are the female gamers that get hired compromising their position?
Example: me. I have in the past been hired, with a written contract and through my clan, to work at an event. Normally, my job was to simply play video games against event attendees. Now, let me note that these were more electronic (TV, speakers, etc companies) events than gaming events. I asked questions and did my research so I could talk about the products our booth was displaying (besides just the gaming). I was not required to wear a pre-determined outfit or anything other than my regular clothes. No swimsuits or booty shorts. (I have done 3 such events over the past year and a half for the record.)
So does that make me a booth babe as we normally describe them? Am I compromising myself as a gamer by doing a job such as the above mentioned? Am I giving female gamers a bad reputation by allowing myself to be marketed upon the fact that I am female and a gamer at the same time (even if it isn’t a gaming event)?
Personally, I feel there is a difference between the two and that I am not working negatively against the image of the non-stereotyped gamer that happens to be a female. I merely was chosen or accepted a job and went about it for the designated days so I could get paid. I didn’t change the way I dressed or acted or attempted to be anything I wasn’t. I wasn’t relying on my looks or anything besides my ability to be a good representative. However, I don’t think everyone would agree with me.
So what do you really think? (I mean this seriously, I want your opinions on any of the above.)