Highlights
- The reality of excessive body odor at gaming events is a stinky situation that players can't ignore.
- Despite efforts to encourage better hygiene at cons and tournaments, some attendees still stink up the place.
- Miscommunication led to assumptions about a woman leaving a Yu-Gi-Oh tournament, when in reality, it was the smell that drove her away.
A Yu-Gi-Oh tournament entrant is bringing attention to a problem within gaming and fandom communities: excessive body odor. The Yu-Gi-Oh player ended up walking out of a tournament because the smell of some of the competitors was too much to handle.
There are some unfair stereotypes that circulate around gaming and anime fan gatherings, but unfortunately, an excessive amount of body odor is more of a reality than a myth. In events like these, especially when there's limited space and a high number of attendees, it doesn't take much for just a few people to stink up the area. Cons and gaming events have been trying to take control of the situation by encouraging better personal hygiene, but it seems that during a recent Yu-Gi-Oh tournament, the suggestions went unheeded.
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There was a bit of miscommunication regarding this incident at first. It all started when a Twitter user expressed their concern that the Yu-Gi-Oh and wider gaming communities might not be welcoming to women, as they had noticed a female competitor simply getting up and leaving mid-match. They suggested being kinder to women at these events, with worry that male players had made them leave due to aggression or by using overpowered Yu-Gi-Oh cards. However, their initial concern was seemingly unfounded, as the player who allegedly left has since spoken up and explained that they exited due to stink, not poor behavior.
Twitter user Madoka_ygo responded to the original poster, expressing that they may have been the woman the OP spotted leaving. However, they stated that they left purely because of the stink in the tournament finally overwhelming them, and they couldn't stand it anymore. According to Madoka_ygo, it had nothing to do with how well they were performing in the game or the Yu-Gi-Oh cards players used.
The Stinky Reality of Fan Gatherings
Unfortunately, many who attend real-world events like these have likely experienced something similar. In some cases, a lack of hygiene is due to fans not wanting to spend the time to get clean, as they feel like they might miss something while occupied. However, in some cases, it can also simply be due to an excess of people, hot temperatures, or even stress making attendees sweat. The situation has been bad enough for even convention guests to ask attendees to shower. However, as this has been an issue for nearly as long as gatherings have existed, it remains to be seen if the situation will ever truly improve.
Yu-Gi-Oh!
The Yu-Gi-Oh! series is a massive franchise that stretches across a wide array of mediums including Manga, animated series, trading cards, and video games. The original release followed the story of protagonist Yugi Moto as he used powerful cards to battle against his foes. Yu-Gi-Oh! has since been through multiple series and spinoffs that introduce new characters and monsters to the franchise.
