Chronos Games & Gifts, a game store in Beaverton, Oregon, suspended its Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments for one week following multiple complaints about poor player hygiene and misuse of restrooms during events [1, 2, 3]. The store posted a statement on its public Discord channel saying, "We have had issues with people mistreating the restrooms and multiple bad reviews because of poor hygiene. As a reminder, we encourage players to follow Konami guidelines and report anyone who does not" [1].
Konami, the publisher of Yu-Gi-Oh, has required since 2019 that all tournament attendees maintain personal cleanliness and wear clean clothes. Their tournament guide states, "You are expected to be clean when you enter a tournament. Neglecting to wash or put on clean clothes contributes to an unpleasant atmosphere at the event... Persons who neglect self-care to the point that they are negatively impacting the tournament may be asked to correct the issue to continue in the event" [1].
The problem of poor hygiene at card game tournaments is not unique to this store or to Yu-Gi-Oh. Similar complaints have occurred at Pokémon events, highlighting a recurrent issue in organized play. In 2025, Nebraska Pokemon Organized Play issued a reminder that "Individuals are also required to maintain a socially acceptable level of hygiene during the event," and warned that failure to comply could result in removal from the tournament and forfeiture of badges [1].
Players neglecting basic hygiene, sometimes going days without showering, has hurt the reputation and business viability of game stores and events in recent years [3]. A 2024 incident involved a woman leaving a Yu-Gi-Oh tournament early due to extremely strong body odors caused by some participants [2].
Chronos Games & Gifts’ suspension and public reminder aim to enforce these hygiene standards more strictly and improve the tournament environment [1, 2, 3]. The store has set the duration of the suspension as one week [1, 2, 3]. Tournament organizers will likely monitor the situation to ensure compliance with hygiene rules at future events.
