Is Sexual Harassment An Essential Part Of The Fighting Game Community?

One player on Capcom's "Cross Assault" show thinks so, prompting a female opponent to take a stand.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Giant Bomb's got a fascinating report on what at least one prominent member of the fighting game community, Aris Bakhtanians, feels is an essential part of it: sexual harassment. The issue stems from a conversation had on Capcom's tournament/contest/reality show Cross Assault, on which teams have been competing this month in Street Fighter X Tekken for a $25,000 prize.

The last match begins March 3, but at least one contestant has already dropped out prematurely: female player Miranda “Super_Yan” Pakozdi. She threw in the towel after being told by Bakhtanians that there is nothing wrong with the community's frequent use of words like "rape" and "bitch." He also asked her for her bra size—and they were on the same team.

“This is a community that’s, you know, 15 or 20-years-old and the sexual harassment is part of a culture,” he said, “and if you remove that from the fighting game community, it’s not the fighting game community.”

That's exactly how we felt when slavery was abolished. America just wasn't the same anymore! Read the whole article over at Giant Bomb for the full story, but suffice to say some people need to grow up and realize the world doesn't revolve around them.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter.

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