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Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

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Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#121

Post by mwyah »

BigJ1211 wrote: post #19
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?

They interview the player/person, what they stand for is their own prerogative. It isn't up to Blizzard to dictate what people should think or are allowed to say on issues such as human rights. It is their right to ban someone for what they deem 'misconduct' though, so yes they are in their rights doing what they did here. They will also have to deal with the consequences of that decision, a lot of people are cancell…

"Human rights" = politics. Blizzard can choose what they broadcast using their streams. I'm sure if someone decided to wear a tshirt with a fasces in it you'd agree... but since this is on the other side of the spectrum of politics, you disagree. Honestly, very short-sighted.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#122

Post by narrator »

diveanon wrote: post #27

Can we please start a cultural movement that forces large corporations to choose between appeasing Chinese censors and looking like fools to the rest of the west or getting banned in China. Really seems like a win win scenario.

Six Corporations control 90% of the media in America. They can make business decisions to censor whomever they want and they are global corporations doing lots of business in China.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#123

Post by jplayer01 »

kkarakk wrote: post #38
bdibs wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 mainstre…

Not sure why you're being downvoted. I've wasted too much time on HN arguing with people who simply don't believe China isn't as bad as portrayed, and believe everything that comes up here or on other sites is nothing but anti-Chinese propaganda.

There are plenty of people who are so jaded that they're unwilling to condemn China for all the immoral things they do, much less economic or political behaviours that aren't overtly immoral, but do have clear negative impact on the Western sphere of influence and economic status.

As bad as the US is, I don't want a country run by such an authoritarian, ruthless government like the CCP to take over the position as the world's superpower.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#124

Post by amdavidson »

atroche wrote: post #105
TeMPOraL wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and the west has fought wars over this very issue Which ones? Also, China has nukes, we probably don't want to see that war starting. I don't think there's a good military option available.

Do they have the capacity to hit targets in the continental US without winning naval supremacy?

Yes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DF-41

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#125

Post by verroq »

This is China’s soft power, restricting access to its economy to erode away the freedom of speech. How long before the chilling effect of criticising China start to affect those outside because the corporations depend too much on the Chinese economy for their survival?

There needs to be a law to prevent corporations from enforcing political censorship on behalf of another nation.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#126

Post by ameen »

nabla9 wrote: post #96
diveanon wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Make them choose between the two markets. I'm tired of the idea that the Western and Chinese markets can both be appeased the middle of the road morality. What is happening in HK right now is wrong, and the west has fought wars over this very issue.

Cultural movement would require people who are not themselves in the middle ground in the road to morality. It's hard to imagine people stopping using Uber, Lyft, Twitter, Snapchat, Fox News just because Saudis are heavily invested.

Saudis barely have any influence, if anything - the opposite is true, any hint of editorial intervention by any middle eastern/african nation and the west is up in arms about journalistic integrity but chinese have been exerting their power for quite sometime.

It's interesting to watch this unfold for someone who isn't entrenched in any of these spheres.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#127

Post by Beltiras »

nabla9 wrote: post #61
diveanon wrote: post #27

Can we please start a cultural movement that forces large corporations to choose between appeasing Chinese censors and looking like fools to the rest of the west or getting banned in China. Really seems like a win win scenario.

How about Chinese owners? Chinese Tencent owns 5 percent of Blizzard, if full owner of Riot Games, 48% of Epic Games, 11.5% of Bluehole (Fortnite and PUBG), 5% of Ubisoft. They are also investor in Discord. https://www.pcgamer.com/every-game-company-that-tencent-has-... AMC is fully owned by Chinese. The largest movie theater chain in the United States is fully owned by Chinese. Legendary Entertainment Group is owned…

This is what happens when you fund your deficit spending with foreign investors for too long.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#128

Post by SmallDeadGuy »

nabla9 wrote: post #61
diveanon wrote: post #27

Can we please start a cultural movement that forces large corporations to choose between appeasing Chinese censors and looking like fools to the rest of the west or getting banned in China. Really seems like a win win scenario.

How about Chinese owners? Chinese Tencent owns 5 percent of Blizzard, if full owner of Riot Games, 48% of Epic Games, 11.5% of Bluehole (Fortnite and PUBG), 5% of Ubisoft. They are also investor in Discord. https://www.pcgamer.com/every-game-company-that-tencent-has-... AMC is fully owned by Chinese. The largest movie theater chain in the United States is fully owned by Chinese. Legendary Entertainment Group is owned…

Fortnite is Epic Games, not Bluehole.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#129

Post by jplayer01 »

blzrdnofreespch wrote: post #79

This is really unfortunate. I don’t game a ton, but when I do I pretty much only play Starcraft or Overwatch. Long time fan of the GSL as well. I know it’s nothing but a drop in the bucket but I will no longer support Blizzard - time to find another game. Perhaps we should organize a day of protest across all blizzard games. I think it’s pretty telling that I don’t feel comfortable posting this on my main account.

Or, you know, gamers need to grow some moral principles and stop giving companies like this money. I already didn't like where Blizzard was going, this seals it for me. I'm not giving them any more money.

Re: Blizzard Suspends Professional Hearthstone Player for Hong Kong Comments

#130

Post by ameen »

hyperdunc wrote: post #92
diveanon wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Make them choose between the two markets. I'm tired of the idea that the Western and Chinese markets can both be appeased the middle of the road morality. What is happening in HK right now is wrong, and the west has fought wars over this very issue.

It's the authoritarian Chinese government insisting on censorship. Not so much the Chinese market.

Chinese propaganda is well-spread. I had a Chinese roommate, well educated to boot - PhD in Econ from Columbia, and I could feel the reverence he had for Mao even though his ancestors were landlords.
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