Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments • Hacker News Board

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#31

Post by jackvalentine » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 10:17 AM UTC

diveanon wrote: post #21

mwyah wrote: post #3

Seems reasonable that they don't want to allow players to push their politics using the official Blizzard streams. They are free to do so in their spare time. What do you think Blizzard would do if some guy wore a MAGA hat in an official stream?

Absolutely nothing, because in the US we have freedom of speech codified into our constitution. Unlike China.

> Article 35. Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#32

Post by my123 » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 10:18 AM UTC

hug wrote: post #25

throwaway2048 wrote: post #17

Blizzard is 100% fine with their games having a political message when they think it gives them free brownie points (announcing various characters as being explicitly gay), but are complete total cowards when it might cost them something.

Being gay isn’t political.

The whole point is that it is considered as political in quite a few countries. (and even where it isn't, it is considered as such by quite some people)

(yes, this might change in the future, but we're talking about today)

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#33

Post by TulliusCicero » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 10:18 AM UTC

hug wrote: post #25

throwaway2048 wrote: post #17

Blizzard is 100% fine with their games having a political message when they think it gives them free brownie points (announcing various characters as being explicitly gay), but are complete total cowards when it might cost them something.

Being gay isn’t political.

Making characters in a video game gay probably shouldn't be a political statement, but at least today it still is.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#34

Post by ryanlol » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 10:18 AM UTC

hug wrote: post #25

throwaway2048 wrote: post #17

Blizzard is 100% fine with their games having a political message when they think it gives them free brownie points (announcing various characters as being explicitly gay), but are complete total cowards when it might cost them something.

Being gay isn’t political.

Human rights aren't political! (of course they are)

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#35

Post by ryanlol » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 10:19 AM UTC

atroche wrote: post #28

mwyah wrote: post #3

Seems reasonable that they don't want to allow players to push their politics using the official Blizzard streams. They are free to do so in their spare time. What do you think Blizzard would do if some guy wore a MAGA hat in an official stream?

It’s reasonable from the perspective of maximising profit, sure. And it’s true that they’re (as far as I know) consistently applying a rule they set out a long time ago. But that doesn’t make it the right decision, morally. Sometimes rules should be broken.

>And it’s true that they’re (as far as I know) consistently applying a rule they set out a long time ago.

Have they ever enforced this rule in the past? If not, it's difficult to speak of consistency.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#36

Post by ReptileMan » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 10:20 AM UTC

hug wrote: post #25

throwaway2048 wrote: post #17

Blizzard is 100% fine with their games having a political message when they think it gives them free brownie points (announcing various characters as being explicitly gay), but are complete total cowards when it might cost them something.

Being gay isn’t political.

Not according to the pro diversity. For them having gay characters is a bid deal.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#37

Post by diveanon » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 10:20 AM UTC

atroche wrote: post #11

sword_smith wrote: post #6

What was the exact quote? The article doesn't mention it. I assume it was in support of the HK protestors.

"Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our age!" https://twitter.com/slasher/status/1181065339230130181

What is happening there is literally what has led to revolutions in several western countries over the last couple centuries.

The Chinese are correct to be afraid, they have spent the last half century cleansing the concept of freedom from their society and they are terrified of what comes next.

People are going to start dying publicly in HK very soon, and the rest of the world will have to decide which side of history they want to stand on.

The American's needed allies to succeed in their revolution against a much more powerful nation, HK will need allies too.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#38

Post by kkarakk » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 10:21 AM UTC

bdibs wrote: post #13

zygimantasdev wrote: post #4

South Park is spot on this season. You could say they are good with predictions, but I think they just gave different perspective to something that already has been happening (episodes on China censorship)

While I agree they’re spot on, it’s not like this is a new issue.

China has been leveraging their power "quietly" for some time now. Anything anti-China gets buried or discredited or shouted down using whataboutisms. Even here on hackernews you'll see tons of posts on negative chinese news from month old accounts fuzzing the narrative saying some variation of "it's not easy to understand if you're not chinese etc etc"

The hong kong issue is just bringing the issue into the mainstream

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#39

Post by cooperadymas » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 10:21 AM UTC

Is it safe to say we're in the middle of the Software Wars? The headlines have been littered with stories like this lately. From major open source contributors taking down their projects, to Apple, Adobe, and Blizzard.

It's only a matter of time until it's a critical piece of software that can cripple a nation or beleaguer it's people.

If you're looking for positives, maybe this will finally force people to rethink digital ownership.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#40

Post by mwyah » Tue, Oct 08, 2019, 10:22 AM UTC

glogla wrote: post #14

mwyah wrote: post #3

Seems reasonable that they don't want to allow players to push their politics using the official Blizzard streams. They are free to do so in their spare time. What do you think Blizzard would do if some guy wore a MAGA hat in an official stream?

Into your message is built the assumption that all "politics" is the same. That's not the case. And further, pretending that oppression and fascism and ethnic cleansing is the same as fighting against those things, because oppressing and murdering people is just another "politics" and not something special, is by itself pro-fascist and evil stance.

>Into your message is built the assumption that all "politics" is the same.

Not really: there are politics I agree with and politics I disagree with. That doesn't mean that I believe Blizzard should give a loudspeaker to those who agree with me. I think that's stupid because it could turn against me at some point. Some people seem not to think ahead.