Gamers Debate Whether Teabagging Should Be Classed As Sexual Assault

It's time for a nice cup of tea and to trawl the depths of the internet for another hotly contested debate that's sure to have you falling on one side of the argument. While most of us would think teabagging is the act of removing a tea bag from your tea and throwing it in the bin, it means something very different in the gaming world. 

So you don't have to look it up on Urban Dictionary, teabagging is the act of standing over a downed opponent and squatting over their face. It's similar to the act of dancing on someone's corpse in Call of Duty or Fortnite, but with it involving THAT particular part of the body, it's become a point of contention.

What's Going On With The Teabagging Debate?

There's a whole guide on Steam about the "art" of teabagging, and there was a (now-defunct) company selling Halo-themed tea bags that poke fun at the situation, however, the issue has taken a more serious turn. On one Discord server, someone branded themselves a "serial offender" for teabagging, and where some found it hilarious, others have branded it as s*xual assault. Equally, others have said to trivialise s*xual assault in this way is equally dangerous. 

Big names like Charles "MoistCr1TiKaL" and Jake Lucky have said the notion that teabagging is s*xual assault is ridiculous. When Lucky shared the screenshot, his comments were filled with opinions from both sides. One wrote, "So wait… If I kill someone in a video game, does that make me a murderer too?," while another added, "Bruh how. I can’t believe people agree with this. You are literally crouching up and down with a FAKE character made by code and pixels." A third concluded, "Oh no! im being e-r*ped! people need to relax my god. how insulting to compare tbagging to s*xual assault."

Those who argue against teabagging also made their opinion clear. One wrote, "In Rust where the character models are literally naked I would agree that can be s*xual assault." Someone else said, "I hope that everyone that doesn’t understand where this person is coming from never has to go through something that makes you understand, but you could maybe find a little empathy." Finally, one person concluded, "If there’s a girl in the server, and a bunch of dudes tbag her, accompanied by more grossness in the chat, yes it could be considered harassment."

Will Teabagging Be Banned?

Away from us hot-headed gamers online, actual publishers wade into the quagmire of opinions. Only recently, there were claims that Riot Games could ban teabagging in VALORANT from July 1. If it's true, it's reportedly going to include all unrated and competitive matches, while also encompassing all game modes. A teabagging ban could range from a week to a year, with it apparently "depending on how many crouches were performed."

In the pro scene, it's VALORANT that's faced the teabagging trauma more than most. In March this year, one host asked players not to teabag during a VCT match between G2 and Team Dfuse. Instead, G2 owner Carlos Oceleote stuck a middle finger to the request and told his players to teabag more than ever. Ultimately, the more we highlight the issue of teabagging and the more people are told not to do it, the more it's going to get done until/if it's banned. Well, there's a conversation for your next match.