Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

Post by alasdair_ » Tue, Oct 15, 2019, 11:39 PM UTC

AmericanChopper wrote: post #46

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #4

This is a crisis point for everyone who supports political free speech. Every corporation and business person is watching this to see which hurts their bottom line less, suppressing free speech globally, or angering China. As consumers, we must make sure that they get the message loud and clear that suppressing free speech globally on behalf of China is going to hurt their bottom line far more than China will. Otherw…

> This is a crisis point for everyone who supports political free speech. It’s a crisis created by the political movement to force every company to take a political stance on every issue, and to force companies to not associate with political out-group members. I’m sure it feels really good when you’re in the in-group, but quite obviously gets people really worked up when it doesn’t come down on their side.

Post by DFectuoso » Tue, Oct 15, 2019, 11:40 PM UTC

alasdair_ wrote: post #56

cjbprime wrote: post #10

The huge question here is what's going to happen at BlizzCon in two weeks. There'll be 40,000+ attendees, cameras everywhere, there are usually Q&A panels, homemade signs for player support, cosplay, everything. How can you host BlizzCon when you're terrified of political speech?

I, and several friends, all have tickets. We're still deciding what form of protest will be most effective (too overt and the message gets quickly lost when security kicks you out).

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Oct 15, 2019, 11:41 PM UTC

sodosopa wrote: post #68

rayiner wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This time around China is looking to become the largest market and if we let it to become one before China sheds its "communism with Chinese characteristics", it will crush the West. If China can shed Communism and compete with the West as a free society, then more power to it. It might hurt American pride a bit, but the U.K. seems to have managed...

> but the U.K. seems to have managed... Except for that Brexit conundrum.

Post by Waterluvian » Tue, Oct 15, 2019, 11:41 PM UTC

MrStonedOne wrote: post #60

gtirloni wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish protesting against Blizzard would have an impact on Chinese policy but there's zero chance of that happening. I understand it's a long game (no pun intended), getting more and more companies to take a stand for free speech, but the impact on the lives of the people really affected by it is too small. The US government has much greater means to make a really powerful impact but I don't see that ever happening.

The goal is not to change chinese policy, it's to change the policy of how american business interact with chinese policy. I don't care nearly as much about how china is a draconian hellhole as I do about that hellhole infecting how american business do shit.

Post by mepian » Tue, Oct 15, 2019, 11:42 PM UTC

the_duke wrote: post #47

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #4

This is a crisis point for everyone who supports political free speech. Every corporation and business person is watching this to see which hurts their bottom line less, suppressing free speech globally, or angering China. As consumers, we must make sure that they get the message loud and clear that suppressing free speech globally on behalf of China is going to hurt their bottom line far more than China will. Otherw…

Blizzard stock hasn't suffered yet. And I doubt the cancelled subscriptions and closed accounts will have a significant long term impact. Especially since they mitigated account deletions by only allowing manual deletion requests with a submitted id; due to very conveniently timed and curiously persistent technical difficulties... These public outrage storms quickly subside and people go back to playing the games. It…