Oooh Lord. Where to even start with this one? Let's get right to it: Electronic Arts and Visceral Games have cooked up another awful PR campaign for Dante's Inferno called "Sin to Win." If alienating Catholic gamers at last month's E3 wasn't bad enough, Visceral and EA can mark "women" off the list of potential buyers.
Here's the set up: commit an "act of lust" by taking a photo with any booth babe at this year's Comic-Con; submit the photo via the @Danteteam Twitter or on Facebook; win a date with "two hot girls." In short, as if being a booth babe weren't already creepy enough, EA has given everyone at Comic Con some extra incentive to ogle not only their own booth babes, but any booth babe at the con.
To be honest, I don't really know how to feel about this. One the one hand, the job description for "model" opens women up to this sort of thing: models exist, inherently, to be objectified and sell products. Obviously, these girls don't have any moral opposition to it, or they wouldn't have taken their clothes off and signed EA's contract (not necessarily in that order.) Besides, pictures with booth babes are a convention staple -- it's going to happen either way.
On the other hand, there's something repulsive about offering people up as prizes in your PR stunt, especially given game culture's bad habit of over-sexualizing its female characters anyway. And while our beautiful free market ideally allows booth babes to opt out of stunts like this at their discretion, let's be realistic: living in California ain't cheap and the rent still has to get paid. Even if there's nothing technically wrong going on here, it's still sleazy and, at the very least, alienating.
To make things worse, EA seems to have its wires crossed here. Even though the flyer (in the gallery) says "take a photo," it also says "commit an act of lust." I've seen some of the more, ahem, creative photos you guys have managed to come up with for our contests (or just for lulz), and I can't imagine what the people at Comic-Con will come up with. Too bad it won't win them anything: the contest has a legal disclaimer disqualifying any mention of sex.
Not to mention that EA has stupidly opened this up for any booth babe on the floor. I'm sure whoever is working, say, the Capcom booth didn't sign up for this sh*t. You stay classy, Electronic Arts.
Contest:
5:00 PM on 07.24.2009
| 
"Let's all get together and talk about homophobia and rights people. It's important."
...
"win a SINful night with 2 hot girls!"
Pharisees.
Besides, I'm a little miffed that the best thing Dante's Inferno has to offer is its sex appeal. I'd rather not propagate that particular stereotype.
Me too... Plus my fiance would be pissed if I got first place and had to go out on a date with a couple booth babes. lol
Or the picture of the winner. Remember that bloke who is obsessed with that pillow? Yeah, think ten times worse.
Yeah I can't see my significant other being too happy about me being out with a couple of booth babes. She is well aware that my charm is enough to make any woman forget about silly legal disclaimers.
Well, not really but at least that would be an attainable dream, hell I'll take the $240 please.
I can only see this date doing very badly...
There is no big deal. Must be a slow news day, so they feel the need to generate some controversy. Here's a secret: Women objectify men just as much as men objectify women, they just aren't so public about it.
Seriously people, get over yourselves.
"2 hot girls" is the most generic description ever.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
aaronf: I'm sure alot of men are happy to be sex objects to women :p
Of course, if you do hit it off with one of the escorts, you've got a great story for the kids.
okay I am lame, I like sloth
1. Booth babes sell. So do boobs. Hell, those "best booth babes" posts here and on Kotaku get enough hits.
2. This will annoy the hell out of booth babes at Comic Con... who don't buy these games. The audience that is exposed to the stunt will either go ZOMG BOOTH BABE CONTEST or facepalm. But they will remember it was EA that did this, and (maybe) that it was something about Dante's Inferno what with the Lust hook.
3. Some blogs will likely go through the contest pics, as it's an easy way to get hits for showing booth babes compared to taking those pics yourself?
So you get a lot of exposure at the event, outrage exposure on the internet, and post-event exposure after people go through the Twitter contest pics etc. I can't help but think that it's a pretty good way to get the brand name across to a lot of people. Whether it will be a good association.... probably not :)
But let's face it: nobody is going to boycot this game over it if it turns out good.
I thought the same thing. I don't understand how this PR anomaly fits into Dante's Inferno.
And for anyone who wants to call me sexist, that's fine. Sexism is hilarious.
And for anyone who wants to call me sexist, that's fine. Sexism is hilarious.
<a href="http://www.shopping.the-monkey.biz">shopping</a> for people is a rather unusual pastime isn't it.