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EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
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bleatingheart
07/25/09

In reply to EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
"SIN ful night" apparently means an evening of awkward, one-sided conversation, and three people (plus at least one escort) picking at reasonably priced side-salads while all simultaneously praying for time to speed up because that's exactly how that dinner date is going to go. And it's going to end in some fairly uncertain and dispassionate forcehugging.
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whynotshesaid
07/25/09

In reply to EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
"Commit acts of lust"? God, even the way they PHRASE that is uber-nerdy.
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Kamatari+
07/25/09

In reply to EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
I see where your coming from with this view you posted in the article, but I have to ask, what about the said women in question? No one seems to be blasting them for actually accepting such a position. Unless they were under some extreme contract, I can't see why they couldn't just say no, and why no one else could see that?
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whynotshesaid
07/25/09

@Kamatari+: I generally tend to put the blame on the people who have the most power in a given situation. Here, the people who sign the paychecks have the power, not the people cashing them. Hence, they get the blame.

Sure, you could ask why the women don't quit, but I prefer to ask why EA thinks such a contest is even appropriate in the first place.
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braak: You are, as usual, completely correct.
07/26/09

@Kamatari+: Yeah, that is a good point. Considering how abundant well-paying jobs are. Don't like your job? Just get a new one! They give them away on the back of this truck that's parked out beside my house. I went through three jobs just the other day because I just wasn't feeling them, you know?

Fortunately, my landlord and the utility companies agreed to not charge me rent this month while I looked for something I liked. "Hey, braak," he said, "You shouldn't have to work at a job where your employer treats you like crap. Don't worry about paying me anything until you find one."
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mariamariamaria
07/25/09

In reply to EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
In all fairness to EA, they probably didn't come up with this tripe. Whoever their vendor is for the convention did. While I don't doubt that someone at EA approved of this crap, I think we're talking about a marketing manager, NOT the president of the company. This promotion is retarded (in all sense of the word) offensive and lame, but real talk? EA has women in positions of authority and power within their organization. I know, I worked there as a contractor. While not a perfect company, this stupid promotion does NOT reflect EA as a company.
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mariamariamaria
07/25/09

@mariamariamaria: Oops, sorry, my other point was that the women who are working at the booth are probably employees of the marketing vendor, NOT EA. So any lawsuits, complaints etc, would go to ABC Promotions (or whatever their name is).
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Edited by mariamariamaria at 07/25/09 3:22 PM mariamariamaria was starred mariamariamaria was unstarred

rhymeswithfeather
07/25/09

@mariamariamaria: True, but the same goes for any advertising campaign. It's an external agency creating sexist shit for marketing minions who just sign on the dotted line (I work advertising; I'd know). A company has to be held accountable for letting this shit pass.

But if we're going to blast EA, I'd criticize the way they treat their actual employees and the sweat-shop type commitment they expect. I have to ask -- did you contract in the game design/development side of things? I've heard nothing but horror stories.
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rhymeswithfeather
07/25/09

@heatherwritesstuff: Oh, and that wasn't an attempt to get us agencies off the hook :) I know we're evil.
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whynotshesaid
07/25/09

@heatherwritesstuff: Oh, dude, I read some crazy LJ account of life as a games developer for EA. That shit should be illegal.
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TurtleSpeak
07/25/09

In reply to EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
Didn't EA get the memo? Games aren't just for sexually frustrated, 15 year old, heterosexual dudebro idiots anymore.
This kinda makes me not want to buy any games from them ever again.

Also, if I were a dude, I'd be embarassed to enter a contest like this... nevermind winning it... now you get to have dinner with two women who are only hanging out with you because they are paid to. Lucky you, aren't you a charmer! Winning = failing in this contest.
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jejune768
07/25/09

In reply to EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
Holy crap I don't know what's going on at EA. I mean they're the big (really big) bad company of the video game industry and they -have- done stupid shit before. Like sending brass knuckles to people as a promotion for a game... which is illegal. But WOW. I'm going to have a hard time interviewing with them for a job...
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Pantra
07/25/09

In reply to EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
So not surprised by this. I'm at Comic Con right now and there's definitely a contingent that pines for the days when it actually was a bunch of nerdy fan boys in their own world. The Con now belongs to all genders and ages and the whole Booth Babe thing is pretty retro. Even the Suicide Girls booth seems to be going ignored. It just isn't what people come here for anymore and it's clear a small group of old schoolers wish the old days would come back.
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RoseColette (fewer thorns; more coffee)
07/25/09

@Pantra: *raises hand* Old schooler who wishes it was back in the early days when you could walk into the Gaslamp, wander into the closest Italian restaurant, and discover yourself at a table across from Joe Quesada. Or that one Mexican restaurant with the paper tablecloth and crayons that Jim Lee and others would frequent just to have fun drawing. (Those boys could do amazing things with crayon.)

Now it's sold out months in advance all because Hollywood "discovered" it. *sigh*
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Rooo sez BISH PLZ
07/25/09

In reply to EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
So I guess the reason for the apocalyptic failure of the Open Source Boob Project remains an unfathomable mystery to the EA marketing team.
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MsFeasance
07/25/09

In reply to EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
Doesn't EA brand themselves as a family-friendly games provider?
Ugh.
FAIL.
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jejune768
07/25/09

@MsFeasance: Nah they have a wide range of products. And they are a publisher as well so there are other studios involved. The closest you get to family friendly is Nintendo... but even the Wii has titles like Resident Evil and Mad World.
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MsFeasance
07/25/09

@jejune768: Huh; I seem to remember them getting all pearl-clutchy at Rockstar for Grand Theft Auto, back when that was a new wank.
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mariamariamaria
07/25/09

@MsFeasance: Are you sure? Last I heard, they wanted to BUY Rockstar. Pearl-clutching step aside, there's profits to be had.
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willwriteforfood
07/25/09

In reply to EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
I have to think there could be some criminal charges likely when your employer tries to pimp you out.
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Devonna
07/25/09

@willwriteforfood: I hope these women didn't sign anything releasing EA from criminal liability.
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Rooo sez BISH PLZ
07/25/09

@Devonna: Hope away. But you know in this economy they probably did.
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Mally
07/25/09

@Rooo sez BISH PLZ: Even if the women did sign a waiver and EA gets off the hook that way, I wonder if charges could at least be brought against Comic-Con? EA is the one who deserves the charges, but Comic-Con is letting such a "contest" take place on the premises.

Don't suppose anyone knows what vetting (if any) CC organizers do of contests run at booths?
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willwriteforfood
07/25/09

@Mally: I read through the links and apparently photos of actual sex aren't allowed in the contest. Of course, it says that in the fine print, so obviously all the fanboys will TOTALLY see it. The "stated" intent of the stupid contest is just photos with the women, but if you bill it as "acts of lust," gee, you think guys might just not get the difference?

Some of the comments in the stories are eye rolling. "They signed on for it!" (er, no, no one signs on for sexual assault) "Women objectify men too!" (WTF?). "They should be glad to have a job!" (again, WTF?)

Idiocy knows no bounds.
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onestrawplz
07/25/09

@willwriteforfood: Yeah! Stop bitching about rape! Just be glad you're getting laid!

*headdesk*
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whats_in_a_name
07/25/09

@willwriteforfood: Of course women objectify men, don't you have any feelings for the poor exploited booth bro, forced to stand around in a skimpy speedo while hordes women geeks have their pictures taken with him?

/sarcasm
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wtfox?!
07/25/09

In reply to EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
Dante would not approve.
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StellaEllaOla
07/25/09

In reply to EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
If anyone finds a contact that would be good to write to about this - please post it! This is just blatant marketing of sexual objectification from a huge company - it can't go unnoticed!
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Lin-Z [linguist on duty]
07/25/09

@StellaEllaOla: You should try searching The Consumerist. They find contact info for all kinds of companies' higher ups.
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thegogglesdonothing
07/25/09

In reply to EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
Believe it or not, there's actually been tackier game promotions before. For instance, one company offered to pay for the funerals of recently deceased loved ones in exchange for the right to put an advertisement for one of their games on the headstone.
Fun read here: http://www.411mania.com/games/columns/59062/The-Hall-of-Shame-08.30.07:-Acclaim%5C%5Cs-Marketing.htm
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sequined
07/25/09

In reply to EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
But see, it's funny because they're dorks! And they're trying to hit on hot babes in booths!

Geez, some feminazibonerkillers just don't have a sense of humor these days.
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Rooo sez BISH PLZ
07/25/09

@sequined: Any day, really.

[open mini-rant] And while we're on that topic, was there ever a weaker excuse attempted for odoriferously gross misogyny/sexism/*insert -ism here* in the history of humankind?
"Jeez. It was just a joke. Get a sense of humor."

To all (usually men) attempting to use this:

1) You failed at funny.
2) Your failure does not make you any less of a gross idiot. I don't care what you think you were trying to do. Shut up.
[close mini-rant]
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MAGGIEBETH
07/25/09

@Rooo sez BISH PLZ: I think an even weaker excuse has to be "but women think I'm a dork and don't respect me. Hot girls don't want to date me so I deserve to do this misogynistic/sexist thing, it's only fair." I believe it's the plot basis for at least 20% of movies.
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sequined
07/25/09

@MAGGIEBETH: I feel like it's a joke at their expense, too, though. Like we're making fun of them while encouraging them to objectify and assault women. A double win for cool dudes everywhere!
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HuckleberryFriend
07/25/09

In reply to EA Games Wants You To Sexually Harass Their Booth Babes For A Free Dinner
Shit like this is one of the reasons I have yet to go to a Comic Con. I spend enough of my time around immature manboys, I don't need to pay for the privilege.
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