Fighting game community

File:Chinatown Fair storefront.jpg arcade was one of the early venues where a competitive fighting game scene coalesced.]]

The game Street Fighter II: The World Warrior was a huge success when it was released in 1991 and is regarded as one of the most influential video games of all time.{{cite magazine|last=Patterson|first=Eric L.|title=EGM Feature: The 5 Most Influential Japanese Games Day Four: Street Fighter II|url=http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/egm-featurethe-5-most-influential-japanese-gamesday-four-street-fighter-ii/|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|access-date=April 17, 2012|date=November 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314064721/http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/egm-featurethe-5-most-influential-japanese-gamesday-four-street-fighter-ii/|archive-date=March 14, 2017|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Street Fighter II |url=http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-street-fighter-ii |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720141819/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-street-fighter-ii |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 20, 2012 |work=The Essential 50 |publisher=1UP.com |access-date=April 17, 2012 }}{{cite book|title=Vintage games: an insider look at the history of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the most influential games of all time|year=2009|publisher=Focal Press/Elsevier|location=Boston|isbn=978-0-240-81146-8|pages=239–255|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M_bFdsP9L7oC|author=Matt Barton|author2=Bill Loguidice |access-date=April 17, 2012}} It refined and popularized the fighting game genre and introduced many now-staples of the genre, such as combos and character selection but most notably, it allowed players to directly compete by fighting against each other in the game, while earlier games primarily had players compete by comparing highscores.{{cite web|title=Street Fighter II Influence|url=http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/egm-featurethe-5-most-influential-japanese-gamesday-four-street-fighter-ii/|access-date=2014-01-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314064721/http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/egm-featurethe-5-most-influential-japanese-gamesday-four-street-fighter-ii/|archive-date=2017-03-14|url-status=dead}} During the mid-1990s, a Street Fighter II tournament scene had coalesced in various cities across the United States. Highly competitive communities formed naturally in Chinatown Fair in New York City, Super Just Games in the Chicago area, and the Golfland arcade halls in Sunnyvale and Stanton, California. Players had also began finding each other and discussing strategies on message boards via the internet. In 1996, the first nation-wide fighting game tournament was held in the form of B3: Battle by the Bay. This tournament was conceived in order to quell debate over who was the best Street Fighter player in the country, but also attracted international competitors.{{cite web|url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-oral-history-of-evo|work=USGamer|title=The Oral History of EVO: The Story of the World's Largest Fighting Game Tournament|last=Learned|first=John|date=2017-07-17}} In London, England most arcades would have had Street Fighter II, including in the basement of Hamleys{{Cite web |last=Goldwater |first=Mike |title=A teenage boy plays Mad Dogs 2, a virtual reality interactive shooting game at Hamleys toy shop, London England 08 93 Stock Photo |url=https://www.alamy.com/a-teenage-boy-plays-mad-dogs-2-a-virtual-reality-interactive-shooting-image3592587.html |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=Alamy |language=en}} and more competitive venues like Casino Leisure Centre.{{Cite journal |date=November 25, 1992 |title=London Arcade Rapport I |url=https://archive.org/details/COMputerDet_Nye1992Nr1129Oktober25November/page/n11/mode/2up |journal=Det Nye COMputer |issue=11 |pages=12–14}} Soon an eight-player Tournament Battle edition of Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers appeared on the scene{{Cite journal |date=December 1993 |title=Arcade Action |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/b/bd/CVG_UK_145.pdf#page=112 |journal=Computer and Video Games |issue=145 |pages=112–4}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRuUKkMqv9c |title=Super Street Fighter II: The Tournament Battle at Casino, London |date=1993 |last= |publisher=Games World |access-date=2024-06-03 |via=YouTube}} - but the first known official tournament occurred in 1994 at Trocadero on the sequel Super Street Fighter II Turbo.{{Cite web |last=Hart |first=Ryan |date=2016 |title=RYANS FIRST TOURNAMENT |url=https://www.ryanjosephhart.com/wiki.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201204820/https://www.ryanjosephhart.com/wiki.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2023-12-01 |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=RYAN HART WIKI BRIEF |via=web.archive.org}}

In early 2000, a forum was created called Shoryuken.com which was named after the iconic Street Fighter attack. The site became the main go to forum for many fighting game competitors and it quickly attracted the community to create major tournaments to gather the best players from around the country. One of the most major tournaments that gathers players from around the world is called the Evolution Championship Series (Evo). The rise in competitive video game genres during the 2000s became a phenomenon known as "Esports". The early 2000s also saw the rise in online gaming, as in 2004, Mortal Kombat: Deception, Dead or Alive Ultimate, and the Xbox version of Street Fighter Anniversary Collection became the first fighting games to offer online multiplayer, which also contributed in growing the community. In middle of the 2000s Capcom's popularity began to fade due to lack of new fighting games, the overall sales of the genre, and some problems within the community; though it could be noted that the lack of a new street fighter game created a popularity vacuum, in which games like Tekken, Soulcaliber, Dead or Alive, and Virtua Fighter increased in popularity.{{Citation needed|reason=three claims with no supporting data|date=October 2018}}

It was not until 2007 that a new spark arose in the fighting game community. Dead or Alive 4 was included in the Championship Gaming Series (CGS) in 2007 and 2008, becoming the first fighting game to have a televised competitive esport scene. Dead or Alive 4 was the only fighting game included in the esport league and was operated and fully broadcast by DirecTV in association with British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) and STAR TV.[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19663003/ CNBC] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711191339/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19663003/ |date=July 11, 2007 }}{{cite web |title=Champion Gaming Series Games |work=Championship Gaming Series |url=http://www.thecgs.com/index.php?s=games |access-date=2007-10-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007011852/http://www.thecgs.com/index.php?s=games |archive-date=2007-10-07 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.hotspawn.com/other/guides/championship-gaming-series-ahead-of-its-time| title=CHAMPIONSHIP GAMING SERIES: A CONCEPT "AHEAD OF ITS TIME"| website=Hotspawn | date=8 January 2023| publisher=Lawrence "Malystryx" Phillips | access-date=April 13, 2023}} Almost 8 years after the release of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Capcom announced the continuation of the mainline Street Fighter series with the development of Street Fighter IV. The game was acclaimed by major game review outletsReviews of Street Fighter IV:

• {{cite web|title=street fighter 4 Xbox 360 review by IGN|url=http://www.ign.com/games/street-fighter-iv/xbox-360-14211549|publisher=Ign.com|access-date=17 February 2009}}
• {{cite web|title=street fighter 4 review by G4|url=http://www.g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/48844/street-fighter-iv/review/|publisher=G4.com|access-date=18 February 2009|archive-date=27 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110127080630/http://g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/48844/street-fighter-iv/review/|url-status=dead}}
• {{cite web|title=Street fighter 4 Metacritic score|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/street-fighter-iv/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=17 February 2009}}
• {{cite web|title=street fighter 4 PS3 by IGN|url=http://www.ign.com/games/super-street-fighter-iv/ps3-35905|publisher=Ign.com|access-date=21 January 2010}} and is seen as the chief catalyst of the revival of the FGC.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} By rejuvenating the popularity of fighting games, its release also created an influx of new players into the community, increasing the number of competitors and introducing legendary players such as SonicFox, Momochi, Snake Eyez, and GamerBee, among others.

File:Evo 2016 - Mandalay Bay.jpg Street Fighter V finals held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas]]

After the success of Street Fighter IV, new fighting games began being developed and the FGC expanded with more tournaments. The tournaments even started being live-streamed with Twitch so many people can view the tournaments. There are also sponsor-ships from franchises like Evil Geniuses, Broken Tier,{{cite web|title=Broken Tier Sponsored Players|url=http://www.brokentier.com/pages/team|publisher=Broken Tier}} and Mad Catz,{{cite web|title=Mad Catz Players|url=http://madcatz.com/players/|publisher=mascatz}} which pays players for advertisement.

Despite the rise of other competitive video game genres, many members of the FGC have rejected the label of "Esports" on their community.{{cite web|url=http://penny-arcade.com/report/article/why-the-fighting-game-community-hates-the-word-esports |title=The PA Report – Why the fighting game community hates the word "Esports" |date=26 August 2013 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826201343/http://penny-arcade.com/report/article/why-the-fighting-game-community-hates-the-word-esports |archive-date=2013-08-26 }}

The overall size of the community remains a small proportion of the fighting game market overall. Some of the genre's best-selling games, such as Tekken 7,{{Cite web |date=2024-01-26 |title=TEKKEN 8 sells over 2 million copies worldwide in the first month after launch |url=https://en.bandainamcoent.eu/tekken/news/tekken-8-sells-over-2-million-copies-worldwide-the-first-month-after-launch |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Bandai Namco Europe |language=en}} Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/index.html |title=Top Selling Software Sales Units – Switch Software |website=Nintendo |date=September 30, 2016 |access-date=September 30, 2016}} and Mortal Kombat 11,{{Cite web |title="Warner Bros. Games and NetherRealm Studios Celebrate the 30 th Anniversary of Mortal Kombat; New Video Honors Three Decades of Entertainment from the Iconic Franchise" - Games Press |url=https://www.gamespress.com/Warner-Bros-Games-and-NetherRealm-Studios-Celebrate-the-30-th-Annivers |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=www.gamespress.com}} have sold in excess of 10 million copies. In contrast, the largest tournaments for fighting games see roughly 3,000-7,000 competitors,{{Cite web |last=McWhertor |first=Michael |date=2019-07-15 |title=Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the biggest game at Evo 2019 |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/7/15/20694596/evo-2019-registration-super-smash-bros-ultimate-street-fighter-5 |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Evo 2024 Competitors: By the Numbers |url=https://www.evo.gg/news/evo-2024-competitors-by-the-numbers |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=www.evo.gg |language=en}} although viewership numbers peak as high as 400,000 during events such as Evo, with unique viewership counts reaching over 3.7 million across all games.{{Cite web |title=Evolution Championship Series (Evo) Attracts 3.7 Million Viewers as the Event Returned to Las Vegas |url=https://www.evo.gg/news/evolution-championship-series-evo-attracts-3-7-million-viewers-as-the-event-returned-to-las-vegas |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=www.evo.gg |language=en}}https://escharts.com/news/evo-2024-viewership-statistics

In recent years, the FGC has been rocked by numerous sexual assault and harassment allegations involving legal proceedings, including those of some of the FGC's most prominent organizers like Evo co-founder and organizer, Joey Cuellar,{{cite web |last1=Hume |first1=Mike |title=Evo co-founder placed on leave as sexual misconduct claims embroil fighting game community |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/esports/2020/07/02/evo-co-founder-placed-leave-sexual-misconduct-claims-embroil-fighting-game-community/ |website=WP |publisher=Washington Post |date=2020-07-02 |accessdate=2025-03-24}}{{cite web |last1=Minotti |first1=Mike |title=Evo 2020 cancelled in wake of sexual abuse allegations (Updated) |url=https://venturebeat.com/2020/07/02/evo-2020-in-disarray-after-capcom-mortal-kombat-withdraw-in-wake-of-sexual-abuse-allegations/ |website=VB |publisher=Venture Beat|date=2020-07-02|accessdate=2020-07-02}} and some of the FGC's most prominent Super Smash Bros. players.{{cite web |title=Nintendo condemns alleged abuse in Smash Bros. – BBC |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-3308579 |access-date=22 April 2021 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web |title=Sexual abuse allegations surface in fighting game community |url=https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/29399607/sexual-abuse-allegations-surface-fighting-game-community |website=ESPN.com |language=en |date=2 July 2020}}{{cite web |title=Multiple Sexual Misconduct Allegations Rock the Fighting Game Community Following Evo 2019 |url=https://nordic.ign.com/dragon-ball/28133/news/multiple-sexual-misconduct-allegations-rock-the-fighting-game-community-following-evo-2019 |website=IGN Nordic |language=en-se |date=13 August 2019}}{{cite web |title=Over 50 sexual misconduct allegations have the Super Smash Bros. community in turmoil |url=https://kotaku.com/over-50-sexual-misconduct-allegations-have-the-super-sm-1844328719 |website=Kotaku |date=9 July 2020 |access-date=22 April 2021}}

In 2020, the Japan Fighting Game Publishers Roundtable was announced where game development heads for Dead or Alive, Fighting EX Layer, Guilty Gear, Samurai Shodown, Soulcalibur, Street Fighter and Tekken, came together for a livestreamed discussion on the future of fighting games and other topics.{{cite news |last1=Steiner |first1=Dustin |title=Fighting Game Publishers Roundtable Announced to Discuss Future of Fighters, FGC |url=https://www.esportstalk.com/news/fighting-game-publishers-roundtable-announced-to-discuss-future-of-fighters-fgc/|access-date=2023-08-22 |work=Esports Talk|date=30 July 2020}} The event later followed with more developers, such as the developers for The King of Fighters in 2021,{{cite news |last1=Moyse |first1=Chris |title=Second Japan Fighting Game Publisher Roundtable set for February 21 |url=https://www.destructoid.com/second-japan-fighting-game-publisher-roundtable-set-for-february-21/|access-date=2023-08-22 |work=Destructoid|date=12 February 2021}} and Virtua Fighter in 2022.{{cite news |last1=Michael |first1=Cale |title=The ongoing skepticism of free-to-play models in fighting game development |url=https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/the-ongoing-skepticism-of-free-to-play-models-in-fighting-game-development |access-date=11 October 2022 |work=Dot Esports |date=28 March 2022}}

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a sudden pause to offline FGC events, with many communities relying on online services to connect.{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=2020-05-01 |title=Evo 2020 canceled due to coronavirus pandemic, online event coming |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/1/21244569/evo-2020-canceled-online-coronavirus-las-vegas |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Fanelli |first=Jason |date=2020-03-18 |title=Esports Arena: Leagues Shift to Online Events Amid Coronavirus Pandemic |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/esports-arena-leagues-shift-online-events-coronavirus-pandemic-1285112/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Ligten |first=Connor Van |date=2020-06-19 |title=Arizona Smash community faces challenge during pandemic |url=https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2020/06/19/arizona-smash-community-challenge-pandemic/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Cronkite News |language=en-US}} The size of fighting game tournaments hosted by the community have continued to grow following the pandemic. Evo 2023 saw 7,061 attendees for its Street Fighter 6 event, breaking records as one of the largest offline brackets in video game history,{{Cite web |title=EVOLUTION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES 2023 RECAP AND RESULTS |url=https://sf.esports.capcom.com/cpt-news/c14749/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Capcom Pro Tour - The Home of Street Fighter Esports |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-08-06 |title=EVO 2023: All winners and results |url=https://www.dexerto.com/esports/evo-2023-schedule-results-winners-2225792/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Dexerto |language=en}} while Evo 2024 brought in the most unique competitors of any esports event in history, accumulating 9,221 players across all of its brackets.{{Cite web |title=Evo 2024 Breaks Record for Unique Competitors at an Esport Event |url=https://www.evo.gg/news/evo-2024-record |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=www.evo.gg |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-07-02 |title=EVO 2024 Breaks Esports Record With Over 10,000 Competitors |url=https://www.si.com/esports/news/evo-2024-entrants |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Esports Illustrated On SI |language=en-US}}

In a 2014 article on the racial diversity of fighting game competitions, mainly the Evo tournament series, Mitch Bowman of Polygon wrote about "[h]ow the FGC's roots grew the most racially diverse community in gaming."{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/features/2014/2/6/5361004/fighting-game-diversity|title=Why the fighting game community is color blind|first=Mitch|last=Bowman|website=Polygon|date=6 February 2014 }} The FGC has also been noted as being relatively accepting of LGBTQ competitors compared to other gaming communities, with top-level players such as Dominique "SonicFox" McLean and Sasha "Magi" Sullivan being open about their experiences with gender identity.{{Cite magazine |last=Livingston |first=Zephin |title=How Fighting Games Became a Haven for LGBTQ Gamers |url=https://www.wired.com/story/fighting-games-community-lgbtq-gamers/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}{{Cite web |last=Bell |first=Brian C. |title=LGBTQ esports players thrive at Combo Breaker |url=https://www.outsports.com/2024/5/31/24094810/esports-combo-breaker-sonicfox-lgbtq/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=OutSports |language=en}}{{cite tweet |number=1172597487560994821 |user=SonicFox |title=Also to clarify on my pronouns, I am alright with most of my close friends to use he or they, but I've been specifically letting the FGC only use they/them. It isn't as normalized in that environment, and am trying to change that in this space! It's been working well!!!}}

Several iconic FGC moments have garnered attention from the broader gaming scene and beyond, becoming representative of the communities culture. Evo Moment 37 was a miraculous comeback performed by Daigo "The Beast" Umehara against his opponent Justin Wong, during the Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike bracket at Evo 2004.{{Cite magazine |last=Baker |first=Chris |date=2016-07-21 |title=Why 2004 'Street Fighter' Match Is Esports' Most Thrilling Moment |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/flashback-why-2004-street-fighter-match-is-esports-most-thrilling-moment-103566/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} The moment saw Daigo parry every hit of Chun-Li's super art while only a pixel of his health remained, before depleting the rest of Justin's healthbar with a counterattack. The moment has been described by Rolling Stone as "esports' most thrilling moment," with Kotaku hailing it as the 6th best moment in pro-gaming history in a 2011 article.{{Cite web |date=2016-08-25 |title=Daigo and JWong: the legacy of Street Fighter's Moment 37 |url=https://www.espn.com/gaming/story/_/id/17391663/daigo-jwong-legacy-street-fighter-moment-37 |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Breslau |first=Rod 'Slasher' |date=2011-07-13 |title=The 10 Best Moments in Pro-Gaming History |url=https://kotaku.com/the-10-best-moments-in-pro-gaming-history-5820907 |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Kotaku |language=en}} Justin Wong often replies to posts referencing the moment online, jokingly poking fun at his own misfortune, while often speaking in appreciation of the moment, commenting that "every tournament, every time I stream, I'll have at least one person that comes up to me and says, 'I got into fighting games because of Moment #37.' Obviously, I took the loss but when you hear stuff like that, you just can't be mad about it."@JWonggg (September 12, 2020). https://x.com/JWonggg/status/1304579794684657664 (Tweet) – via Twitter.@JWonggg (February 1, 2022). [https://x.com/JWonggg/status/1488629001996288004 "I was sent this... So this is what it has come down to... Opening packages are no longer fun"] (Tweet) – via Twitter.{{Cite magazine |last=Cruz |first=Christopher |date=2024-07-20 |title=How 'Evo Moment #37' Became the Greatest Viral Clip in Esports History |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/rs-gaming/evo-moment-37-esports-real-story-1235061310/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} Evo Moment 37 is commonly referenced when players perform comebacks by utilising risky parries, a sign of its strong legacy in FGC culture.{{Cite web |author1=Dustin Bailey |date=2024-07-22 |title=Evo 2024 just brought us a new contender for the greatest moment in fighting game history, and the man who did it is already becoming a meme |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/games/fighting/evo-2024-just-brought-us-a-new-contender-for-the-greatest-moment-in-fighting-game-history-and-the-man-who-did-it-is-already-becoming-a-meme/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=gamesradar |language=en}}

These exciting moments are often furthered by expressive and fast commentary, a staple of FGC events.{{Cite web |last=Greszes |first=Sam |date=2016-05-18 |title=Why esports commentary is so difficult |url=https://killscreen.com/previously/articles/why-esports-commentary-is-so-difficult-2/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Kill Screen - Previously |language=en-US}} The Wombo combo, a clip taken during a 2-vs-2 game of Super Smash Bros. Melee, saw commentators Brandon "HomeMadeWaffles" Collier, Phil DeBerry, and Joseph "Mang0" Marquez shouting "Wombo combo," and "Where you at?" during a set-winning team combo. These soundbites would be featured in many "MLG Montage" parody videos outside of the FGC, and "Wombo combo" has been used to describe other exceptional team combos in Super Smash Bros.{{Cite web |date=2014-12-08 |title=Smash Bros.' Most Famous Moment, Explained |url=https://kotaku.com/smash-bros-most-famous-moment-explained-1668259868 |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Kotaku |language=en}}

Another famous commentary moment occurred during the Guilty Gear Xrd tournament at Evo 2015, in which competitor Woshige celebrated a premature victory against his opponent, Ogawa.{{Cite web |title=Pro gamer's premature victory celebration earns him a big, fat loss |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/pro-gamers-premature-victory-celebration-earns-him-a-big-fat-loss-at-evo/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=CNET |language=en}} Commentators could be heard shouting "Woshige, not like this!" and "What are you standing up for?" before Woshige scrambles back to his seat, with Ogawa already performing a set-winning combo.{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Michael |date=2015-07-21 |title=Costly Evo 2015 Mistake Featured on ESPN SportsCenter |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/07/21/costly-evo-2015-mistake-featured-on-espn-sportscenter |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=IGN |language=en}} The clip would be featured on ESPN, and is sometimes referenced during instances of premature celebration in the FGC.{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Michael |date=2015-07-21 |title=Costly Evo 2015 Mistake Featured on ESPN SportsCenter |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/07/21/costly-evo-2015-mistake-featured-on-espn-sportscenter |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=IGN |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2015-07-20 |title=Pro gamer celebrates too early at EVO 2015, suffers most devastating loss |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/07/evo-2015-woshige-ogawa-celebrates-too-early-vod |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=For The Win |language=en-US}}

A vast majority of top competitors and commentators in the FGC are men, which has resulted in a continued discussion on how the FGC alienates women, often mentioning the prominence of objectification and misogyny among many FGC scenes.{{Cite book |last=Harper |first=Todd |title=The Culture of Digital Fighting Games |publisher=Routledge |year=2017 |isbn=9781138710115 |pages=115–125}}{{Cite web |last=Epps |first=De'Angelo |date=2020-07-17 |title=The Black women of the fighting game community are pushing for true inclusivity |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2020/7/17/21328490/black-women-fighting-game-community-inclusivity-racism-misogyny |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}} Some tournaments have hosted female-only events, such as EVO 2010's women's invitational for Street Fighter IV, in hopes of creating a more welcoming environment.Harper, Todd (2017). The Culture of Digital Fighting Games. Routledge. pp. 119–120. {{ISBN|9781138710115}}.

A highly publicized incident of sexual harassment occurred in 2012 at a U.S. tournament, when Street Fighter x Tekken player Aris Bakhtanians made comments about a female player's bra size and other sexist remarks, leading the woman to drop out of the event.{{cite book |title=Society and the Internet: How Networks of Information and Communication are Changing Our Lives |year=2014 |editor=Mark Graham |page=92 |editor2=William H. Dutton}}{{cite web |date=February 29, 2012 |title=Is pervasive sexism holding the professional fighting game community back? |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/02/is-pervasive-sexism-holding-the-professional-fighting-game-community-back/ |work=Ars Technica}}{{cite web |date=20 March 2015 |title=This Woman Is Fighting Sexist Gamers Because They Obviously Suck |url=http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/movies/news/a38030/gaming-gtfo-shannon-sun-higginson-sxsw-interview/}} Later, during an interview with Twitch he is quoted as saying that; "sexual harassment is part of a culture, and if you remove that from the fighting game community, it's not the fighting game community." He later apologized for his comments following backlash, stating "I felt that the culture of a scene I have been a part of for over 15 years was being threatened."{{cite web |author=Casey Johnston |date=18 February 2014 |title=Women are gamers, but largely absent from "e-sports" |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/02/women-are-gamers-but-largely-absent-from-e-sports/ |access-date=9 November 2014 |publisher=Ars Technica}}

File:Capcom Pro Tour 2018 - DreamHack Montreal 2018 - 33.jpg Montreal was part of the 2018 Capcom Pro Tour.]]

{{see also|List of esports leagues and tournaments}}

Hundreds of online and offline tournaments are held worldwide every year, ranging anywhere in size from less than ten to over 10,000 entrants,{{efn|Roughly 11,000 competitors registered to compete at Evo 2018, according to Dot Esports.{{cite news |last1=Newell |first1=Adam |title=Dragon Ball FighterZ tops EVO 2018 entry numbers |url=https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/evo-2018-entry-numbers-31323 |access-date=4 September 2022 |work=Dot Esports |date=21 July 2018}}}} depending on the location, entry fee, prize pot, and game or range of games available. Tournaments are typically run through grassroots community efforts, although an increasing number of tournaments are being sponsored by stakeholders like Capcom, Twitch, Red Bull, and Nintendo. {{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

Examples of large fighting game tournaments and tournament series include:

• Capcom Cup (final event of the Capcom Pro Tour)
• Community Effort Orlando (abbreviated as "CEO")
• DreamHack
• Esports World Cup
• Evolution Championship Series (abbreviated as "Evo")
• Genesis (Super Smash Bros.)
• Pokémon World Championships (Pokkén Tournament)
• Tougeki – Super Battle Opera (defunct)
• VSFighting

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• Harper, Todd, The Culture of Digital Fighting Games: Performance and Practice, Routledge Studies in New Media and Cyberculture, 2013

{{Fighting game community}}

{{Esports}}

{{Street Fighter}}

Category:Virtual communities

Category:Video game culture

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