E3 “booth babes” rating feature causes internet backlash

Sexism in the gaming industry is a tricky issue, where a lot of ink has been spilled over the exploitation of female characters in video games for a male-dominated audience.

Now popular news portal CVG has come under fire for putting up a feature on their site asking you to “get out your scorecard” for a roll of pictures of some of “booth babes” at the recent E3. While it didn’t get much negative response from readers, the backlash from some people working in the industry has been severe.

Rachel Webber of GamesIndustry writes, “And that’s exactly why things like CVG’s recent booth babes gallery and its grimy intro is so disappointing. Because the industry isn’t like that and CVG is doing it a disservice to present it that way, nevermind a disservice to its readers by telling them that it’s an acceptable way to discuss women.”

The echoes around the internet are that this portrays the video game community in a bad light, and CVG has removed the feature following the negative response.

What’s your opinion? Are people being overly sensitive? Is the feature evidence that the industry has some growing up to do? Let us know in the comments.

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Tags: booth babes, e3, e3 2012, e3 expo, headline, rachel webber, sexism