What is a fighting game scrub? FGC personality Sajam explains why some players are called scrubs

The term “scrub” gets thrown around a lot among fighting game crowds, but a lot of players, spectators, and beginners misunderstand what a scrub is.

Many fighting game players initially equated the term “scrub” with another catchall gaming-related insult, noob. However, a scrub isn’t simply someone who plays a fighting game poorly, but rather someone who plays with the wrong attitude.

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A scrub isn’t limited to just the fighting game community

(Image via Core-A-Gaming)

A common refrain within the fighting game community is that mentality is far more important than raw skill or talent. Playing a fighting game is all about good decision making.

The best way to make the right decisions is to maintain a healthy mentality. A scrub refers to the kind of players who make excuses to justify their losses.

On the one hand, this mentality is a defense mechanism meant to protect the player’s ego and prevent them from feeling bad, but on the other hand, it’s almost impossible to play a fighting game without losing.

Everyone has their ego bruised at some point. Scrubs get stuck in this “scrub mentality,” which often prevents them from growing as a player, or at worst, as a person.

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— ❤ Scrub Quotes: special little love notes ❤ (@ScrubQuotesX) February 7, 2021

The reason the scrub mentality gets called out so much within the fighting game community is that fighting games are usually simple one-on-one fights.

Unlike team games, the biggest deciding factor between winning or losing in a fighting game is the skill discrepancy between players. It can be difficult to admit that a loss was the result of being a worse player, but a major part of improving is learning from those losses.

Under normal conditions, half of all fighting game players lose their games. There are a lot more opportunities for players to engage in, and call out, scrub mentality.

This culture of calling out scrub behavior is part of what makes the fighting game community seem tougher and more impenetrable than it really is. In reality, the community can be quite welcoming to new players eager to learn.

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Scrubs exist in all competitive environments, not just within the fighting game community

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— ❤ Scrub Quotes: special little love notes ❤ (@ScrubQuotesX) February 4, 2021

Even if people don’t use the same word to describe it, almost every competitive field has seen its fair share of scrubs. Whether it’s gaming, sports, or even just in life. Many people who are beaten in fair competitions have made excuses or invented exaggerated scenarios or conspiracies to justify their loss.

This mentality, that every failure is the fault of someone or something else, is an unhealthy way to look at life. Failure and loss are a natural part of attempting any venture, gaming or otherwise, and should be seen as opportunities to learn.

By inventing an excuse, the losing side may feel they can ignore the loss more easily. However, they will simultaneously forgo the opportunity to improve and come back having learned something.

That’s not to say that people should feel like they have to dwell on their losses. It’s equally unhealthy to internalize a failure and allow it to cripple one’s future efforts. It’s important to know when to move on, but to blame a loss on something or someone else would be wasteful. No defeat should be wasted.