E3 2015 booth babes: a retrospective

Every year, the Electronic Entertainment Expo takes over the Los Angeles Convention Center with a sensory overload of video game firms trying to catch the attention of attendees.
Some companies use massive video screens with blaring music and exciting game trailers. Others have elaborate set pieces based on their games. Still others use photo ops with props and costumed actors.
Others use female trade show models, or “booth babes,” to appeal to the predominantly male audience of game developers and game press.
This year’s E3 seemed to feature a larger contingent of female attendees and fewer booth babes, which should please feminists and progressives.
Some media outlets made mention of the progress women were making at E3. The Associated Press proclaimed “Women Finally Play Larger Role At Iconic E3 Gaming Convention.” Digital Trends wrote “E3 2015 proves to be one small step forward for womankind.” And Metro said “E3 finally treated women right.”
One woman wrote on GameSpot that E3 organizers discouraged companies from having attractive female models at their booths this year.
“Hi, guys. I worked as a ‘Booth Babe’ in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and it was loads of fun!” she said. “The agency we worked with in the past told us that “Booth Babes are out’ at E3 and said that companies were getting afraid to have beautiful women showing their games, because of ‘feminist protests’. So none of the 7 or 8 girls I know that worked previous years got hired this year.”
Usually bloggers and game press post galleries of the most attractive female models at E3. But my Internet search after the show revealed that mostly foreign press continued the practice.
What follows is a list of websites that posted such E3 booth babe pictorials.

Legit Reviews combined booth babes with booth dudes and cosplay at the show for its photo gallery. Legit Reviews is headquartered in St. Louis, Mo.
Sample photos include the promotional models for “Dark Souls 3” by FromSoftware (top) and Rockstar Energy Drink (second from top).

Gamekapocs, a game website based in Hungary, posted a gallery of “sexy hostess girls” from the show.
Its photos include a cosplayer for “Smite” from Hi-Rez Studios (above).

Enternity, a game website in Greece, ran a bunch of photos of lovely E3 ladies.
A sample photo is two women for video game products firm Razer.

Another Greek website, Gameworld, posted several E3 2015 booth babe photos as well.
The sample photo here is two costumed ladies promoting “Ghostbusters: Puzzle Fighter” from Capcom-owned developer Beeline.

Spanish-language website AlfaBetaJuega also collected a series of E3 2015 booth babe photos. They included dancers promoting “Just Dance 2016” from Ubisoft.

And finally Games N Girls posted several shots of E3 booth babes, including a cosplayer dressed as Cammy from “Street Fighter” by Capcom.

Related reading:

Scenes from E3 2015 (Fortune; June 24, 2015)