So this might be a little heavy for a first ārealā post, but hoo boy. Here we go.
The fighting game community has always been notoriously prone towards toxicity. Like so many other nerd-type in-groups, it harbors profoundly unpleasant people and regressive, toxic attitudes for the sake of ācommunity cohesionā.
The Smash community is, if anything, more volatile; weāre wracked by intra-community grudges and hostility between game- and region- based sub-communities. Combined with over a decade of ostracization (some real, some merely perceived) from the rest of the FG and esports communities, the Smash community-at-large is a powder-keg of anxieties, insecurity, and resentment. You see the sparks fly off all the time - the announcement that many ātop playersā will be given massive byes all the way past Pools at Genesis 3 being the most recent example.Ā
Environments like these are prime spawning pools for hatred and cruelty; they feed off the fear and resentment and work their tendrils into the very fabric of the community. And Iāve become even more aware of this pattern over the past year-and-a-half. I speak, of course, of the hate-plagues - ofĀ āGamergateā, ofĀ āMenās Rightsā, of the followers of self-described neo-reactionaries like Davis Aurini and Vox Day.
These āmovementsā have made me horribly aware of how many āgamersā and āgeeksā - people who, just two years ago, I would have been inclined to regard as kindred spirits - harbor or condone beliefs I find abhorrent, or engage in cruel, cowardly, & hateful behavior. And it hurts, because even as I sit down to hone my skills against a new face, and maybe make a new friend, at a local Smash Bros tournament, I canāt easily dismiss the nagging questions in the pit of my stomach.
Has this guy RTād Adam Baldwin complaining about āfeminazisā?Ā
Do they send cruel messages peppered with dog-whistle antisemitism to Anita Sarkeesian?Ā
Am I sitting down, and shaking hands with, and offering good luck, to a proud neo-fascist?
And Iām a straight white dude in my 20s. When I walk into a tournament venue, Iām not flagged as an intruder or an undesirable. I donāt feel as though any random attendee might try to threaten or intimidate me. Iām welcomed - of course I am.
But how many of my friends and loved ones canāt afford that sense of safety? How so many of the same people who welcome me with open arms might instead feel safe revealing bigotries, confident that there will be no social consequences?Ā
Despite these fears, Iām an optimist. And not for no reason. My localĀ āsceneā, Nebulous Gaming in NYC, does not condone open expressions of bigotry or hostility. But that optimism must be married with advocacy. The community, and individuals within the community, have to make a commitment towards material social progress. We have to recognize and renounce transphobia and misogyny and racism. We can set an example. We can do the right thing and make a change for the better.Ā
We just gotta follow through. Put in the work and close out the stocks. The future is ours to define. We can be heroes.
