SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to the Blurred Spectrum Podcast. This week we have a very um interesting yet important episode and topic to go over. This particular episode is going to be about blurts and their place in something. Pineapples. No, it's blurred and their place in the gaming community. What impacts them? What challenges do they face? Where should they be? How should they be viewed? How should they be respected in every way, I say? But you know, that's just me, I guess. Um, but with this episode, uh, there's a lot of things that were pointed out when this episode topic came up. Uh, if you recall, a couple of weeks ago we had our kind of uh brainstorming session on an episode, and our delightful doctor uh came up with this topic uh as he is one of our experts in gaming, uh, and you know, thought about you know the challenges, not actually not just the challenges, thought about the uh uh the presence of blurred in specifically the fighting game community. And then, of course, our doctor expanded that a little bit more and came up with the idea of not just talking about those individuals, but talking about all of us in all gaming communities. So we're gonna talk about that in uh a moment. I want to first, of course, introduce to you our panelists for today's episode, uh, starting with myself, Suchino Shogun. I also have, of course, our delightful doctor, the doctor. What's good? I have uh our professor of uh all things uh psychology, uh physiology. No, those are actually neither one of the things that they are professor of.

SPEAKER_04 1:36

Uh I was like, who are you talking about?

SPEAKER_00 1:43

No, it's our our professor of philosophy, the black McCoy.

unknown 1:49

Hello, everyone.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

How how dare you like turn away from the mic when you said that? Hello, everyone.

SPEAKER_04 1:56

I'll move it around to in front of me as I'm doing things simultaneously while doing this with you all.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

And then, of course, we have our uh uh our our king of Bowser's Castle, our barista of the drinks, our um uh uh gamer uh extraordinaire as it pertains to the games in which they play the one and only uh Koopa or other known as Kaze Shinryu. Oh thank you. So we're gonna start, of course, by uh breakdown to the two syllables. Uh we're gonna start by giving each of our panelists the opportunity of you know just stating how they feel, you know, blurred look blurred are supposed to be in any gaming community. And I think this answer is very simplistic, uh, but I know there are gonna be stories behind this, so that's why I'm I'm I'm laying it out this way. And of course, we'll start with the uh uh uh topic provider, the doctor.

SPEAKER_03 2:54

Definitely. So um I think it's interesting. So originally when I thought of this kind of idea or suggestion around the fighting game community, the more I thought about it, the more there's so much overlap in kind of things that blurred see in the fighting game community compared to other gaming communities and such. But I guess I'll probably start by focusing a little bit on the fighting game uh arena, since that's probably the one where I have the most experience with uh like a lot of interaction. Because even though I play other genres and whatnot, and I love other genres, um, I think I've gotten some interesting experiences uh at various levels of the fighting game community. Um so I guess to start with like blurts in general in this community, it's there's an interesting like kind of push and pull there, where on one hand, fighting games are one of the biggest genres where we see black excellence. Like full stop. I mean, there are so many, you know, black competitors to have just really made waves in you know so many different fighting games. I think the one that probably immediately stands out for most people is Tomic Fox, you know, and that's black and queer excellence too, uh, and non-binary excellence. So, you know, that's to really have that representation and to see that, like it's um, you know, it's so important. And, you know, I think when, you know, it being something that we all kind of grew up on to an extent, uh, whether that was playing Mortal Kombat, well, you know, or you know, we got like Smash Melee or Marvels Capcom 2, like just some of the greats, but um, it's definitely always it's been a part of our you know, nostalgia and our experience for so many black people. And I guess the push and pull there is while you have this real like clear excellence when it comes to black people in the finding game community, there's still a lot of bullshit you deal with. Uh, and there's still, you know, a lot of like racism that jumps out. And I think kind of the changing landscape of how finding game communities form has really given way to some of that to, I guess, manifest differently. And I guess here's an example of what I mean by that. So I've had a little bit of experience like going through like a little bit of experience in like communities for a lot of different fighting games. But I think the big one when it comes to, or the big two really, that I played at, you know, kind of a higher competitive level, um, Smash Ultimate, which is current, uh, and uh Blaze Blue Continuum Shift, which I was playing that about 10, 10 years ago, yeah. About 10 years ago, maybe 10 or 11 years ago. Um, you know, and I love Blaze Blue too, like one of my favorite series, but that was the last one that I really played. Um, that saw the competitive scene. And it's interesting where Smash Ultimate, a lot of like the communities I'm in, especially in this region, like you see a lot of black people. Like it's not unusual at all to have tournaments that are majority black, um, big tournaments. I'm not talking, you know, like eight person, you know, or like 10 person locals and like big 60 person tournaments and such where most of most of the people there are black. That's not unusual at all. But with Blaze Blue, um, that was not the case, like at all. I was one of the only, one of the only black people at many of the tournaments I attended. And when I really walked into the room, like it was definitely, I would get some stairs. It was always like a little bit weird. Um, and I would definitely, you know, get some of the more like snide remarks here and there, especially, you know, if you're winning, like people get a little bit in your their feelings, but like I noticed this in a way that wasn't happening to other people. And there was this sense that I didn't really belong there in that space. You know, and honestly, that kind of fuffed me up because you know, I didn't touch a serious fighting game tournament for literally a decade after that experience. Like that's how that's how much that affected me. But there's this idea that, you know, oh well, this is, you know, this is a white person's now a white community. And that idea started to, I noticed that idea came through a lot in some of those fighting game venues. But with the shift, you know, over the past 10 years, of course, with communities forming more on the internet and such, it also we also see that a lot of the issues that come up with like racism on the internet, of course, get amplified in these communities as well, on like you know, through social media and like how these communities form through you know internet connections or internet-related connections. So we see a lot more like issues with, you know, you know, like slurs and whatnot in the groups and all that stuff. And like the racism just plays out in a way that is in a weird way somehow more profound because you have a little more anonymity, you know, and I think that's something that when we talk about blurb in the fighting game community, just it's a really present issue, you know, and it's one that doesn't have a lot of easy answers, but yeah, like it's it creates a barrier to just anyone wanting to like fuck with the genre, like honestly. And it's and it's that's because you know, a lot of us just we love the genre, like we play against our friends, we have a ton of fun. And many of us like want to like see, like, okay, let's see what this like tournament experience is like, or like even the cyber tournaments, just hey, you know, I'm into you know, this game, I'm into like Street Fighter or Tekken. Let me get into this community and interact with some people and then just get hit with some bullshit. Um, and that really is unfortunate. But I will say that one of the benefits that's come from the ability of kind of like through the internet, these communities to form is that there are a lot more specific black nerd uh fighting game spaces that have really come up. Um I've got a couple of those, and those can be just really, really supportive. Um, they can really keep you really, really engaged. Um, they can challenge me because hey, you get people to play against, you know, you get to strategize with people. And having those like black fighting game spaces, um, those have become a lot easier to create, I think. So even though just the nature of communication in the social media age has gotten so much different, and it has some negative effects on fighting game communities, um, there's a lot of positivity there too.

SPEAKER_00 9:33

So you know, you brought up several, several different points uh that I definitely have to agree with. I mean, um, you know, when you excuse me, when you brought up the topic of fighting, you know, blurred in the fighting game community, and you know, exactly, I was thinking of, you know, Sonic Fox. I was thinking of, you know, being the top uh uh somebody, a person of color, specifically a blurred, being the top, if not top two, three, or five, uh fifth place winner of fighting tournaments in like the last five, six, seven years. You know, you see these, you know, heavy tournaments, Soul Calibur, uh um Mortal Kombat, uh, like you said, Guilty Gear, these like high profile uh tournaments. And then you see all these you know big name people um being blurred, being in those spots. Now, of course, then you think about the rest of the uh the landscape, and it's you know a mixture of different races, uh, but you know, the main winner will always have a blurred somewhere in that top three, top five. Um, but then when you opened up the topic to uh uh you know blurred in the gaming community, that's where things got a little bit more uh different for me. Because yes, I play fighting games, um, I am not a competitive fighting game player, uh, like say the Doctor or even uh Kazi Shinryu. Um but I I do I enjoy playing all different types of multiplayer games. Now, the big thing for me though is I stopped playing online games for a very similar uh uh reason as the doctor. Um, because I used to play, I used to be oddly enough, I used to be really into shooters way back in the day. You know, the Halos, I used to play the initial Call of Duties and Guilty, uh not Guilty Gears, Gears of War, sorry. Um, but I stopped. And I stopped because of the that anime anonymity that uh the doctor talked about. Uh for me, it always felt like this is a space that, you know, uh certain individuals who obviously have to rename nameless because I don't have their names or their gamer tags, although some I do, uh decided to, you know, be uh be also bold as in to say certain words that they wouldn't have the ability or uh uh cojones to say in person. It's like it, you know, there are three places where certain people feel the need or feel the ability to, you know, say certain words, and by certain words I mean the N-word. And you know, one is Twitter, uh, the other way is uh other places a Trump rally, and then the last place is on uh Halo chat uh chat group, uh, when you're playing one of the matches, Call of Duty as well. But Halo like is synonymous with, and I'm just gonna say it, you know, seven to 13-year-old white white boys who feel as though they are invincible and can call you anything under the sun because allegedly we don't know where you live.

SPEAKER_04 12:25

Uh a little more less engineering and that's a whole animated series where we thought some or has somebody white who thought they were invincible.

SPEAKER_00 12:34

You saw how that show ended. We saw how it ended. It's it's so it's so easy uh as a programmer or a computer engineer to be able to find you know such information. But you know, I'm not encouraging anybody to you know reverse engineer anything. But you are you you have you have the technology. Uh anybody has the technology. Anyway, um, but no, it's it's it it wasn't the um it wasn't the person saying the things that they were saying because it's very easy to mute your mic or you know, don't put a headset in, don't listen to what's going on, take yourself out of the chat. It's just the it it it's it goes from a simple um uh negative words to then negative actions because uh and I've seen it not just against blurred, but you know, against uh a variety of different groups. A lot of women who play gaming face this stuff as well. But you know, of course the topic is blurred, so I'll stay on course. So, but you know, you we face we have blurred in certain games, and as soon as they find out, however, maybe it's because they assume it's based off of your gamer tag, maybe they assume it's based off of you know uh how you speak. Um, maybe you use the wrong um evonic phrase in the chat room, and all of a sudden they're like, oh, it's an N-word, it's an N-word. And I I'm not saying the word, obviously we say the word all the time, but not the word with the hard ER. I'm I'm not about to do that today. Um, and it's it's such a continuation that it gets to the point where even if they're on your team, they'll throw the match just to have you lose, just to showcase you're terrible. I've been in a match where the entire team left. It was like a group of them, I think like three of them were together, and then another person just so happened to go along with the the bandwagon, and I was like left there by myself to my own devices. And I like I was sniping people, so I had to like luckily I had like a little bit of maneuverability, but you know, after a while, when they find out it's just you, it's pretty easy to, you know, not win that match. Um, so it's you know, from my standpoint, and that's another, and I've you know, I've told Kaze, I've told the doctor, I've told um the black McCoy, it's why I don't play most online games at all. I don't especially fighting games, I don't play fighting games online at all because of that being one of the reasons. Um, the only game I do currently play online, which is an online only game, is Overwatch. And even then, like you can turn off your chat, you can turn off, you know, listening to the other people who are playing, but you'll still see certain comments you'll see on social media, uh, where you know, it's sad because they're like they're they're typecasting characters and they'll say, like, only you know, n-words play with you know the black characters. And I'm like, okay, uh, I'm not really sure where where you're getting at with that. It's not true at all. Um, but I mean, if you don't need a healer, because you know, a third of the healers are of of of some type of descent, so it's like, okay, all right, Baptiste can make you invincible. Um, Anna is Egyptian, she can damn near heal you as a sniper, sniper, uh rifleist. I I don't understand where you're getting this. Why are you are you that upset? Like, well, where is this coming from? It's a character. Why are you why why are you why are you so mad? Uh like the TikTok sound, who made it racist in the city? Who made it racist? Like, I just play the game. I like, and you know, it's for me, it's it's great to see blurts in those types of roles, but it it's always it's kind of the same thing as we were talking about in some previous episodes about having to program yourself when you're about to go out into the street. I have to do the same thing. I have to program myself when I'm about to play some of these games for what I'm going to expect to see, hear, or interact with. And it's um, it's for some people, it's debilitating. For me, it's kind of sad because there's other games I would really love to play online. Um, and it's the reason why I don't play a lot of games unless I'm playing with you know friends of people that I know because I don't want to end up on a team with somebody who's just going to out and leave me halfway through the match because they say I'm black and they're like, I don't want to play with a nigga. Um, so it's kind of like uh okay, Barry. Um, I'm I'm sorry that you feel that way. Um, you can go play with Chad and Bartholomew, um, and you know, just go have fun. Um, yeah, but that's that's that that's my standpoint before we go into like specific questions and stuff.

SPEAKER_04 17:01

That's it's just not uh I'm glad you picked Bartholomew of all the Caucasian names you could have picked, he went with Bartholomew. Not after our mel not after our melanated god, um he who shall always be named Lord Bartholomew Kuma, but may he may he rest in power. The doctor.

SPEAKER_03 17:24

No, like you know, it's it's so wild when it comes to shooters, how open, but you know, openly acceptable racism is considered. But I think the first time I ever played a Call of Duty game is at my cousin's house, you know, many moons ago. Um and this was, you know, back when um I think I think it was Call of Duty two or three, I forget which one, you know, I don't keep up that much, but uh basically it was the first time that I ever heard him um call a nick, you know, an N-word over voice chat and whatnot. And I remember the first time, you know, when I heard it, I thought like, oh yeah, you play black people. And he's like, no, they're not black. Oh, guys. Don't learn today. It was like the second match I think this happened. So welcome to racism, cousin. Welcome to racism. It was it was my only experience. Like, no, like, and it's it's just so much of it just comes from this mentality that some of the people have that, oh well, our community owns this genre or this you know, group. And anyone else who wants to come in, oh, y'all are just trying to force diversity or stuff like that, or oh, you know, y'all are just trying to, you know, be woke, quote, quote, as if like having a black person participate in a game all actually makes it like woke, quote. Like it's it's so irritating and it's and it's so disappointing because yeah, it just keeps you out because you don't want to do the bullshit, you know. And when you talk about that whole um kind of like almost preparing yourself when you're entering those spaces and getting into a certain mindset, like to this day, I still have to do that anytime I enter like a tournament space. Anytime, you know, before I walk in the doors, I'm like, all right, how is this gonna look like, you know, and whatnot. And, you know, just it is just sheer, you know, thankfully, through the grace of God, like it's Smash Argument happens to have a pretty black um community in this region. So like most of those spaces I'm going to are like mostly black, um, or at least enough black people that you just can't quite get away with, like dropping an N an N-bomb or whatnot, or making this floor and like like someone's gonna check you, you know. But that's often not the case in many spaces. And it's just, you know, we we should not have to deal with that to play something we enjoy, you know, because ultimately, like that's games are meant for you to enjoy at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_00 19:57

Yeah, 100%. It's it's the like whether it's for enjoyment, whether it's for almost therapeutic, you know, some type of you know, catharsis, you know, just to relax. Like the the the the issue a lot of the times is like I'm I'm playing this game to de-stress. Like I've had a long day. I've gone, I've I've had to deal with that type of stuff wherever I'm working. And then now my ears have to be assaulted. And for me to get my release from the game, I have to sit and deal with it, which doesn't it it doesn't translate. I'm I'm still I'm now I'm even more tense than I was moments ago when I first got home. It's um it's not pleasant in any way, shape, or form. Uh yeah, I agree. Um uh causation.

SPEAKER_01 20:49

Um I'm trying, I'm I'm thinking back. I know most of my uh uh you know, uh some some kind of similar to the doctor, most of my uh experiences kind of on the uh, you know, kind of dipping dipping my feet into the turn the tournament scenes, like early, early on, like uh going going to different uh Smash uh Smash um Smash Brother melee spots. Um Marvel's Capcom 2, uh some Guilty Gear. Uh and I honestly I didn't I haven't I hadn't I hadn't personally uh experienced any uh I I'll say out outright. Like, you know, just like I never I never caught any in bombs or caught any uh uh any in my face like I uh disrespect as in I knew this I mean people people popped off at the mouth, but it wasn't I I didn't have proof that it was because I was black. Um and uh and a few people that popped off uh learned that my mouth was treacherous and there wasn't a second.

SPEAKER_04 22:12

You know not the powers with which you trifle.

SPEAKER_01 22:18

Yeah, so we we didn't we didn't have to worry about uh sec second events. Um but uh yeah I I I'll say I I think my I think one of my things was just uh looking at the uh uh representation uh over the years. Like I used to literally watch like watch like YouTube videos and read articles, like uh especially especially like regarding the uh the uh the the Smash community and like and it was uh and you know and and kind of and kind of like how Rod said, like in this in this area, it's it's it's very like black. And and yet like the further up the total pole you move, the less color you saw. So um, and it got to the point where like you know, you start seeing top, you know, top 20, top tens, top top fives. It was like often nobody would be black. So, you know, so I'm like okay, so um I've met a lot of people. No, I I haven't I haven't seen any outright right, you know, racism. So it's like, is this is this is this shit like really subtle? Uh or uh, you know, are are we worse at the game? You know, I'm just going down the list, the the list of reasons for why we might not be represented. Um, but so you know, so I thought, you know, I always thought it was very um uh interesting, especially how over over the years that's that's definitely gotten to look uh a bit better in uh in most other scenes. Uh I I honestly I think Marvel um probably has like the uh like I think like uh Marvel Smash and like like Tekken, all those are like extremely like have large black bases. Um uh and uh and I think and I think uh Marvel and Tekken, I think were the first games where I saw like I would see like majors and like Evo and like Evo, like uh you know, winners are almost winners, and and I'm like, oh, oh, I was a neck, okay, okay, whoop. And that's a crazy. It was kind of like but uh but you know, but it makes me it uh is one of those things that I didn't um uh consider where it was like how how much was us not feeling welcome in these spaces, uh how much uh how much of that was a cause of us not really uh like you know uh highly achieving in those in those areas, like how how much of the fault is that, like how how much time was kind of to taken away from us being in the spotlight. Um it definitely makes me uh think think of those things. Uh I even even online I haven't had too many like racially I I like I hate I hate online because I don't like waiting. So I don't I don't I don't like the delay. I don't like I don't I don't like the variation, I don't like that there can be five minutes between a match or 15 that that that just that is irks me and it's like uh yeah I'll just I'll just wait until I can see you know look somebody in the eye and crush their dreams that way. No but um but uh yeah yeah no that's all that that's uh that's always been uh something um I've worried about and could not and kind of thought about and uh and kind of paid attention to. It's definitely been interesting looking at that uh go on uh change over the years.

SPEAKER_00 26:06

Uh the black McCoy.

SPEAKER_04 26:09

So it's interesting because I have part of the reason I don't play online is similar to your play online a lot is similar to yours. Like Overwatch is the only game that I have played online as frequently as I have. And be and it's like a shooter adjacent game, shooter, shooter adjacent game. And I I cannot aim to save anyone's life, uh, not even my own. So um once I found more in Overwatch, like that was that was perfect for me. But um like pre-Overwatch and pre like engaging in online spaces. Um I went, I I've always had like other black people to game around. And that's you know, because I grew up in, I grew up in, you know, Metro Atlanta. I grew up in like the Cab County, I grew up in one of the blackest area, blackest states and blackest areas in the United States. And so like my everything from like my elementary school to my high school was black, luckily, black, black, black. And so luckily, I was, you know, I was really uh I was really lucky to have to to have had um nothing but black people around me when it came to gaming. Like I wasn't, I was never that person to get online and watch videos and even be aware of tournaments. But like when I was started going to anime conventions in high school, when I would go to like the gaming room, you know, noticed that punk, but I also noticed that funk was there, but there weren't a lot of like black people in that room contributing to that punk. Um, so you know, that in and of itself is racist. So I mean stay away from those kinds of areas. But on top of that, um one of the things that I um really when I really began to notice it was when I got to college because I went to a PWI, and the only other like main black person I had to play video games, play video games. I don't know why I was almost divided that word up like that, video games with um I almost emphasized games like really heavily, heavily. And I don't know what my mouth was thinking in that moment, but um, no, I got was my um was my best friend, and so he and I would constantly play together with one another. I mean, we had one other friend, but you know, he he like was excessively violent when he lost, and so we didn't like to play with him that much. Um, you know, uh yeah, yeah. Um anyway, um, different story for a different day. But um so and one day, you know, my one of the fighting game of choice for for my best friend and I is Ultimate Marvel versus Capcom. Uh and because we had played uh Marvel versus Capcom 2, which you know it was fun because you know we both like pulled all these like coins and money, like literal coins and money to get and money together to go buy it together. And then when the third one came out, you know, we both had our own copies of it and stuff. And um we we would constantly just be playing with one another. He would play online more than I would, but I would, you know, he he was he was like my he was my healthy rival that I had. Sure, I you know, I'd have my moments, uh, but uh it was it was the only experience. And then one time he uh and he was more immersed in like that kind of um gaming fighting community more than I was. And one time he invited me to go with him to this game night on campus, and it was like full of white people, and I was super anxious and really nervous because even though I never like played shooters and stuff like that, I was very like that's how infamous like the racism in like the shooter community and like the on-game like FPS community really was that like for have never like laid my hands like seriously on an FPS or tried to play online in any way, shape, or form, or even like offline. Um I was uh I was very wary of what that kind of space would be like. And I was also uh to kind of kind of to the doctor's point, like I um I had this kind of like underlying like inadequacy, like am I am I good enough to be here? Like I know how these, I know how these people be, you know, really seriously playing online and gaming and stuff like that. But also like, you know, as as a as another black person in this room, like do I really belong here? And um it wasn't like a horrible experience. There was that, you know, that um that um that odor that I spoke about earlier, but you know, you know, you can't you can't you can't help the smell of wet dog and milk. Um but it was it it helped me be less anxious about it. But like whenever I went to when I moved up to the DMV area and I went to what con was it? I went to awesome con was the first con I went to up here. And um one of my friends, uh I call him Banff. I took him to Awesome Con for his birthday. And Banff is amazing at Mortal Kombat. Like it's uh I don't I think he might have been born in Nether Realm games because he he's unnecessarily good between Mortal Kombat, the injustices, the man has skill. And um I was like rooting him on the entire time while he was going through this like Mortal Kombat, like he it wasn't even a tournament, it was like he held the controller so long at AwesomeCon in that game room because he was knocking out everybody. And I I heard I like as I was standing next to him and like I was being I was hyping him up because you know I was being extra for for my friend. And um, I heard like the the like the the whisper racism comment, racist racism comments, the whisper the whispered racist comments like going on behind me about what's happening right now, regardless of whether it was in reference to me or in reference to him playing in some way. And I was like, wow, y'all had the cojones to really just say that out your mouth in public. And I and because they were like in a pred because awesome con is uh, in my personal opinion, a predominantly white con, it was it was definitely like it was okay for them to do it because they were in some way protected. And that's the thing that has always been very um that I've been very hyper aware of, that regardless of whether it's like um on the ground in like reality versus like in an online or um or a digital space, like that kind of vitriol, that kind of um, that kind of otherness or othering of black people and black players just trying to be a part of something very simple, um is always a safe or it always presents itself as being a safe space, safe space, excuse me, for like that kind of racism, that kind of bigotry, misogyny, and a number of other things.

SPEAKER_00 32:55

So for you being in a situation like that, do you feel as though it could have been different had how do you feel like that situation could have been different? I guess is a better question.

SPEAKER_04 33:13

Um I'm not sure that it could have. That's the that's the uh the terrifying part, right? That sure there maybe have been like various progressions and changes and evolutions and different kinds of spaces in the way people interact and express themselves and things of that nature. But some things do, some things are very insidious to the point where they don't go away or they don't change. They don't, well, they do change, but they just change to fit the circumstances that they're actually in. And sorry, I almost went down like a philosophy rabbit hole of like the nature of change and you know, constancy. But um more like specifically, like I don't think I think that what could have been different is just how it happened, like regardless of whether it happened in the room or whether it happened like somewhere else in the con space or on the con floor, or whether it happened online later on. It didn't, there is not um there like in my mind, there is no surefire way to have to kind of like determine that this is not going to occur. This is not going to happen. There's not going to be some quote unquote safe space for this kind of vitriol, this kind of behavior, and this kind of like um I want to call it discrimination because it's not like they're barring anyone from anything specifically. Um, but yeah, I I would call it a kind of like permutation of discrimination, of discriminatory behavior.

SPEAKER_00 34:44

And then oh, go ahead, the doctor.

SPEAKER_03 34:47

No, I'm just um, you know, one of the things that that makes me think of when it comes to, you know, especially how this plays out, like how sometimes it can you can have interaction on the floor, or like then it could pop up later online and such. Like there really hasn't been a strong concerned effort from the you know, from the fighting in community, especially these kind of like high-level organizers, um, and you know, because which are often predominantly white, to really stop or do something about this issue around just the racism, the vitreol and such. Um and you know, a lot of it's kind of you know, people just throwing their hands up like, oh, well, you know, there's that's we can, you know, there's just not a lot we can do. Boys will be boys. Or, you know, boys will be boys. And like, you know, and I get that, you know, especially when it comes to online communications, that can be there are challenges in how you address, you know, controlling that and navigating that. But at the same time, like something needs to be done, you know, right. Something absolutely does. And it's it's just this really pervasive, consistent issue. And you know, it's not limited to, of course, like fighting games. And truthfully, even with all the issues in the fighting game community, um, when it comes to racism, you know, racism and all of that, um, I still don't really consider them the most toxic or racist genre necessarily. Um, just because if you ever played League of Legends, um, it's it is I mean it's a mobile genre, the massly online uh ballerina genre. Like it is pretty much by design, it's designed to promote toxicity, you know, and literally like even in casual matches, you know, that's not something we've ever played at a super competit level, but like you know, casual matches. I barely played ranking league, and like it literally like the clothes just jump out so quickly. You know, and not just with every team, like your own teammates so wow. Like, like it's it is remarkable. But I mean that's that's where the whole other catalogs because they've been uh that's just kind of a known thing in like the league community for a while, but it is it is profound to a level that it's I just you know I just don't see anywhere else, you know. Um but I would say leaders of the league, they kind of attempt to do things to curb that. So like you know, they have like chat filters and they have an honor system they employ that quite probably just doesn't work, but it's um I'm one thing I'm anytime someone tries to have an honor system, like it puts so much faith in the fact that people are actually honorable.

SPEAKER_00 37:30

And yeah, I was actually gonna say, like, you you brought up the fact that you know they have you know the chat filters and they you know, outside of having like CIA levels of individuals listening to every single interaction over an earpiece or over a match, you know, how do you suggest? Because I mean, kind of going to the Black McCoy's comment, it's kind of like you would assume that people are being honorable, but you know, at the end of the day, you can't really just assume that of people, um, outside of not having a chat interaction uh system, as long as there's you know ain't shit people or people who don't know no better. Um no better. I'm not ever going to people who uh choose to do the wrong thing um or say the wrong things. How what is a way to protect not just blurred, but just people in general in those types of spaces? Because I haven't thought of it. Like you brought up the chat filter. I thought about like Overwatch, they had the chat filter. As soon as you type something, they like kick you out of a match. But I'm like, well, now I'm one person down. Thanks. I I guess that helps. But go ahead.

SPEAKER_03 38:43

You know, and like so. I think with league and like mobile games in particular, like it's one of the big parts of the solution is gonna be just really changing how the game is designed, because it is a game that is by its design, it's going to promote toxicity because you have these really lengthy matches in situations where you're relying on four other people on your team to do well.

SPEAKER_05 39:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:07

And so, of course, like if you're 40 minutes in and then there's a really bad flow, people are gonna get pissed off, and then it's gonna like put you in a shitty mood and then it ramps up. So, and of course, with toxicity, if you're playing with even a little bit of racism, it's gonna start to jump out. So I think that's an issue. And I think that's that's fundamentally different from like a fighting game, where fighting games as a genre promote competition, but they don't inherently promote toxicity necessarily. Like, you know, there's definitely like a they're not still like a strong competitive element, but like, you know, I don't think any fighting game really like inherently makes people toxic, you know, or inherently encourages toxicity. I think the design of something like a MOBA does. I mean, I mean even for me, like honestly, like I'm and I'm super anti-toxic in most games. Leave my toxicity jumped out.

SPEAKER_04 40:02

You know, like I I I'm not, I I I I I have to be honest. I'm guilty of it too. Guilty.

SPEAKER_00 40:09

Guilty of that.

SPEAKER_02 40:10

Um bombs, but I definitely do things that were you stupid motherfuckers.

SPEAKER_03 40:20

So yeah, I think I think for that, that's design change, but in a gener in a more general sense, like I really just think we really need to, you do need some type of it really requires a culture shift, and that's difficult.

SPEAKER_00 40:35

That's yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 40:36

That is it's a hard ask, but it's a necessary ask because like we can't keep doing this, and given that you know we're getting more and more representation as time goes on in these communities.

SPEAKER_00 40:47

And they're getting angrier and angrier as time goes on.

SPEAKER_03 40:50

So that's good, like they're gonna have to adapt or die.

SPEAKER_00 40:52

Like, that's or try to kill us, which it seems like what they're getting ready to do.

SPEAKER_03 40:58

Because the genre, like, if it doesn't adapt to this, it is going to slowly die out. If you have a situation where you know, people who are a growing part of your fan base are now being pushed out more and more, not because even of like the game itself, but because of the community around the game.

SPEAKER_00 41:16

So yep. Uh it's it's it's who it makes it difficult. Not meant to say difficult because uh I know the black mcroy is gonna say something. It makes it a um it it adds another layer of development on the game developer's side because you know, you're thinking about I want to create this amazing game that people will enjoy world round, uh, that you know will bring all different types of people from different creeds and races and religions together to enjoy what this storyline is, to enjoy what this uh uh this this system is, this thing that we've created. But then you have to take into consideration, and this is what I do all the time that you know some of our panelists hate, um, which is take into consideration the environment and the people within the environment. Because I've heard many a times when we're out and the pan our panelists say, fuck them people, fuck them kids. And I'm like, well, no, they're they're they're they're sensitive ears around. There are there are you know people with certain sensibilities around, fuck them people. I'm like, no, we have to take everybody into consideration. Like, and that's my mindset of a lot of the time. Um we have to take those people into consideration. And that's kind of what the developer is trying to do, which is, you know, as we were talking about, you know, the the chat filters and the honor code and the you know uh uh you know, because and the sad part is they can only protect against so many things, obviously, because stuff is still going on. Um, you know, and you would think that the only thing as a developer I would have to worry about is making sure the game was accessible to everybody, and that, you know, if somebody tries to cheat or hack the game, I kick them out and that's it. But you know, when you when you boil down to it, you know, words hurt. And you know, when you're playing games like, you know, uh Gears of War or Call of Duty or Overwatch or Halo, and you just want to be coordinated with your team, and it's your team that is the toxicity, and it's causing you to not focus or even want to play the game anymore. Like there's people who quit you know a lot of these games because it was just too much for them. And um I guess that kind of leads me to you know, my next question for everyone is you know, we obviously, you know, as the doctor just said, it's a culture shift that will have to happen to you know change a lot of those issues within the game. But on a slightly lighter note, with you know, with us, and by us I mean blurred, um getting to the point where, you know, because we've been on the top of you know several fighting games for years. If we now become, you know, let's say the next Overwatch League champions are all black, or the next know Call of Duty champions are all black, or you know, the next, you know, League of Legends team is all black. Will that, in your opinion? And based off what I've heard, it's probably going to be the negative, but uh just want to ask, based on your opinion, if that occurs, will that create or start a culture shift, or will that start a culture war?

SPEAKER_04 44:22

I think war would be like a big leap. And that's partly because most of these people just don't do not have the the wherewithal to start a war. Or rather a war that would be productive in any sense. But I do think that it would start a culture shift. But you know as it comes to most ideological shifts or you know representational ones, it's an uncomfortable transitional period for the masses because there is a there's a there's a descent from that which has been you know kind of understood to be a comfortable stasis for a long time, right? And I guess kind of roping back roping what I wanted to comment on earlier into the statement like when it comes to respecting other people's sensibilities or being overly considerate of other people's sensibilities, there's a very fine line that you teeter there in terms of not only other people's sensibilities but what kinds of sense if we are it's kind of like that that um that vapid critique that everything is subjective is like okay well if everyone's if everyone's sensibilities are valid or worthy of respect and consideration, then what are the implications of that when their sensibilities are inherently racist or inherently sexist or misogynistic or what have you right and it's going a shift like that would cause us to have to say no kind of fuck your sensibilities right your sensibilities are wrong or the way in which you feel or the way in which you think is wrong because of X, Y, and Z. And this is the world that this is the world as it actually is and that will not be a comfortable transitional period for people and it rarely ever it rarely ever is um and you know I I'm not always in the business of trying to make people comfortable about things that are more real than how they feel. I like that one I might do something with that later. But um but yeah no I I think that it would be I think it would be just a culture shift. And like I said culture shifts are rarely ever comfortable um comfortable stance changes in any sort of community or community um community activity or project. Because even as black people alone when we go through our own kind of culture shifts it's extremely uncomfortable even from generation to generation what do you think the black map I mean sorry what do you think the doctor oh yeah definitely no I definitely agree um it will be an uncomfortable culture shift and it will there will be conflict there.

SPEAKER_03 47:08

You know and speaking to this issue of this idea that oh well you know everyone feels like their sensibilities are valid or have some level of correctness and that just isn't true much of the time um I think that's a difficult idea for people to accept across really a lot of these different issues in communities and even more broadly like politics and shit where you know you have to be willing to acknowledge that hey the way that I've been raised or the you know the way that I've formulated my beliefs about the world might not actually be correct. You know maybe you know my group doesn't have the same ownership over this space as you know I thought it did. Maybe this space is for more people than just people who look like me. And that's a really hard thing to for people to wrap their head around. But yeah it's going to have to happen and by seeing say like an all black league team which I mean I could only imagine the hell that they would go through in that process of um you know rising through the ranks. But just seeing that really does make a difference. It's a change for everyone it's incremental you know but bit by bit you really do start to change those ideas. And then when you start to change those ideas it also changes the way say organizers and developers interact with the community. So like you know now we have um you know like black um like black lives matter skins and or black or black pride skins and like LGBTQ plus pride skins and whatnot. Or I was I forget which game recently like they dropped a few um like the LGBTQ plus like pride um flag skins but those are things that would have never happened a decade ago. It would have been inconceivable. But we are making like some of those waves and you know people get on the you know people will like to critique that as oh it's just performative but no visibility isn't just performative like it actually does send a signal about a who do we consider part of this community? Who do we recognize as members of our you know gaming community um and that that does shift the culture and you know like I said even more broadly we can see that with political shifts and shifts in other uh social settings.

SPEAKER_01 49:38

So yeah I think that I think that having those you know black you know black um you know pro gamers black proteins really rising up like that's necessary like that that's something that has to happen you know because otherwise it just leaves people to mentality that the idea that um oh everyone who does well at this game is white and there are people who still believe that about many games like and it's I'm really glad to see that you know we have so much diversity in some of the um you know some of the like really popular genres or games now um because that always wasn't that wasn't always the case so it was 100% not um yeah I think it I I think it'll probably be one of those things where uh I I don't uh kind of kind of kind of how the doctor uh said I think I think the changes are gonna be uh so like slight and incremental over time that uh I think I think oftentimes the um the you know the the people the people there with these views they're kind of they kind of find themselves in a situation where they go they go from a space where they kind of felt like they were the majority and now things kind of change around them and now they kind of find themselves like you know either not the majority no more or they're the you know actual minority or you know it's just one of those things where it's just kind of a culture shock. They're like, oh no that's not right and then like no one else around them agrees anymore.

SPEAKER_04 51:24

And the interesting part about that is like it's never that they've been the only there it's the is that they they've only ever been in spaces where their recognition their recognition is based solely on the invisibility of everyone else.

SPEAKER_01 51:38

Yeah that was the dirty way you put that accurate still dirty yeah because it's I mean because it's easy it is is is is easy to you know win the race when you don't let nobody else start.

SPEAKER_00 51:56

Yeah having fun with these aren't you um so you know and 100% I I you know the all of those points I think really for me it it paints a very interesting picture moving forward because you don't know what exactly will happen but these are all ideas that we came up with just thinking about it. And so the question is are those who are in power or those who are organizing these different events or games or you know the developers are they going to be thinking about these different types of things? You know are they going to try and find new ways to you know enable such a a more cultural uh culturally accepted space um so I think I have one more question unless anybody else has a question and that question to respond to what you just said.

SPEAKER_04 52:51

Oh sure um I kind of echoing when we had uh tall and quirky and Jocelyn short and like Fox Prime we had them on for our black artist episode like something that was really important that they brought up is just you we have I I think the answer would be no and the answer is only can if the answer is yes it's extremely conditional on having someone in the room to help that kind of thing along like like I'm pretty sure if there were in some way shape or form not some people of color or you know someone brought in to consult with overwatch with a game like Overwatch that there would be that we would not have those characters in the way that we do. Like we wouldn't have uh Lucio actually be voiced by someone from the country he's supposed to be I think he's what uh I want to say Brazilian he's Brazilian yeah yeah we would not have someone who's actually Brazilian voicing that character we wouldn't have someone who's actually you know African voicing um voicing um Doomfist Doomfist yeah um and I'm sure the same goes for same goes for a character like Baptiste and even for um Symetra for um for for diva like we wouldn't have people who um are representative of what they're putting forward and I think that is largely attributed to the fact that you know you have to have people in the room and the same the same energy that you know is put into like the same energy that like Overwatch and the creators of Overwatch and the um creators of like all of these different Disney films put into going to different sites and actually looking at the environments that they're recreating in the same man you know uh Japan recreates basically their own city in their in their like shows and anime and stuff all the time keep it simple. Yeah they like do what you know I'm wrong. But um but um the same way in which you know companies like Disney and like the Blizzard have gone like taking steps to go and examine research these different areas and what they look like so they can incorporate them into the imagery of the things that they're creating right that same effort needs to go into the people that are from that from those areas the people who represent those areas and it's not something that I hate to say that it's not something that people will do naturally or instinctively but it's more so that even if they do do it and put in effort towards doing it, it has to like it has to be something that they have to try and do rather than something that is for all intents and purposes uh quote unquote common sense to do.

SPEAKER_03 55:28

Which is that extra step the doctor Yeah no absolutely and just to follow that up um you mentioned that the importance of just really getting expertise when it comes to how you represent a culture and how you depict a culture it really sort of the importance of video games not only as you know a form of entertainment but also a form of media where we really infer certain things about cultures from video games in the way that we would with movies or with television. You know um like I remember like growing up as a kid um most of my exposure to like Asian depictions was really through video games like through those characters. And they were all very very light skinned you know so the idea that they were dark skinned Asians didn't exist to me. That's never what I saw you know um it literally like it's because that's all the depictions that you know that's all I saw was you know it's always like a light skin aging character if they have an aging character in you know whatever game you're looking at. And so and if they're not light skin there it's it's because they're dirty.

SPEAKER_00 56:40

Oh exactly that too yeah those problematic tropes that really get enforced over and over again um I still can't get past that laundry commercial uh oh my god that was literally my head it was so and I'm just like like it was so wildly racist and wildly ignorant like how many people saw this how much did he get paid released and they all gave their stamp approval like great how much did the brother get paid did they tell him what was happening he got put into a watching machine he he knew at least the first part of the damn commercial you know I mean you know it's awful but yeah like I I want video games to really get the care the same care with culture depiction that you would get with a blockbuster film right you know and we're starting to we're really starting to see a lot of that right where it is a consideration you know and something that shows in just the diversity we're seeing you know in how some many of these cultures are being depicted so my final question uh was definitely targeted towards just gaming communities in general and you know we as blurred are in all of them you know I it's funny I was looking at um a couple of posts on on uh Instagram yesterday and it was talking about you know you don't believe that there is you know uh black people in heavy metal or there's any no no heavy metal black bands and you know somebody listed like 10 of them and it's it's it's that awareness that next level where we're in everything you know I mean except for a couple clan meet meetings but we're in everything um and because we're in everything there has to be either a way for people to be aware that they can be accepted in these places or there has to be some type of you know showing that we are in everything it kind of goes back to what I my my example my I hypothetical moment about you know uh all black Gears of War all black uh Overwatch team winning the next you know championship so you know outside of that what would you say is the next step that we can start or move forward or continue the cultural shift of blurts being not only more acceptable but blurred being more seen in all of the different gaming communities. And if you want to specify a gaming community community sorry feel free. And we will start with uh Kaze.

SPEAKER_01 59:24

Honestly I'm not sure aside from just uh kind of already what's happening like we uh we we just kind of have to uh keep scratching our way to the top and making sure we're getting seen while uh you know while simultaneously as you know time you know time goes on like uh because um because like while you know uh most of us are getting you know up in the up in the years uh a lot a lot of these games are still uh kind of aimed at the younger crowd and and every younger new new batch of younger crowd who comes up and sees how different sees how different things are that's going to be their new normal so so it's not is it's definitely something that's naturally gonna uh uh happen uh over time but also is it's just uh uh kind of you know kind of like how was what was mentioned before like these uh you know when we when we were when we were coming up like these these games were made by what somewhere between one to 50 people like they uh their the idea that their product was reaching a worldwide audience like was kind of insane at first until it started to happen. So like that wasn't even like a like you know cultural considerations just literally wasn't a consideration.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:53

Like it's like why why would they even buy our game why would we even think about them but but now that we are now but now that games is the biggest money making medium and and uh and you know and we're and we're giving them all all these black dollars well now you know now now we need to now we need to do we need to do to uh let them know that we that we expect you know black representation and that's from the and that's from the developers and from these uh you know from these spaces okay uh the doctor yeah I definitely think that you know in terms of what helps you know black uh you know black excellence to kind of grow when it comes to a lot of different game communities a lot of that starts with black spaces so spaces for like you know finding game blurred uh platform blurbs RPG blurbs like that allows you to grow in a way that you can enter those higher level spaces you know and when you're there like it just kind of snowballs upward as well and a lot of that is being done and that's I think one of the big things or really one of the most important things to kind of gradually getting more and more representation. And yeah the more representation you have uh the more power you have when it comes to you know being being part of that audience um so you know developers need to you you can demand more that developers consider you know representing your culture accurately you can demand more when it comes to creating an inclusive inclusive spaces those are things that you gain more power to do you know once you really get those numbers up but I think um some of those blurred having those blurred spaces is a huge part of that. And you know really just recognizing that this is something just really reinforcing that we are a part of these larger communities you know um and sometimes there's a lot of pushback to that trying to enter let's say a predominantly white um gaming space but um the presence there is so important because it shows others who are interested that yes we do in fact belong there.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:11

Uh the black McCoy what do you uh feel is something that we can start doing to kind of move that that culture along um cultural shift along sorry I would say to invade invade other spaces that you feel like aren't for you because uh the difficult I'm sorry that was a very Sayoné answer. I don't know why it just felt like Sayone would say that. But continue sorry.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:41

Yes invade other spaces that you feel like aren't you know really built for you in a way that is um intentional because one of the things that you know all we a lot of us can really uh resonate with is the idea that sometimes a space just doesn't feel like you're meant to be there. And it's not because it was it was built to keep you out or built to or not built with you in mind. It's more so no no no it's more so the life that you it was built that in a way that did not have you in mind. And it was built in a very platitudinal all lives matter fashion. And one of the things that is problematic with that is that it doesn't actually take anyone into consideration um and so whenever you show up you know show out uh be your best be your best self uh take your skills with you if you can whoop everybody's ass in the room make sure you whoop everybody's ass in the room take the prize money or just take the take the bragging rights and leave don't stick around for the bullshit um I will also say to keep uh keep playing um I think something that I I know that I've uh noticed with uh a good number of people especially black people who had the had the talent had the capability to like go pro um didn't and that's partly because they they stopped playing because they they much like some of us we were put off like by certain put off from certain spaces um and put off by a lot of the violence that comes along with having to be black and be a gamer regardless of whether it's fighting games or shooters or you know uh cooperative games like Overwatch or League. It is difficult. It will be difficult but you know maintaining that resilience not simply not simply just you know for the representation of others but also for yourself because sometimes it's difficult to have something that you know you you love and that you are really connected to be uh associated so deeply and have so many roots in a really problematic and really you know racist and you know just generally bigoted community In a lot of different ways. And having to, you know, be in some way associated with that community is difficult, especially when you kind of live on the fringes in that kind of in that particular regard. And you know, outside of just uh being able to continue to flourish in the way that you do with your skills, you know, keep keep keep going, keep playing because it doesn't like there unless unless there's something like explicitly keeping you from going pro, like the only thing that we can honestly say is is stopping you is what we have, what we have, you know, the the things that we have, you know, been been harmed by um based on the various experiences that we've had. And sometimes, you know, we talk about overcoming and we talk about, you know, you know, you being the only thing that's stopping yourself. Uh, I'm never gonna tell you that. You are not the only thing that's stopping you. There's a number, there are a number of things that are in your way, but that doesn't mean you cannot push through them. It's going to be difficult to do so, but that doesn't mean you should stop. So keep playing, please.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:12

You know, and to follow that up, uh, because I think this is so important, um don't let the bullshit kill your love of the game. You know, I know for me, even like back in the Blaze Blue Continuum Chip games or days, um, I let the bullshit in those tournaments I was at like really kill my love of the game. And it was just something that I largely stopped playing after like a year in the tournament scene there. Um just because it was just so much, like so frequent. And I think with Smash Ultimate, I was a lot more intentional about finding specific spaces where I could grow, you know, and where, you know, I don't deal with this much bullshit here. And this is where I'm going to really like hold my skills and grow and develop. So when I do go to these tournament spaces, which are more of a wild card as far as what you'll experience, um, I still have something to go back to that I know like I can excel in. I know that I can continue to grow without the bullshit happening. And that worked really well for me. And it took me to a level of play and a level, you know, of skill that I didn't really think I would ever have. Just because, you know, more a big part of the bullshit when it comes to racism is that they conflate it with how good you are. So in other words, like, oh, well, you know, if you to if you can't take it, then you're you're just not good at the game. If you just can't handle like some of the slurs here and there, like that's an unfortunately common idea. But no, like find your space where you can excel, where you can grow. And uh if you deal with a little bit of heat at a tournament, which I certainly have had to more than once, just keep it moving. And eventually, like you will out, you know, you will excel, you will outpace them, and you're gonna, you know, and you're gonna keep going and doing better. But whatever, but whatever you do, don't let the bullshit kill your love of the game.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:08

In the words of Kesha, I forgot what song it was. It was called Bastards. She said, Don't let the bastards get you down.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:12

Yeah. There you go. Yeah, that is an accurate, uh, accurate response. And I think uh I uh the one of the best ways to really trek through this process is you know, you know, there there's always space for everybody, but specifically there's always space for blurred in any gaming community. And it's just a matter of if you like it, try it. If you try it and you enjoy it, continue playing it. If you want to be competitive with it, go ahead and do so. It's all about what you want. You know, whatever you feel like doing, if the space is, you know, well, if the space isn't welcoming, make it your own space if you have to, or if you want to do what you gotta do to continue doing what you want to do. So um, I think that's a great place to end it, unless anybody else has anything else they want to add.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:02

I'll say um the last little uh I guess pearl is um there are a lot of uh there are a lot of places to uh uh go online to uh find your, you know, find your tribe. You don't have to you don't have to invade alone. Um like I know uh I know there's multiple of like uh Facebook groups for the like the fight and game community here. And uh and there's and there's you know there's regular ones and there's black ones. There's uh there's for you know, there's foreign. Um you know sometimes you go to black ones first and then and then y'all get and then y'all y'all y'all y'all y'all y'all suit up and y'all you know and you show up you know and you show up in force and all these things are infinitely easier when uh you know when you're literally not alone uh in the experience or in the in the room.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:08

I immediately thought about that uh gift from that um Rick um from from from uh shit, Rick James kit from Dave Chappelle. When he walks in, walks in in his place, like nice place, nigga.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:24

Show up just like that. Uh also also if uh uh most games have an uh have an actual official forms, and most of those official forms have a have a have like a find me where where are you located section. And you can just and you can just go there and you know again, find, you know, find your tribe, find your people. And uh yeah, that makes it that makes the whole process infinitely easier.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:52

Okay. I think these are all pearls as uh as um Kazishin you put it, that we all can take, but specifically our listeners can definitely take to you know be able to do the things that they want to do and play the games that they want to play. And we'll of course revisit these types of topics later on. And uh, we may even talk about this at uh one of our upcoming um conventions, cons that we're gonna be at. But uh to wrap up the episode, thank you all for listening uh to uh this particular topic. We'll have more gaming-oriented topics coming to you uh as we move forward through 2022 and in the future. Uh, so of course I have to allow our panelists to tell you how they can be reached, starting with the doctor. Rod RT on Facebook, causation reader, uh Barrett3B on the ground, the black McCoy.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:41

You can find me at the black mccoy on Instagram and the black macoy excuse me, cosplay on Facebook. And um, if you're a queer gamer, you can find me at not black by choice um and not blackboychoice.com. Boy Choice. By choice. Did I say boy choice? You did not blackbychoice.com.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:00

Awesome. Uh, and of course, uh myself, Suchi underscore no underscore shogun on Instagram or Umbral Starkade on almost all platforms other than TikTok. And then of course we can be found at the blurred spectrum. Oh, wait, I'm gonna get shot if I don't say that, as well as blurred creations uh on Instagram and change your life right then.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:18

There was on Facebook. If you look at the window, like right next to where you sit, there's a red dot pointed at the side of your head.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:25

Um then, of course, all of us can be reached uh at the Blurred Spectrum podcast, or specifically the Blurred Spectrum on Instagram and Facebook, the Blurred Spectrum on Twitter, or if you want to reach out to us and tell us about some of these topics, maybe it's some games that you want to discuss with our experts. Um, you can reach us at the blurred spectrum at umbralstarcade.com, which is our mailbag. Other than that, all I have to say is Sayonada. Bye.