Talking Point: What Do Abuse Scandals Say About The Smash Bros. Community, And Its Future? - Nintendo Life

Where now for Smash, and esports as a whole.

Before we begin, we'd like to point out that this article discusses sexual coercion, sexual assault, rape, and sexual abuse of minors, and links to stories of these accounts.

Imagine this: your favourite video game company releases a new, competitive game with all your favourite characters in it.

After the accusation proliferated on social media, many notable players announced they were dropping out of EVO.

Within the span of just a few hours, one of the biggest gaming events of the year was over.

Some of the most prolific people the Smash world has ever known are named, including some who have been on stage as representatives for Nintendo at major events; people who have hundreds of thousands of online followers, and people who have been interviewed right here, on Nintendo Life.

Because this week, a watershed moment is occurring within the competitive Smash Bros.

By both collective effort and individual bravery, dozens and dozens of individuals have come forth to publicly recount experiences of abuse within the competitive Smash scene.

The experiences range from sexual harassment to emotional abuse, rape, and sex with minors (statutory rape).

A great many of these accounts name their abusers – although some don’t, presumably for fear of retaliation.

This is not the first time an allegation has emerged within the Smash community, but it certainly is the most by volume and by public outrage.

Some of the most prolific people the Smash world has ever known are named, including some who have been on stage as representatives for Nintendo at major events; people who have hundreds of thousands of online followers, and people who have been interviewed right here, on Nintendo Life.

Nairoby “Nairo” Quezadahas, a top player and online personality, has been accused by fellow pro Zack “CaptainZack” Lauth of maintaining a sexual relationship with him while he was a minor and paying money to keep it quiet for years.

Former Twitch employee and popular commentator D'Ron "D1" Maingrette was accused of rape in 2016 by community member Kaitlyn "KTDominate" Redeker, as well as sexual misconduct by another community member.

Professional player Troy "Puppeh" Wells accused community member and commentator Cinnamon "Cinnpie" Dunson of maintaining a sexual relationship with him while he was 14 and she was 24?

These are just a few of the stories?

An utterly shocking amount of them involve statutory rape and sexual coercion.

At Nintendo, we are deeply disturbed by the allegations raised against certain members of the competitive gaming community.

How does the Smash Bros.

community, specifically, deal with this level of unconscionable behaviour committed by even some of its most trusted members.

Smash has been a competitive game for a very long time, relative to most, which means we have a lot of unpacking to do.

Also, because of its history, the infrastructure of Smash Bros.

Smash is the most grassroots competitive fighting game of its stature (that is just a nice way of saying “unfunded”).

But this also speaks to how for most of its existence, the game has not benefited from online infrastructures, officially sanctioned circuits, or any of the other luxuries most mainstream competitive games receive.

For years, the community has been crashing sofas, squishing into cars, sharing hotel rooms, and more or less sacrificing all semblance of personal space to create every single scene, local and national.

And finally, this cannot be overstated enough: Smash Brothers is a game for everyone.

That means it attracts everyone; older adults, 20-somethings, 30-somethings, and yes, lots of children and young people.

But rather, it is flat-out amoral to remove Smash Bros.-related gatherings from this context.

Because anything that attracts people of all ages – especially children, young people, and vulnerable demographics – necessarily needs heightened societal expectations and preventative measures put in place by its organizers.

For better and, in this case, far for the worse, the Smash scene has irreversibly hurt people by its extremely open-door culture.

This is far from the truth, because that is simply not how sexual harassment and sexual violence occurs, on average.

In America where these accusations occurred, the vast majority of all sexual assault victims are under 30 years of age.

Almost a whopping 80% of sexual assaults go unreported, a stat explained by the US Department of Justice as due to “...fear of reprisal or getting the offender in trouble, believing that police would not or could not do anything to help, and believing the crime to be a personal issue or too trivial to report.”.

All of these widely-reported numbers uncannily depict the majority of the victims’ stories here: young people, especially women (but certainly not excluding men), being hurt by close friends or role-models inside their lives, then internalizing the repercussions for, in many cases, years.

And it so happens that the qualities of this particular community – close-knit, attractive to young people, and a disproportionate gender ratio – all exacerbate these hotbed conditions where abuse thrives.

This could have been a warning to organizers and community members.

Coupled with statistics of underreporting, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center places false rape reports at a single-digit probability and as low as 2%.

And yet predictably, Reddit threads with thousands of fans of the abusers and people on social media are accosting the victims (be warned: verbal abuse features heavily).

Restorative justice practices could be a great model for the community over punitive justice.

But when a person on the other side of the screen reveals to the entire world personal sexual trauma, we should take that as an opportunity to listen.

Smash events that already do some of these things, both big and small, quite clearly are in need of improvement.

Thus, all communities will always be at risk of abuse.

Working on and investing in these issues just can never stop.

Moreover, some within the Smash community have scrutinized the common practice of after-parties and alcohol at events.

Perhaps the community has proven it cannot be safe with these things after all.

In other words, professional esports, in general, exist within the greater context of a world that breeds abuse, not outlier villains.

Thus, all communities will always be at risk of abuse?

Working on and investing in these issues just can never stop.

Understanding what counts as sexual abuse, not waffling over what needs to happen, and helping these and future victims is how we create a culture of accountability for organizers and community leaders, as well as a safe scene for everyone in and around it?

It's also worth noting that these lessons can – and indeed should – be extended to all games which have representation within the world of esports, not just Smash.

It’s not yet clear if charges will be pressed on all or any of these abusers, even in cases where they, perhaps unwittingly, confessed to serious crimes over social media (all instances of accused players with sponsors have resulted in the severances of their sponsorships).

It’s also not clear if this tornado of abuse will act as PR poison, swaying Nintendo even further away from a large community they already stay distanced from (economic support does reduce violence).

Honestly, that should be the furthest thing from the minds of most community members.

If there’s any hope for Smash Bros.

What does the future of the competitive Smash Bros.

scene look like if scandals like this cause Nintendo to distance itself even further from the community.

How can the competitive gaming scene as a whole change to make sure this kind of abuse never happens again in the future.

As this is quite a sensitive topic, as always, we ask that all comments follow our community rules.

Also, put Rex into Smash, he'll stop these peddo dudes.

We are part of the Smash Community by proxy, and by default.

We play Smash, we discuss Smash, we're in.

Abuse can happen in any community.

However, we shouldn't demonize the game we love just because someone playing it made a mistake (or several).

People need to teach their kids and each other what abuse is and how to look out for it, avoid it, and call it out when it happens.

Witch hunts are not the correct way to do it, abuse is systemic just like with racism!

the smash community is currently in a crappy situation, but im sure by the end of this we'll see a better and more connected smash community as a result.

@mesome713 did you just skip past the part of puppeh and cinnimon.

It's beyond effed up, and like the article says, this whole dynamic is not exclusive to smash bros or esports.

There is a way bigger problem of sexual abuse and gaslighting in positions of power.

@mesome713 I would argue that Rex is a victim of abuse.

You also must've missed the accounts of the female abusers in the article.

It's so easy to just get someone in trouble because you’re upset at them and you want to accuse them to get them in trouble.

My wife was in a church from a very young age, and people in her church were groomed from a young age to think that sex with elders was fine.

Do not stand for abuse.

We live in a society where people are content to watch people fight and tape it for YouTube, rather than break up the fight.

Your friend isn’t always coming to you for answers, they may just need to let out their frustration.

If anyone needs help or just needs to talk, I’m open.

I can’t solve your problems, but I’m a good listener, and as being a martial arts instructor for most of my life, I’ve worked directly with victims of abuse to try and empower them and give them tools to fight back, so I have a little bit of experience.

@mesome713 As if that removes the severity of the female abusers.

You are part of the problem as to why sexual abuse of males is often not taken seriously.

Abuse is abuse.

Just because males outnumber females doesn't make this any less horrible.

It could be some dude crying his Smash idol got exposed for the pedo he is!

@TheFullAndy Hopefully it's because NL is giving the benefit of the doubt to the community.

I don't think Nintendo are losing anything by seeing the competitive scene for Smash fall to pieces.

If Nintendo is smart, they would at the very least donate to foundations that help victims of sexual abuse and make a big deal that they did.

I hope the victims will get the support they deserve and that the Smash community takes this seriously and works to better itself.

This is the hardest thing to deal with, because oftentimes there is no witness, and rarely signs of physical abuse.

@mesome713 @Seananigans Please keep your comments within the community rules - derailing this comments section helps nobody.

I simply meant in general terms the Smash scenes implosion is no great loss to Nintendo.

You see a lot of people saying they promote the games but if we are being honest id be surprised if these players have any reach beyond people who would already be buying the game anyway.

I am just saying there is no right way in dealing with horrible stuff, but reminding oneself of what happened is like walking forward while looking backwards.

Ill just say whatever nasty stuff happens to anyone really just ..Sucks but its up to a person to move on or stick with it.

@Damo Yeah, forgive me for that, figured was perfect opportunity to spread Smash awarness.But it is derailing?

Hopefully we get some change in our community out of all this, and more importantly some closure for people who survived this crap.

@GealachNua Unless I'm reading the wrong comment, this person opens up with saying "People need to teach their kids and each other what abuse is and how to look out for it, avoid it, and call it out when it happens.".

But there tends to be an undermining and dismissals of victims and their abuse in general, even without the spector of an accusation possibly being false.

Just that there seems to be other societal factors at play that, for whatever reason, causes people's default reaction to further victimizing victims of abuse.

What the hell is wrong with all these seedy Smash players.

I feel your support, and I hope that as a community we can come together to help people more and more.

@Cool_Squirtle Some victims of abuse go through a phase where they feel immense amounts of guilt for having gone through the abuse.

If anything I treat this as a lesson to myself to stop taking content creators I love at face value just because their content is great.

But I think it's okay to allow space, even on a gaming focus site, to allow for it's community members to have these discussions.

Or if you're not informed, admitting as much and listening to your fellow community members who may know more about it.

honestly, smash players were more mature and the game wasn't as pervasive throughout multiple age demographics.

Also just talking to younger people about what sexual harassment actually looks like and teaching them how to treat the opposite sex correctly would cut down on a lot of this as well.

Also, even the 18+ only tourneys will be infested with sexual harrassments to women and other vulnerable people, especially if some of them come with "revealing" costumes.

"As if that removes the severity of the female abusers.

You are part of the problem as to why sexual abuse of males is often not taken seriously.

Abuse is abuse.

Just because males outnumber females doesn't make this any less horrible.

While there’s no quick solution, there really has to be avenues in which young people have somebody to talk to within the community, willing to listen and ready to act to ensure their safety.

It would be easier if Nintendo took more of an active interest in the scene, like they do with the Pokemon tournaments but the community have to rally together to prove that they can survive without these abusers.

The wider gaming community is currently having a watershed moment when it comes to realising the full extent of abuse and I think we’ll just end up seeing more and more stories like this as the year goes on?

Those are just the tip of the iceberg of what is happening now?

It can be sexual, emotional, or physical, but it is never okay, and it is 100% not deserved to anyone!

I was one of what would turn out to be a minority of 4chan /v/ posters (and commenters on other sites and forums) that were vehemently against topics and threads that gave public celebrity to eSports players or competitive YouTubers and streamers.

I have issues with people blindly following things, yet, in the case of sexual misconduct there isn't always readily available proof or witnesses.

Wokesvillers like you are just as narrow-minded and toxic as the far right.

@Apportal_SMM2 It's amazing how you get on me for "being rude" yet you won't actually acknowledge the troll who stated that female abusers aren't as serious as male abusers.

What's the connection between those sexual abusers and Super Smash Bros.(community as a whole).

Sometimes, I watch out of curiosity, and it's just a chick talking about her hair, or a dude talking about his new sports car.

@MrBlacky Some of the abusers are competitive smash players, and much of the abuse that is being reported is stemming from events related to smash.

@EVIL-C They’re not woke, they’re just a troll.

It just proves you got people with terrible judgment or an broken moral compass.

I'm the end the community will improve after this.

I just don't get it and it makes me nuts.

@Seananigans I don’t want to get into an internet fight, (cause their dumb) and I don’t think that male abusers are any different than female abusers.

So Smash Bros (or the community) created those abusers.

It'll be a big F you to all these pedos and abusers to say that they are nothing and smash (as well as other games) will move on and we will grow.

And it'll be high time that new and upcoming players get the spotlight, and even different voices will be heard.

Esports and Influencers have had a very very high proportion of these issues as unlike other sports and advertising/marketing - the player and influencer have no regulations, are not part of a larger frame work they are just a “name” they hold the power and have never been coached or regulated

There are so many good players and so many good people

The community needs caring a love

Why would people want to punish these victims even further by cancelling the pro Smash scene

We need to move forward and find a way to repair the community and competitive scene

@WaterWooloo Heck, I wish I was good enough to participate in fighting game tournaments, but I just can't commit the time

I hope it just keeps getting more and more support

@Apportal_SMM2 My only point I was trying to make was that male and female sexual abuse is equal in terms of how horrific and traumatic it can be

Male victims largely do not report their abuse because they are told things such as "Man up" and "Wow, you're lucky

@Tasuki This just as easily could've been Fortnite if it wasn't so heavily regulated by Epic Games

Bad people are everywhere, smash doesnt have anything to do here

Any hope that Nintendo would officially embrace the competitive Smash Bros community has been erased

Heck, any hope that Nintendo would embrace any competitive gaming community is gone

Ultimately, the people who compete at these competitive gaming tournaments are just that: people

When it comes to public opinion, we have every right to believe victims if we have good reason to do so, just as sponsors have every right to withdraw from accused abusers even if they haven't been brought to court

Just, please don't generalize the competitive Smash community with things like: "I knew the competitive Smash community was bad" or "And this is why Nintendo doesn't fully support the competitive Smash community"

As an outsider looking in, it's easy for you to say these things, especially if you have gripes of your own with the competitive side of the game

The competitive Smash community will be stronger after this

The stories coming out are from many years of silence, and this will hopefully give victims the courage to come out sooner, and will hopefully give potential abusers a look at the repercussions they will face if they act upon their twisted desires

Abuse is learned, not inherent

Vast majority of people who abuse have been abused themselves at some point in their lives and never learned to cope with it in a positive manner

But there must be some connections between those abusers and Smash Bros

Just give them a lifetime ban from tournaments or whatever and move on

Do those people say anything about the "soccer community" and its future

But just suggesting they go to the police or whomever, when those particular parties haven't always been supportive, isn't that simple

Victims or accused people's lives and careers can be ruined just from public opinion which isn't fair to either

I just want to point out I can certainly see why @GealachNua took some issue with the comment they commented on

I absolutely think it's important for parents to stress and keep stressing what abusive and inappropriate behavior is and looks like and if you find yourself on the receiving end of that kind of abuse, tell an adult

But at the same time, abusers can come from the most unexpected places (or unexpected from a parent/guardians perspective)

But alot of the times, those abusers are people that a child knows and trust

If there are other methods that are less public, less messy and are not going to possibly make a victim of sexual assault/abuse feel like a pile of crap, then I'm all for it

I'm just not dismissing social media entirely as it has allowed for people to share their stories and being a great equalizer in at least getting the ball rolling in justice being served when more official channels seem to be dragging their feet or don't care

So many times I can remember turning a blind eye to ill intent, or just downright taking part in problematic behavior, without understanding the full dynamics of the situation

The Smash players have always come off as creeps, they don’t bathe and they refuse to play anything newer than Melee

Why do many (in this case the Smash Bros. community) have to suffer and take responsibility for the mistake of a few (i this case abusers)

Unless, of course, Smash Bros and/or the community as a whole would advocate or "fuel" such behavior

honestly, smash players were more mature and the game wasn't as pervasive throughout multiple age demographics."

There is a huge difference between being immature and being a sexual abuser and/or pedophile

The abusers and those who protect them are the only ones to blame

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