182
rate

EA apologizes for Dante's Inferno booth babe contest... via Twitter

July 27, 2009 in News comments 15

Remember EA's brilliant idea to reward lustful behavior at Comic-Con? As a reminder, they were holding a contest for who could perform the most (legally) depraved act on a booth babe, in exchange for a chaperoned all-expenses paid evening with her. The contest had some questionable wording:

quote
"...a night with the hottest girl at Comic Con, dinner, booty and more."
Well, after a whole lot of controversy over bad word choices, Electronic Arts has released an apology for their idiocy... on Twitter. The apology is in the form of a JPEG image on Twitpic, because a real apology was probably more than they could bear.

Heartfelt apology attached as article image -- click to read.

RabidChinaGirl via twitpic.com »
Favourite this article Add source
| More
Report!
News story attached to:
Additional sources:

Comments

Register as a member to subscribe comments.
  • 4
    Sayyed Jul 27, 09
    Political correctness can suck it. I freaking hate when people get offended over shit they are not involved in or when people think they know what others are offended by.
    • 7
      Drogo Baggins Jul 27, 09
      I really, really hope you're being sarcastic.

      We're talking about a CONTEST based on who can best SEXUALLY HARASS booth babes.

      Trust me, it's offensive, or at least it should be.
      • 5
        Sayyed Jul 27, 09
        You mean the contest where you had to take a pic with models WHO ARE ALSO IN ON IT and the best pic wins. Yeah how is that sexual harrassment when they agreed to doing it?

        What im talking about are people who are offended by it, why should they be?
        • 3
          RabidChinaGirl Jul 27, 09
          Bad wording made it sound like sexual harassment, and was degrading to EA's target audience. Also, sets precedence, I suppose. Not always fun being a girl in that environment, and just because booth babes are hired, doesn't mean they want to be treated like property.

          Overall, I think EA just had poor choice of words, and the contest really wasn't so terrible as we think. This might also be intentional though, as a part of their Dante's Inferno campaign... like the fake protest at E3.
        • 2
          Drogo Baggins Jul 27, 09
          LPF, the way they worded it made it sound like you could just go there and fondle women, which is not what the contest was meant to be. The model were in on having to take pictures with fans, but they weren't in on being physically harassed.

          It's like telling the girls, "Okay, we're going to have a fun little contest where you just have to take pictures with fans", but then you go and tell the fans, "Alright, we're holding a contest based on harassing our booth babes". They're two very different things.

          I think I understand why you don't find it offensive, but to act like anyone who does find it offensive is full of shit...well that's just a bit ridiculous.

          As for why people should be offended by it, I think RCG explained pretty well.

          Also, i want to say that I'm not angry at EA at all. I understand and can forgive the mistake they made.
        • 1
          Sayyed Jul 28, 09
          I understand what your getting at about the wording and it is true they should have made it more clear. But When I first read the about the contest I kind of figured they weren't looking for pics of you boning a booth babe. I guess not every can use common sense.
        • 1
          Hideo1 Jul 28, 09
          This was aimed at people going to comic-con. As soon as the term sexually was mentioned common sense was no longer a factor to a lot of them, if it was in the first place anyway. Many Booth Babes get harrased, stalked and abused without things like this.

          Sure, an apology may be a little much but surly you understand where it comes from.
  • 1
    chautemoc Jul 27, 09
    I like your style, LPF. Still, I'm glad they came forward with this, because I was misinformed up to this point myself. After reading it, it makes a lot more sense. Sleazy..maybe? Couldn't really say unless I won myself. Seems mostly an appropriately good bit of fun to me -- another unique means by which to promote the game. People should relax...not everything means the end of the world, impending rule of patriarchs, etc. Mostly I applaud EA for being controversial.

    I should say I find "booth babes" somewhat of a sleazy concept, but I don't find this any more sleazy than that.

    Agreed with Lydia -- they probably should've chosen their words more carefully, made things more clear, etc. -- many people are sensationalists by nature.

    Edit: apparently some of the girls involved are pissed.
    • 3
      Sayyed Jul 28, 09
      Thats what upsets me really, people take things way to seriously and should relax. Maybe im just laid back by nature and EA has been doing a clever job promoting the game, wich there methods I think are very clever.

      Edit: read the article, sheez some of those guys sound like sleeze balls.
  • 0
    HisServant77 Jul 28, 09
    I think EA is just trying to make as much press as possible, and the way to do that is through controversy. They are the ones with Dante's Inferno, right?

    They're trying to make this Dante's Inferno rep out to be as immoral as possible . . . IMO. The terrible "jokes" they pull, and then this even . . .

    Again, they know what will spread faster---the most sickening and saddening and worst of all news. People spread that, faster than good news.
  • 2
    BANDITO ATTACK Jul 28, 09
    dinner, booty, and more. yeah sign me up guys (H)
  • 1
    Anubis* Jul 29, 09
    Fail. On both sides of this argument.

    First of all, if the Booth Babes weren't okay with that type of thing, why didn't they quit or at minimum leave the building?

    Sure, things got a little out of hand but seriously, who cares? Civilization is getting more and more sexually oriented every day.

    Move on people.
    • 1
      HisServant77 Jul 29, 09
      And apathy toward the desensitization of civilization is one of the things that will push it down the drain. Whereas those who oppose such things, will go against the flow instead of follow everyone else down the drain. And if enough people go against the flow and stand up for what they believe morally . . . *Gasp!* the flow MIGHT just change . . .
    • 0
      Hideo1 Jul 30, 09
      quote Kinganubis2
      Fail. On both sides of this argument.

      First of all, if the Booth Babes weren't okay with that type of thing, why didn't they quit or at minimum leave the building?
      Because not everyone's that much of an attention seeking *bleep* that they have to start a rally over everything.

      Though I'm sure if your sister, mother, girlfriend or just a friend worked as a booth babe and was stalked by fat, greasy nerds even after the conventions were over and was 'grabbed' every now and then (and they aren't okay with that type of thing, hence why those morons get kicked out, but that can't change what had already happened) you would be singing a very different tune.
      • 0
        HisServant77 Jul 30, 09
        I would hope he would sing a different tune, but the way his words sound, it sounds as if he'd be perfectly fine with it even if it were his sister, mother, friend, or girlfriend.

This news story is archived and is closed to comments now.