Gamers Debate Whether “Teabagging,” Players Is Sexual Assault
Teabagging is a tradition that has been around for as long as multiplayer games have had crouch options. This is a straightforward explanation. If you are a male character, it will look like you’re dragging their nards across their faces. Classic.
While some people find teabagging funny, others might find it annoying (generally those who are constantly dying – just saying). Game Rant reports that teabagging is more than an annoying taunt. It can also be considered sexual assault.
A series of screenshots from Discord conversations were shared by @JakeSucky via Twitter. They show a variety of users discussing the topic. “We get into games [teabag], and it’s funny, but it’s sexual assault,” one user stated. “Ugh, we live in a horrible world. I want to beautify it.
Another user responded: “If teabagging is sexual assault, [I’m]] a repeat sex offender,” to which someone replied: “I mean it is sexual attack.” If someone touches my genitals and I refuse to consent, it’s sexual assault. I wouldn’t be proud to be a repeat offender.
They continued, “You might think it’s just another video game.” “Well, I grew with a lot of boys who did this for fun all the time, all the while [in real life]. It’s not funny. It’s disgusting.”
We can all agree that doing such an act in real life without consent is a problem. But the debate continues about whether or not it should be considered problematic in games. It seems unlikely that this behavior will ever change in the gaming world.
