Blizzard Facing Boycott Campaign After Banning Player Who Voiced Support for HK Protests

[Tsing]

Earlier this week, Blizzard suspended and rescinded the winnings of Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai, a Hong Kong-based Hearthstone professional who called for the liberation of Hong Kong during a post-game interview. The publisher defended its decision by claiming that Wai's statements violated official competition rules, but gamers weren't fooled: many saw it as a veiled attack on free speech and democracy.

A massive boycott campaign has been launched against Blizzard in response. "Some users said they were deleting Blizzard games from their game collections, and threatened to cancel subscriptions to World of Warcraft."

The #BoycottBlizzard hashtag is currently generating a tweet every few seconds on Twitter. “It’s about money,” wrote Kristopher Lad. “@Blizzard_Ent should stand with democracy. People can say whatever they want especially #FreeHongKong, there is nothing wrong in saying you stand with a nation.” Twitter user Nick Hawkins accused Blizzard of being “spineless brown-nosing apologists for totalitarianism.”

 

[kin]

Personally I think Blizzard was in the right according to their rules. The rule is specifically to avoid drama like this. The player knew exactly what he was doing.
'I know what my action on stream means. It could cause me lot of trouble, even my personal safety in real life. But I think it’s my duty to say something about the issue'

Break the rules, suffer the consequences. I'm sympathetic to the cause and good on the guy for knowingly doing it because he thinks it's more important than the tournament. I respect that, but I think flagrantly disregarding the rules around your interview is a dick move. And banning blizzard is silly... it's not their fight.

 

[Zarathustra]

And banning blizzard is silly... it's not their fight.

Democracy and human rights for all people is everyone's fight.

China is a great country with millennia of rich cultural history, but their government today is intolerable.

it should be the stated goal of every free nation to work towards regime change in all non-free nations.

 

[Eduardo_Domingot]

Blizzard should be ****ing ashamed of themselves. They dont have half the **** to lose comapred to the Citizens of Hong Kong. Spinless cowards ugh the new standard it seems when it comes to money.

 

[JosiahBradley]

Blizzard has every right to make a stupid PR desicion and we have every right to stop paying them money after that choice. That's freedom.

 

[kin]

Democracy and human rights for all people is everyone's fight.

China is a great country with millennia of rich cultural history, but their government today is intolerable.

it should be the stated goal of every free nation to work towards regime change in all non-free nations.

My issue is using a video game tournament as his platform without consent and expressly against the terms. Disregarding the rights of others and breaking rules you agreed to because the government is trying to do the same thing to you doesn't make it right. And dragging Blizzard into this against their will is also unfair.

Of course what is happening to the people of Hong Kong is worse and should be protested and people and countries and companies should want to help. But I think this guy went about things the wrong way.

 

[Dudhunter]

My issue is using a video game tournament as his platform without consent and expressly against the terms. Disregarding the rights of others and breaking rules you agreed to because the government is trying to do the same thing to you doesn't make it right. And dragging Blizzard into this against their will is also unfair.

Of course what is happening to the people of Hong Kong is worse and should be protested and people and countries and companies should want to help. But I think this guy went about things the wrong way.

I’m sure you also report credit card point rewards on your taxes.

Another authoritarian apologist. You make me sick. FOH with that concern troll fake bullshit.

 

[Dan_D]

I can understand Blizzard not wanting to allow its tournaments and sponsored events, or even its e-sports players to use these post game interviews as a political platform. That's not what they are for. However, I think Blizzard handled the situation poorly.

 

[Nanobot]

So I take it all those who have an issue with China's human rights abuses will be going through their possessions to rid themselves of anything made in China and that all future purchases will not have been made in China until the abuses stop, right? I didn't think so.

 

[Eduardo_Domingot]

So I take it all those who have an issue with China's human rights abuses will be going through their possessions to rid themselves of anything made in China and that all future purchases will not have been made in China until the abuses stop, right? I didn't think so.

And is that not a good goal to work towards? Not buying or supporting Chinese business.

 

[Grimlakin]

So I take it all those who have an issue with China's human rights abuses will be going through their possessions to rid themselves of anything made in China and that all future purchases will not have been made in China until the abuses stop, right? I didn't think so.

I don't know that I will get rid of what I already own because... thats stupid and doesn't damage China's market in the least. My future purchases I will make sure to limit as best I can what is Made in China. And I think we all should. Without throwing out what we have to day to spite... ourselves?

 

[alxlwson]

Blizzard had a better way to do this, but I have a feeling someone gate really scared of the Chinese government.
They could have awarded his monies, and then suspended him, or simply made a very clear PR statement about it for future people. Instead, they kneejerked and used a clause in the ToS/Contract that could have yielded the same response if you accidentally loaded your pants while streaming from having loose stool and a violent sneeze.

 

[Nanobot]

And is that not a good goal to work towards? Not buying or supporting Chinese business.

I don't know that I will get rid of what I already own because... thats stupid and doesn't damage China's market in the least. My future purchases I will make sure to limit as best I can what is Made in China. And I think we all should. Without throwing out what we have to day to spite... ourselves?

Sure, you can attempt to not purchase anything Made in China. Are you going to research every single thing you buy and the supply chains attached to those items? What about the sources of the raw materials that go into those products. What about products that aren't really "made" in China but are merely assembled there? It's a slippery slope and is only exacerbated by the fact that China isn't the only country with human rights abuses. What about the forced labor that exists in the US (not to mention elsewhere)?

 

[Dan_D]

The sad truth of the matter is that you can't account for every single semi-conductor, capacitor, coil, PCB, and connector in your electronics. I agree that Blizzard did what it did so as not to get its games banned in China, which is a huge market for them. Frankly, Hearthstone and that sort of thing are probably a lot bigger over there than it is here.

 

[Grimlakin]

Sure, you can attempt to not purchase anything Made in China. Are you going to research every single thing you buy and the supply chains attached to those items? What about the sources of the raw materials that go into those products. What about products that aren't really "made" in China but are merely assembled there? It's a slippery slope and is only exacerbated by the fact that China isn't the only country with human rights abuses. What about the forced labor that exists in the US (not to mention elsewhere)?

I'll settle for makers not wanting 'Made in China' or 'Assembled in China' on their goods. And I will avoid those with those monikers on them. I'm not looking to be a one man show, but I think a reasonable precaution against supporting that sort of regime isn't a bad thing.

And truth be told it is in the media. If I get into the habit now it will stick with me. Same way as it's been well over 10 years since I've had food from that chicken place now I can't even remember the name of... the one that's closed on Sundays with the cows.... wow.

 

[Zarathustra]

The sad truth of the matter is that you can't account for every single semi-conductor, capacitor, coil, PCB, and connector in your electronics. I agree that Blizzard did what it did so as not to get its games banned in China, which is a huge market for them. Frankly, Hearthstone and that sort of thing are probably a lot bigger over there than it is here.

Probably, considering I have never even heard of hearthstone

I think this is actually the source of the problem right there.

For some nuts reason it is considered OK to be a Chinese "Communist" Party collaborator because you want to make money in China.

Is this really any better than being a Nazi collaborator in Germany because you wanted to do business there in the 1930's?

Authoritarian regimes should never be collaborated with, regardless of the cost.

We should have a law prohibiting any U.S. Company or Person from taking any action or selling any product that in any way aids China or any other Authoritarian regime in the oppression of their people. I don't care what the economic fallout might be. Some things are just too damned important to be concerned about money.


If it were up to me we'd go full Iran/Cuba style restriction on China, and every other country that does not fall above the red regions of this chart.

If a people don't have self governance, nothing else matters.