A significant chunk of trading card players took to the internet to voice their joy when KONAMI recently announced an alternation in the official rules of game attendance.

Any players who express less than ideal hygiene standards or trigger complaints due to their scent are automatically banned from the tables with no questions asked.

Is it too harsh or is there more reasoning behind it? What if that player is you?

Here’s a handful of pennies about it.

Is It Too Harsh?

An automatic ban from the tables for hygiene reasons is likely to only offend the person it’s directed at – and if that’s you, have some consideration for everyone else at the table.

It’s the equivalent of showing up to a library with a stack of Iron Maiden albums and a massive amplifier, except you’re using the powers of smell instead of sound to offend people.

The entire Yu-Gi-Oh! Series would have been a few seasons shorter if Yu-GI appeared at every duel with trailing stink lines to the general dismay of his opponents and friends. Don’t do it at any real-life games.

What If It’s You?

Eventually, I know someone will read this and have been in the position where the complaint might have been directed at them. This might be five minutes from the publication of this piece or fifty years. (If it’s in fifty, do meals come in capsule form yet and do you have time travel to let us know?)

If the banned player is you, it’s worth saying that hygiene habits and odors are both:

(1) Rarely noticeable to the person it comes from over time, and

(2) Easy to fix and sometimes caused by chronic health conditions

The first thing to do if you’re in a situation like this is probably to see your doctor where the problem is recurring despite the use of deodorants and other products. You might be surprised to discover that you have a physical, treatable reason for what’s an embarrassing issue to a lot of people.

If not, then the issue is related to something psychological or routine-bound instead. Luckily, a few small adaptations can make a massive change – even if you find it necessary to set an alarm or reminder for something as basic as a shower. 

What If It’s Your Bridge Partner?

If someone you know is the source of the complaint instead, there are a thousand possible ways for you to hint at their hygiene habits – but most of them will come across as either confusing if they don’t understand the hint, or very offensive if they do.

Don’t coat it in sugar and adjectives. Don’t beat around the bush. Be direct with a bit of tact and tell them others have been complaining: Sure, they might be offended when you say it, but they’ll also realize they have an issue to work on.

More Than Just Social Norms

Rules and regulations concerning good hygiene exists everywhere for a reason – and that reason goes far beyond what’s socially acceptable versus ticking everyone else off.

Hygiene and health go together. As do health, hygiene and immunity.

If you half-ass hygiene, you can be sure that it will affect your immune system – and you can be pretty sure that it risks doing the same to everyone else around you. 

Imagine the Heart of the Cards if the deck has been touched by about fifteen people who didn’t wash after they took their last tournament bathroom break. That’s not just gross, it’s potentially dangerous and it’s how a singular infection runs through an entire crowd of people.