Microsoft issued a formal letter of apology (presently down) following widespread criticism of its Xbox team dancing alongside half-naked women at a party hosted for guests at Microsoft’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco last week.

The appearance of dancing girls didn’t go down well with some of the guests. One such guest, Kamina Vincent, who provided the photos of the dancers was interviewed in the Huffington Post after the event. On talking to one of the dancers she said, “She introduced herself and asked if we were having fun. I asked what her role was at the party. She told me that they had been hired to speak with attendees and encourage them to the dance floor.”

A series of aggressive Tweets by Vincent followed, “Fuck you xbox & your fucking ‘dancing’ girls who are here to talk to the boys (You’re not men if you buy into that act.” This was followed by a series of rant-like Tweets decrying Microsoft’s perhaps insensitive decision.

Phil Spencer, Xbox head at Microsoft, responded to the criticism, “That was absolutely not consistent or aligned to our values. This matter is being handled internally, but let me be very clear – how we represent ourselves as individuals, who we hire and partner with and how we engage with others is a direct reflection of our brand and what we stand for.”

He goes on to say that Xbox deserved the criticism for “alienating” certain people, although this is not the first time scantily clad dancers have been hired for Microsoft events, according to the BBC.

Perhaps much of the backlash Microsoft faced was not just the fact half-naked women were dancing – this is seen in almost every music award ceremony or event – but the fact that tension already exists between the sexes in a male-dominated industry. In the context of what has been called a sometimes sexist industry, should scantily clad female dancers be verboten? Should there have been an equal mix of men and women invited to dance? Answers on a postcard please…

Photo credit: Brian Bilek via Flickr