Fallout from Blizzard Hong Kong Incident • Hacker News Board

Re: Fallout from Blizzard Hong Kong Incident

#221

Post by MrMember » Wed, Oct 09, 2019, 5:33 PM UTC

josefx wrote: post #200

Dumblydorr wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Blizzard has been on a downward spiral for years. They still have awesome teams releasing and maintaining awesome games, (thank you for custom colors in SC Remastered!), but by and large their direction has been towards EA and away from their true fans.

If anything their perspective seems to be that their "true fans" are mainly Chinese and are playing cheap knock of mobile games.

That does seem to be the case. The "big" announcement at last year's Blizzcon was a Chinese free to play mobile game with a Diablo skin.

Re: Fallout from Blizzard Hong Kong Incident

#222

Post by rospaya » Wed, Oct 09, 2019, 5:33 PM UTC

moksly wrote: post #112

greggman2 wrote: post #78

I'm mixed on this. I'm 100% for Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai to express his support for Hong Kong. I'm not so sure it's okay for him to do it on Blizzard's show/event. 27 years ago Sinead O'Connor ripped up a picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live when it was broadcast live. She's was arguably right to critize the Pope but was she right to do it from Saturday Night Live's Live broadcast? IIRC because of that inciden…

I don’t know about SNL, but the thing that pisses me off about Blizzard is that they have been parading around as a company that supports human rights. They recently held a pro LGBT+ event, they’ve held numerous humanitarian aid campaigns and they even have a statue outside their headquarters that features one of their core values “Every voice matters”. You simply can’t do all that, and then go against democracy and…

Not to denigrate supporting any kind of human rights, but promoting LGBT and humanitarian causes in almost any western country won't lose them a single customer. Today, that's the easy way out. 20-30 years ago it would be gutsy.

Re: Fallout from Blizzard Hong Kong Incident

#223

Post by jpambrun » Wed, Oct 09, 2019, 5:34 PM UTC

eberfreitas wrote: post #182

Real question: How is what China is doing any different from what we've seen the US do to Venezuela (the Adobe incident) or even Cuba for that matter?

I am with you on this. The story on the Canadian food truck being withheld money from Square Canada because JP Morgan asserted that the coffee came from Cuba comes to mind.

From my perspective, outside of the US and China, both are overreaching quite a bit.

Re: Fallout from Blizzard Hong Kong Incident

#224

Post by jschwartzi » Wed, Oct 09, 2019, 5:34 PM UTC

Knove wrote: post #177

First, I introduce myself. I am a Chinese, an ordinary citizen. I want to express my view rationally: the so-called repression of speech, freedom of speech, that also scores what freedom of speech, Hong Kong incident involves national dignity, just as the United States don't want 911 to be supported by some people (example: Imagine a well-known person, just days after 911, publicly declaring that 911 was a Great Nati…

The difference here is that although the US government doesn't want us to talk about September 11th, I'm totally free to do so at any time, on any channel, using any medium. I can freely call George W. Bush an idiot and a dupe for playing right into Osama Bin Laden's plans. I can say that the TSA and the further restrictions on freedom of movement have been one of the worst aspects of the post-911 world in the US. And the persistent culture of fear that has grown up as I've become an adult has been a scary thing for me to face. And I'm free to say that the news media in the US is creating this culture and sustaining it.

I can say all of this without fear of recrimination from my government. I'm enrolled in TSA Precheck, never harassed by the police, can move freely within the country, and am free to buy or view whatever I like in spite of my lack of support for that part of our national government. One of our founding fathers is famously quoted as saying "I do not agree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it." We take that statement as gospel. For us to censor our citizens is an affront to our national dignity.

Can you say that the student protests in Tianenmen Square were met with a police response that was massive overkill? Or that attempts to censor Hong Kong's free speech are unacceptable? Or that free speech against your government is an inalienable right? Because if not then there's not really much similarity between the US and China despite how it may seem to you.

Re: Fallout from Blizzard Hong Kong Incident

#225

Post by hguant » Wed, Oct 09, 2019, 5:35 PM UTC

asar wrote: post #128

Interesting that the stock price of Activision Blizzard is basically unfazed.

Should go up tbh - they've shown investors that they value shareholder profits/keeping markets open more over all other considerations (fanbase, PR, not being hypocrites, etc).

Re: Fallout from Blizzard Hong Kong Incident

#226

Post by fpgaminer » Wed, Oct 09, 2019, 5:35 PM UTC

MisterTea wrote: post #64

heyyyouu wrote: post #35

What is really interesting about this is how completely and utterly horrible a job Blizzard did in anticipating and preparing this very obvious possibility, and thus is so poorly handling every single aspect of this.This so obviously was likely to happen that it easily could have been anticipated and planned for to be dealt with in a much, much more professional way, and yet clearly they didn't, and it's beyond inexc…

> What is really interesting about this is how completely and utterly poorly Blizzard anticipated this very obvious possibility and thus is so poorly handling every single aspect of this. I kind of doubt that. With potential billions on the line, losing a few protesting players and face isn't anything to worry about. They have plenty of people hooked playing their games so they don't have much face to lose.

I'm curious what the reaction to these events has been in South Korea, where Blizzard derives a significant amount of their worth from. I would think South Korea would be particularly incensed, given that they are also a small country near China and are familiar with tyrannical rule. But I've not read up enough to know if these events are making waves there.

If they are, that's a far bigger issue for Blizzard than a handful of angry American players.

Re: Fallout from Blizzard Hong Kong Incident

#227

Post by damq » Wed, Oct 09, 2019, 5:35 PM UTC

MBCook wrote: post #20

macspoofing wrote: post #10

I don't think it should be an international incident. The reality is that corporations shouldn't be espousing political viewpoints, and nobody should care what their opinion is on controversial policies. They make and sell products and that's all they should stick too. Why should Blizzard get in the middle of what's happening between China and Hong Kong? And to be clear, it isn't just Chinese government versus Hong K…

> The reality is that corporations shouldn't be espousing political viewpoints But they MUST. That’s the issue. There is no such thing as remaining neutral. What could they do? Ban the player to make China happy? Now the west is mad and boycotting. NOT ban the player? Now China is pissed and kicking you out of the country. They were damned by someone either way. There was no neutral political stance they could take.…

The comment you're replying to is suggesting a way to prevent a PR crisis like this, not a way to escape an ongoing crisis.

It's hard to deny that there would be a much smaller PR issue here if the player had been prevented from voicing any opinion on Hong Kong in the first place.

Re: Fallout from Blizzard Hong Kong Incident

#228

Post by dragontamer » Wed, Oct 09, 2019, 5:35 PM UTC

Rebelgecko wrote: post #181

dragontamer wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Players were, and still are, prevented from kneeling during the Anthem. EDIT: It seems like official NFL policy has varied drastically over the past few years. But even if its not necessarily by official policy, you can bet that players are intimidated by the calls of the sitting US President to fire them if they kneel out of line.

Which players have been prevented from kneeling? Kaepernick famously did it until he left the 49ers. His former teammate Eric Reid is still doing it— I saw him kneel three days ago before a game.

Its not as big of a deal in 2019. But here's an article from 2018.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/405497-no-nfl-p...

Re: Fallout from Blizzard Hong Kong Incident

#229

Post by gaspoweredcat » Wed, Oct 09, 2019, 5:36 PM UTC

greggman2 wrote: post #78

I'm mixed on this. I'm 100% for Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai to express his support for Hong Kong. I'm not so sure it's okay for him to do it on Blizzard's show/event. 27 years ago Sinead O'Connor ripped up a picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live when it was broadcast live. She's was arguably right to critize the Pope but was she right to do it from Saturday Night Live's Live broadcast? IIRC because of that inciden…

finally someone else who sees it, im fully behind the HK people but using a companies event as a vehicle for a political message is very likely against some part of his contract etc it doesnt matter if we support the message or not thats not the place to do it

Re: Fallout from Blizzard Hong Kong Incident

#230

Post by pvg » Wed, Oct 09, 2019, 5:36 PM UTC

Knove wrote: post #213

pvg wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Things like that happened, we don't have to imagine it. Also 9/11 - a terrorist attack - is not analogous to a mass protest movement. Mass protests have taken place in the US, including violent ones and prominent contemporary voices have been both openly supportive and critical of them.

prominent contemporary voices have been both openly supportive and critical of them I mean, what if these prominent contemporary voices support 911?

Again, 9/11 was not a mass protest movement.

One of the leaders of an actual US separatist movement has schools and streets named after him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#Memorials_and_tribut...