Update18/10/23:Further comments from one of the attendees have been added to our report.
EGX 2023 attendees are criticising organisers and security following multiple complaints of sexism and harassment at the event. This also comes asJust Stop Oil protestors were able to disrupt a Tekken 7 tournament on the final day, spraying equipment with orange paint.
These disruptions raise significant security concerns, particularly as some panels had no security presence at all. In one instance, “intoxicated” men hurled abuse at a panel on community management, and there were no staff members on hand to remove them from the talk when they refused to leave. Overall, female attendees report feeling unsafe, calling on organisers to track abusers down and ensure security is widely available in future shows.
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Gemma Garner, senior community manager at Raw Fury, was one of the members of the community manager panel at EGX. She has shared her account of abuse from audience members, alongside a video of the incident.
“These three men in the audience of our talk were loudly making derogatory comments throughout, especially when @GeekyCassi spoke,” says Garner. “When she called them out, they intentionally continued. nobody intervened.
“They said things like ‘If it has a pulse and it’s breathing, I’ll do it’ about us. They commented on our clothes and whether or not we’d expose ourselves. Talked shit about community management. made homophobic and sexist comments.”
It’s also been said that EGX has refused to let those affected access CCTV of the event or assist with a police complaint.
Game director Jörg Tittel has also shared his experience with abuse at EGX.
“I had a confrontation with three middle-aged men inCODhoodies, one of whom spat next to me,” says Tittel. “Toxic games attract toxic men. Don’t put women in vulnerable positions!”
After the show concluded, Tittel added that EGX was a “fabulous event filled with great games and great people,” and believes changes can be put in place to create a safer environment.
“I realise the challenges of managing such large crowds, especially at a time when budgets are tight,” says Tittel. “I am sure that a lot of gamers will volunteer to look out for others and act as de facto ‘community watch’ personnel in exchange for free EGX tickets for the other days. I’m going to go ahead and put myself forward for a day next year.”
On top of this, the final day of EGX was interrupted by Just Stop Oil, who sprayed and smeared orange paint over setups used in aTekken 7tournament. This was done in protest of EGX partnering with Barclays, a significant investor in fossil fuels. In any case, the fact that their equipment could be brought into the convention has raised concerns of its own.
A couple of us from TheGamer attended EGX over the weekend and experienced some of these security concerns ourselves. Perhaps most concerningly, security only seemed to be searching bags for the first hour after the show opened each day. When I arrived at 11am on Friday, there were no more checks, and it seemed that anyone could walk in.
Some attendees also harassed women on the show floor, something others in the industry complained of over the weekend too. EGX representatives and security were often hard to locate on the show floor while this was happening.
TheGamer has contacted EGX organisers for comment on these complaints, and will update this report should we receive a response.
