The picture above is about to get NSFW in one frame ... in just one frame it goes from normal marketing cosplay to borderline furry pron. GameTrailers put together a Girls Gone Wild-esque segment of all the Leipzig booth babe fit for video (which we have placed after the break). We joke, the video is very tastefully done, as tasteful as one can get editing together flesh shots meant to titillate. On some level it's great culture context, for our puritan American eyes, public displays of boobies burns us they do.

Leipzig obviously takes a different approach to displays of the female form than E3. Although it was a moot point this year, the last "real" E3 had a ban on booth babes. We re-emphasize that the video after the break is not safe for work, don't come crying to us if your boss catches you -- although, for all we know, he might be into furries.

We all know the booth babes look good, but can they play games too? That seems to have somewhat been the motivation behind British fashion label Joystick Junkies' search for the perfect model. The site set up their own little tournament of champions in the search for their bangin'-est gamer hottie. As they say, "We're not just going for model looks though, we've been looking for true gaming passion as well ..." They now have a list -- with pictures -- of some finalists, all ready for your gawking and voting pleasure. See, girls really do play video games.

[Thanks, cringer8]

Being a female attendee at E3 puts one into an interesting niche. The number of women present at the show this year was surprisingly high -- a quick non-scientific headcount showed about 3 in 20 to be female. However, booth babes flashed their wares from a number of stands, gleaming cars and trucks advertised games with no cars in them, and Paris Hilton trundled out to wow the crowds.

With all this advertising clearly targeted at guys -- and, by the look of the crowds, working well -- it's easy to believe the "neglected demographic" hype.

With booth babes prancing about the E3 show floor dressed as warrior princesses, dragon slayers, futuristic mercenaries and (rarely) realistic independent females, it's fair to say that their role-played lives are vastly different from their real ones. There are exceptions, however, and just such an exception could be found at Atlus' colorful booth. Celebrating the announcement of Trauma Center: Second Opinion for Wii, Atlus' booth babes were all dressed as alluring nurses (the best kind). In Wendy's case, this wasn't much of a stretch at all.

Self-proclaimed Halo addict, Wendy told me that she is currently in her fourth year as a medical student at Western University. In what is an unusual transition from model to medicine, Wendy hopes to become an excellent doctor with equally excellent bedside manners. It's an amusing coincidence that may just shatter that old booth babe stereotype collecting dust within the recesses of your mind.

In an effort to keep the people waiting (and waiting) to enter the Wii area somewhat occupied, Nintendo have put up a couple of large video displays on the walls nearby their booth, each one depicting an attractive woman staring out of a cold, white prison. That alone would normally be enough to satisfy most E3 attendees, but Nintendo has gone the extra mile and made the displays fully interactive. A small camera and microphone situated above the screen allow people to engage in some inane banter with these boxed babes, hopefully helping them to pass the time and touch the Wii that much quicker.

Booth babe # 1: "We're your props. We'll do anything you want."

Booth babe # 2: "Should we get on our knees?"

Attendee: "No. For God's sake, where's your self respect?"

Actually, I didn't hear that last part.

For the "Women at E3" gathering today, a number of female industry professionals gathered to wear special "Girls FTW" shirts in a show of solidarity. Morgan Romine, aka Rhoulette of the Frag Dolls, led the crowd:

Rhoulette: Who knows what "FTW" means?
[Women cheer loudly]
Rhoulette: Thank God! You're all nerds!

[Update 1: "FTW" means "for teh win". Added at the request of at least one Joystiq staffer. For shame!]

Seen at E3: as the convention closed for the day, three booth babes wielding signs saying "Bikinis > Bullets" and "I'm rated E for Everyone". We're not sure what the aim of the protest is, as these ladies seemed happy to smile and have their pictures taken.

The question that springs to mind is: why not both bikinis and bullets? We met up with the PMS Clan at Microsoft's booth party, women who are just as much at home in bikinis as in full body armour. When you can dual-wield both SMGs and lipstick at once, you shouldn't have to choose.

At E3, we hoped to see some ladies wearing a little more than in previous years. Despite any enforcement of rules, there were still a lot of assets on display on the show floor -- here's some of the best (and worst) from day one.

To our right is a classic uncomfortable, gimmicky costume. She (we assume it's a she) doesn't have to keep smiling, 'cause it's pasted on. Warning: repeatedly raising your arms in the Ms. Pac-Man gesture of welcome may cause injury.

A lot of the casual conversation at E3 revolves around girls, girls and more girls. Overheard at Webzen's display of whirling skirts and crop-tops:

Gamer 1: Which game is this?
Gamer 2: Dude, I don't even care.

One MMO company definitely wants to get noticed at this E3. Webzen's booth is big, almost as large as nearby THQ and Activision, and they're putting on a show for the crowds. With dancing booth babes, a loud emcee and armour-clad models -- as well as plastering all the cafeteria tables with ads -- Webzen's attack on the Western world is well and truly here.

Of Webzen's three games being shown at E3, only one is out in the near future -- Huxley. Soul of the Ultimate Nation will make its way to the U.S. in 2007 (no word of an European release), and Project Wiki is slated for a Korea-only release at the moment. So why the big fuss?

Webzen believe that in Huxley they have the tools to break into the Western market, and make a name for themselves worldwide. The joint Xbox 360/PC release is at once a risk and an adventure for them -- and they want gamers to sit up and pay attention to it.

The idea of booth babes who are fanatical gamers isn't a new one, but the booth babe cliché tends to overlook the fact that becoming a babe is one way for gamers to get into E3. With a clampdown on the amount of flesh on show at this year's E3, companies are looking for a few other ways to give their booth -- and its attached babes -- the edge.

An interesting marriage of ideas is to employ girl gaming clans as "totty with triggers" -- a booth attraction that appeals on multiple levels. Arguably, that's what Ubisoft's "Frag Dolls" team is all about, but the Dolls won't be alone at E3 this year. g0d (girlz of destruction) will be bringing their VIA-sponsored "home of chrome" to the show floor, and the PMS clan will also be sending members to E3 to work for various sponsors.

There is a difference between groups which were set up specifically by one company, or which formed in order to seek sponsorship, and those which came together naturally -- though on the show floor, that's less apparent. Clans like g0d and PMS are becoming famous, and attracting sponsorship now, but they formed for fellowship rather than financial gain. With professional gamers in general getting more exposure these days, it seems that the gender of all-girl gaming teams makes them an immediate hot prospect to replace the stereotypical eye-candy booth babes.

Crys and omsu both managed to snap a photo of the only real "booth babe" at this year's GDC. Who said developers don't have a sense of humor?

Yesterday we brought you news that E3 would be censoring its exhibitors this year, with a prohibition on nudity, partial nudity and even bikini bottoms. Gamecloud has obtained a statement from the director of E3 concerning this policy, and it seems that it's not a new development:

In fact, it is the same as it has been for the past several years, and the vast majority of other major tradeshows have the same or similar policies. What's new in 2006 is an update of the enforcement policies, which simply allow show management to better enforce the long-standing dress code.

The enforcement policies involve a verbal warning followed by a $5000 fine. Since the rules on decency haven't actually changed, we don't need to say goodbye to the booth babes just yet; there should be plenty of them, as always. This is a shame for those of us who welcomed the development as a step in the right direction for the games industry, but good news for anyone lamenting their loss.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]