Just saw this over at Firingsquad -- E3 2006 could be booth-babeless! 
Undoubtedly, the promotion and marketing of new and upcoming games is the primary driver behind E3 and removing what is arguably a degrading and seedy element (i.e. booth babes) should have no effect on the show. However in the past 7-8 years that I have followed the print and online coverage, it would appear that they are a somewhat crucial part of the whole package, drawing journalists to booths they otherwise might not cover in the limited time, being part of the presentations, handing out marketing materials, etc.
Maybe I have this all wrong and most attendees find them a superfluous annoyance, but seeing balding, overweight journalists scrambling to get photo's of themselves with seemingly as many booth babes as possible while holding in a generous paunch and simultaneously holding on to a boatload of corporate swag, adds to the enjoyment of reading E3 reports and seems to be part of the show's charm. It would be interesting to hear the views of someone who has been to the show.
Is this the beginning of the end for E3 or merely it's continuation in a less brash manner? To quote one of the Firingsquad posters, "Great... now it's just a plain 'ol nerd convention."
Having never to been to E3, but always gorging on the veritable feast of gaming announcements, overviews, previews, etc to emerge in the numerous aftershow reports and roundups, I've come away with the impression that booth babes are as inextricably linked to the character of E3 as anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering are to gaming image quality.
Undoubtedly, the promotion and marketing of new and upcoming games is the primary driver behind E3 and removing what is arguably a degrading and seedy element (i.e. booth babes) should have no effect on the show. However in the past 7-8 years that I have followed the print and online coverage, it would appear that they are a somewhat crucial part of the whole package, drawing journalists to booths they otherwise might not cover in the limited time, being part of the presentations, handing out marketing materials, etc.
Maybe I have this all wrong and most attendees find them a superfluous annoyance, but seeing balding, overweight journalists scrambling to get photo's of themselves with seemingly as many booth babes as possible while holding in a generous paunch and simultaneously holding on to a boatload of corporate swag, adds to the enjoyment of reading E3 reports and seems to be part of the show's charm. It would be interesting to hear the views of someone who has been to the show.
Is this the beginning of the end for E3 or merely it's continuation in a less brash manner? To quote one of the Firingsquad posters, "Great... now it's just a plain 'ol nerd convention."
