Olivia Richman is a seasoned esports journalist who has worked with Inven Global, Esports Illustrated, Esports.gg, and more. As an editor and writer at Esports Insider, she loves telling unique esports stories, especially within the FGC. When not working and gaming, Olivia loves collecting Kirby plush, eating sushi, and driving her cars at the track.
Image Credit: Natalia Martinez / Red Bull Content Pool Let’s be uncomfortably honest for a minute. There’s definitely a kind of person that pops into your head when you hear “top Tekken player.” And that person may not look like Jeannail “Cuddle_Core” Carter . But that’s okay, she isn’t here to cater to anybody nor seek their validation.
And stream. And host. And coach. And who knows what else? For Cuddle_Core, being in the FGC scene is more than just competing. It’s a lifestyle for her, but it’s taken a lot to get there. She started competing in 2015 in small local tournaments, but she has since achieved 60 Top 8 placements across huge Tekken tourneys, including Evo, Combo Breaker, and Ultimate FightingArena.
Esports Insider spoke with Cuddle_Core about the changes she’s seen in the FGC throughout the past decade, from grassroots and gatekeeping to a mainstream esports scene. Some of it’s good, some of it’s bad, but nothing seems to really bring her down. In fact, she’s only looking forward.
ESI: My colleague recently wrote about the sexism and creepiness at Combo Breaker 2026 , which seems to still be a big issue for the FGC. Do you feel it’s still a bigger issue in the FGC than other mainstream esports scenes even after the “Me Too” movement a few years ago?
Cuddle_Core: Yes, still struggles. It does. Sometimes it feels that, because there is no full regulation in these spaces, you’re kind of just left to deal with a lot of it on your own and your support group. There’s no official way that things are dealt with, like creeps and sexist things at tournaments. It’s somewhat better in terms of security, but it sometimes still feels like you’re left to deal with it on your own or with your group.
ESI: Why do you think it’s still so prominent in the FGC?
Cuddle_Core: I’m not exactly sure why it’s a problem that’s continuing. I always thought that there should be more rules put in place – like a code of conduct. It should be a no-brainer, I thought… If you’re assaulted, people should be able to go to some entity that helps you handle that. Because it happens probably a lot. I know it happens a lot. If you’re at a convention or event, that should always exist, but it doesn’t. I’m not exactly sure why.
ESI: We previously talked about the old-school mentality that still runs deep in the FGC. Do you think that causes a bit of gatekeeping in the scene, especially towards women?
Cuddle_Core: Sexism exists in the space, it does. Some of those mentalities are old-school. It’s an echo chamber with their own group since they haven’t really been around other groups, including women.
It’s a bit better now, because of the way the world is. I’m very grateful for that. Some of the older views on things have molded how things are now, but they are being unlearned and pushed out… The mindset of the younger players coming in; they’re from a world that is more diverse, inclusive, and…