The fighting game community has another image problem to deal with: the prospect of sponsorship from porn giant Brazzers. At Ars Technica, Kyle Orland tracks the community’s internal debate.
Associating with an industry that’s seen as degrading to women might be an extra-sensitive topic for professional fighting gamers now, given that accusations of sexual harassment at a tournament last month gained widespread attention and raised the specter of pervasive sexism in the community. But Ciaramelli argued that porn is a legitimate business, and that no one is being abused or exploited in this situation. “All I’m doing is wearing a shirt,” he said. “There are much worse shirts I’ve seen at a tournament than a shirt that says Brazzers on it.”