Combo Breaker 2026 was a sad reminder that the FGC can still be uncomfortable for women

Combo Breaker 2026 was one of many largest non-EVO combating sport tournaments of the 12 months, with totally different nationalities flying in to expertise the occasion. However behind its huge success, there lies an issue locally that, whereas lowered, persists within the darkest corners of the FGC.

Yup. I’m speaking about harassment of girls within the FGC.

This has been a scorching subject within the FGC for fairly a while now, and for good purpose. What sort of neighborhood lets issues like this occur and turns a blind eye to it? The pandemic lockdown was the time when the neighborhood began cracking down on sexual harassment circumstances. Whereas numerous them have already been handled post-COVID, due to the ladies who had the braveness to speak about their expertise, it doesn’t imply that the entire thing is gone.

Instances like these nonetheless exist, and I imagine it’s time the neighborhood begins cracking down on them once more.

In a tweet posted on Could twenty third, Jax shared her expertise with somebody who tried to take an upskirt image of her whereas cosplaying as Emilie De Rochefort, often known as Lili, from Tekken.

I reached out to Jax to ask for extra particulars relating to the incident, and he or she talked about that it occurred whereas she was ready for her 2XKO set. Whereas standing there, she determined to repair her cosplay, and that’s when the offender struck.

Fortunately, she had a buddy along with her who stepped in the way in which, primarily blocking the man, who then proceeded to run away. Sadly, neither she nor her buddy had any thought who the offender was.

Miranda “Super_Yan” Pakozdi, one other lady who attended the occasion, additionally skilled harassment, however this time, from the employees. In line with a tweet she posted, she was handed a spectator badge as a result of she’s a lady, regardless that she mentioned she’s a competitor and has been one for nearly 20 years.

In a subsequent tweet, she talked about that this had occurred to her a number of occasions and that she made the publish as a result of it was so frequent. Whereas she understands that a few of the folks working in tournaments, particularly in main ones, are volunteers, it doesn’t change the truth that these sorts of conditions made her uncomfortable.

In line with her: “Years of this and each time it’s a message that I don’t appear to be a combating sport participant, or I don’t belong right here, or I’m to not be taken critically. It doesn’t really feel good!”

Throughout our interview relating to the Combo Breaker 2026 incident, I requested Jax whether or not she had skilled harassment previously 5 years at locals or tournaments. She talked about that there hasn’t been any blatant harassment post-COVID. She added that nothing outwardly loopy or dangerous had occurred to her just lately till the Combo Breaker 2026.

I additionally requested her in regards to the worst case of gender discrimination she skilled/noticed, and that’s the place she talked about that it wasn’t an excellent time to be a lady within the scene pre-2020.

She mentioned it was again when she performed Tremendous Smash Bros. Final, and guys would “by chance” kick her chair as they walked previous her when their buddy was down a inventory. She additionally talked about that there have been occasions when she needed to purposefully lose her units as a result of she was genuinely petrified of some male rivals’ reactions if she had really received.

Sadly, throughout that point, her expertise wasn’t an remoted one. In 2020, the Tremendous Smash Bros. neighborhood skilled a #MeToo motion during which victims of abuse stepped ahead to reveal the unhealthy apples. Jax was one of many girls who stepped up and uncovered her abuser. Exterior of the Tremendous Smash Bros. neighborhood, the higher FGC additionally suffered an enormous blow when Evo 2020 was canceled attributable to sexual misconduct allegations towards its co-founder, Joey “MrWizard” Cuellar, surfacing.

Discrimination like this doesn’t seem out of nowhere. There ought to be some form of tradition that has clung to the neighborhood’s roots and has been normalized to the purpose that folks simply don’t consider it as offensive, particularly to newcomers to the scene. 

An article by Ars Technica revealed in 2012, named “Is pervasive sexism holding the skilled combating sport neighborhood again?” offers us a peek at what the tradition was like again then. The article discusses Aris Bakhtanians, a competitor-turned-commentator-turned-streamer within the combating sport neighborhood.

Throughout a Cross Assault occasion, a actuality show-style competitors the place two groups struggle one another in Avenue Fighter x Tekken matches, Bakhtanians made inappropriate remarks relating to Pakozdi’s bra dimension and even mentioned that he had a want to spy on her within the girls’s lavatory, finally resulting in her being creeped out in regards to the interplay.

Pakozdi confronted him about his habits, however she mentioned it was apparent that the Bakhtanians didn’t actually care. 

When requested about his inappropriate feedback, Bakhtanians talked about that “these are jokes and in case you have been actually a member of the combating sport neighborhood, you’d know that,” and that “it is a neighborhood that’s, , 15 or 20 years outdated, and the sexual harassment is a part of a tradition, and in case you take away that from the combating sport neighborhood, it’s not the combating sport neighborhood — it’s StarCraft.”

[Editor’s Note: I’m not surprised to hear rhetoric like this. The FGC prides itself on being raw, authentic, rough around the edges, and real. It’s not a polished scene with over-the-top productions. It comes from dudes grinding in grungy arcades, not caring they are ‘nerds.’ But let’s not bring the sexism aspect of that nostalgia with us.]

Nevertheless, Bakhtanians’ tone modified following the backlash. In a press release he offered to Ars Technica, he apologized for what he mentioned: “I sadly used excessive examples within the warmth of the second and really feel that my statements don’t really talk how I really feel.”

Although Bahktanians finally apologized, this was an enormous inform in regards to the tradition again then. The Ars Technica article even talked a couple of girlfriend of Jared Rea, a Twitch Neighborhood Supervisor on the time, leaving the venue of a combating sport match after listening to the viewers hurl misogynistic or homophobic feedback contained in the match corridor.

Jax additionally weighed in on this once I requested her why she thinks discrimination towards girls remains to be a factor within the FGC. She talked about that she believes it’s from older males who miss the “good outdated days” when gaming was nonetheless a boy’s membership. She additionally provides that youthful males additionally fall for that poisonous nostalgia, which solely provides to the issue.

Jax additionally mentioned that as an alternative of reflecting and rising from their actions, some males merely channel their anger into disliking the ladies who’ve entered their “membership.”

“As an alternative of acknowledging that girls becoming a member of the scene has enabled development and accountability and safeguards which might be inherently good issues for the gaming neighborhood/trade as an entire, they only assume ‘Nicely, again in my day none of this existed and wouldn’t be related if issues had simply stayed the identical.’” Jax added.

I believe everybody (regular) locally agrees with me that no lady ought to be harassed, whether or not bodily or sexually, within the FGC. Nevertheless, it nonetheless occurs. Positive, folks can say that these have been freak accidents or remoted incidents, however that’s simply washing your arms of the truth that they nonetheless occurred. We, as a neighborhood, ought to be ashamed when issues like these happen at our occasions.

With that being mentioned, what wants to vary? Pakozdi talked about in her tweets that security ought to be the precedence. She provides that folks ought to cease assuming that girls solely attend combating sport tournaments as an extension of their companions or males typically. Issues like that may go a great distance and make them really feel like they belong.

Jax, however, went after those that enabled the harassment within the first place. She mentioned that males ought to maintain their mates accountable for sh*tty habits and get rid of the “boy’s membership mentality.”

She mentioned: “No extra ‘it’s only a joke, no extra ‘that’s simply how he’s’ or ‘nicely, he’s my boy.’ Don’t excuse or allow poor habits simply because it’s your buddy or somebody who occurs to be good at a sport.”

With all of this mentioned, I nonetheless requested Jax if she thinks girls ought to attend combating sport tournaments, and her reply is a convincing sure. She mentioned that these are such enjoyable experiences that she solely discovered within the FGC, and that “the nice closely outweighs the unhealthy in my view.”

She additionally added: “You meet new folks from throughout, you could find artists and small companies to help, you get invaluable data and follow at video games, you possibly can strive so many new video games. I might go on for therefore lengthy about all of the great issues about FGC majors, each I’ve personally attended has been an overwhelmingly optimistic expertise.”

Nevertheless, she additionally mentioned that girls ought to go along with mates and folks they belief.

“It’s no totally different from being at a con or live performance or every other large-scale occasion in that regard,” Jax instructed Esports Insider. “So many conditions that completely might have gone worse have been subtle by having mates round to step in or have my again or work by after the actual fact.”

Lastly, I requested Jax if she had one thing to say to her fellow girls who’ve been harassed within the combating sport neighborhood: Right here’s what she mentioned:

“I’m so sorry, and please know that you simply’re not alone. There are such a lot of great, variety, supportive, and caring folks within the FGC who’re right here to assist.

“Please maintain talking up about harassment and discrimination. It’s the one manner we will get the phrase out about it and get it addressed and hopefully corrected. Even in simply the final 5 years, it’s unimaginable to see how a lot the scene and occasions have improved when it comes to security and inclusivity. It may well and can proceed to get higher and higher.

“Even with my unlucky expertise at Combo Breaker this 12 months, the outpouring of concern and help and love, I don’t assume I can put into phrases how heartwarming it was that so many individuals cared. Individuals I’d by no means met or solely knew in passing got here to verify on me, which by no means would have occurred if I hadn’t spoken up.

“And it additionally inspired others to be extra vigilant — folks have been on the alert to look out for themselves and their mates, realizing that there was somebody being creepy. Yeah, it shouldn’t have occurred within the first place, however contemplating how vocal everybody was condemning that habits, I really feel way more assured that it’ll be much less prone to occur once more sooner or later.”

We ought to be vigilant to make sure the ladies round us are comfy. There’s no excuse for sexual harassment or any of this type to exist locally, and we ought to be ashamed that it has existed longer than it already has.

I do know, some folks will say that they’re not right here to do feminism or politics and that they’re locally to only play video games, however that’s the factor. In addition they need to play video games. What’s stopping the FGC from making it an fulfilling atmosphere for them, too?

On the finish of the day, all of us simply love combating video games, and what higher approach to get pleasure from combating video games than to share them with the folks round us?