Why Comic Con is not exactly a Safe Space

[major_clanger]

Games company Electronic Arts are apparently running a competition at the San Diego Comic Con inviting attendees to "commit acts of lust" with 'booth babes' (not even their employed sex objects, but any female staff at the con) and submit photographic evidence with the aim of winning "a sinful night out with TWO hot girls".

Not everyone is entirely impressed; see the Twitter #EAFail hashtag for horrified jaw-dropping.

Comments

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

Idiotic. If someone on one of the other booths is sexually assaulted, could EA face prosecution for inciting the act, I wonder?

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

I have no idea of what US or California laws are on this. Having said that, knowing how litigious US society is I would have thought that EA are opening themselves up for a whole avalanche of sexual harassment lawsuits.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

To their credit, I notice that the winner is 'handpicked', which I'm guessing means that the girls get to decide for themselves who they have dinner with.

(Not saying it's a good idea, merely pointing out that it pays to be courteous to the girls if they get to choose)

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

I really don't think that 'courtesy' comes anywhere near this. It also seems far more likely that the hand-picking is by (male) EA executives on the basis of the submitted pictures.

[rhaegal.livejournal.com]

Wait, WHAT?! Way to perpetuate the myth that fandom is full of skeevy slimebags, EA :-(

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

The problem is that EA seem to have identified skeevy slimebags as one of their key customer demographics. Since they'll be paying $$$ for floor-space at a big commercial con like this, I doubt that the organisers will want to interfere.

[unwholesome-fen.livejournal.com]

Why are lots of Spinal Tap quotes coming to mind? "It's a thin line between clever and stupid..."

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

in Europe, booth babes are still common at tech events like Mobile World Congress; the tech shows in the US have abandoned them (CES is held alongside the Adult Expo , but it itself pretty babe-free). gaming is the last convention genre that does this, but it's endemic. Nvidia's nominally technical conference was full of busty babes both real and virtual, showing off games. bleah. I take comfort in the fact that the numbers of women gaming are increasing all the time and this will come back to bite EA where it hurts - the wallet.