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Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

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Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#301

Post by greycol »

belltaco wrote: post #133
Dan_JiuJitsu wrote: post #58

I will never purchase another game from Activision or Blizzard unless they recant this backwards position. American art and media should not be subject to Chinese influence. I've been a loyal customer over the years, but I have a long memory. Refuse to delete my account if you will, it will never be used again.

How does that jive with continuing to buy products made in China, thus ensuring their financial well being allowing them to oppress HK and minorities? What Blizzard art and media was subject to Chinese influence?

As to your second question here's an example with the old version on the right. [1]

Your looking at removal of blood and skeletons mostly.

Similar changes have been made in other video games. For example this [2] story shows a reversal after player backlash to such censorship.

Call me paranoid as this point is anecdotal (and quite likely confirmation bias) but I've noticed a tendency for new AAA games to have a focus on enemies and combatants that don't have this issue. e.g. robots that don't bleed or dissolve away effects for enemies rather than leaving dead bodies. These are all things that have appeared in games before such efforts but it's certainly what I'd be advising if I was in charge of making games marketable in China without appearing to compromise 'realism' (we all know realistic aliens turn to glitter on defeat) or artistic vision.

[1] https://external-preview.redd.it/eIfkz0BCFqcwCnWen2Qi8ZwCOWO... [2] https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&c...

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#302

Post by darklajid »

Apart from the global crisis this is also quite a big subject here, locally, in Singapore and among friends in HK: Honestly I don't see how Blizzard should've reacted instead and feel bad for them. That's not related to "bending over for China" or "selling out to China" and has nothing to do with the political situation in HK.

The way I see it, someone did a really, really shitty (a gas mask and chanting?) publicity stunt on a Blizzard event (Blizzard stream, Blizzard paid casters, Blizzard branding all over the place). Good riddance. If this is okay (because BAD CHINA), then you open the door to more of these .. actions and offer people a platform for their personal agenda.

I think Blizzard did the Right Thing™ (as in, they communicated quite clearly that you cannot hijack their events for your own stuff). The problem of "Can you say anything you want on a Blizzard stream" turned now into "You either support HK or are supporting China" for weird reasons?

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#303

Post by themacguffinman »

falcolas wrote: post #191
themacguffinman wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can't say there is no visible pressure on Blizzard while mentioning the NBA in the same breath. China's aggressive move on the NBA is the pressure. It's an example to every company that operates in China: toe the party line, or face local obstruction like the NBA.

Activision Blizzard is not a company that would be bankrupted by the loss of the Chinese market; they chose on their own merely for a potential future in that market. That they chose to toe the party line on their own, without prompting from the Chinese government, with swift and overwhelming penalties on the player and shoutcasters doesn't exactly speak well for Blizzard.

That's still "visible pressure". Not sure why it needs to be an extinction level threat for you to recognize it as overt Chinese pressure.

If I demonstrate to you that I'm going to shoot your legs if you don't tell me I'm pretty by doing so to people around you, and then I walk up to you and you tell me I'm pretty, would it be accurate to say you chose to tell me I'm pretty all on your own, totally unprompted? Can I say that you chose on your own merely for a potential future in walking? Hey, you won't be killed by the loss of your legs.

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#304

Post by justanothersys »

Aperocky wrote: post #262
euske wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say that video games will be the next social media (if they aren't already). When they created Twitters and Facebooks, they've never imagined that one day their platform will be a highly politicized. Similarly, people haven't imagined that video games are used for politics, but in the end every platform is going to be political. I wouldn't say it's something they have "created" (as others pointed out already), bu…

And that is totally stupid, why does every platform has to be political? Or rather, being forced by a subset of people with political agenda? Currently r/AskReddit is still relatively free, HN is also mostly free.

Every communications platform provides a means of exchange and every exchange is mediated by politics big and small.

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#305

Post by sushid »

magashna wrote: post #221
saagarjha wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> China does want western media and products. Does it? It seems like China replicates products that are inconvenient to get otherwise.

Quite a few Hollywood movies have made billions in China. This year alone, 3 US movies are in the top 10 grossing movies there, and they made about 7B

And those are very heavily self-censored.

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#306

Post by ra1n85 »

darklajid wrote: post #302

Apart from the global crisis this is also quite a big subject here, locally, in Singapore and among friends in HK: Honestly I don't see how Blizzard should've reacted instead and feel bad for them. That's not related to "bending over for China" or "selling out to China" and has nothing to do with the political situation in HK. The way I see it, someone did a really, really shitty (a gas mask and chanting?) publicity…

And seize his prize money and fire the casters? Would they have done the same had he voiced support for BLM or Julian Assange?

Your line of thinking is predicated on the fallacy that Blizzard acted in a principled manner. It’s also extremely suspicious to see how quickly you were upvoted. Subtly is not your forte.

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#307

Post by kbaker »

Aperocky wrote: post #262
euske wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say that video games will be the next social media (if they aren't already). When they created Twitters and Facebooks, they've never imagined that one day their platform will be a highly politicized. Similarly, people haven't imagined that video games are used for politics, but in the end every platform is going to be political. I wouldn't say it's something they have "created" (as others pointed out already), bu…

And that is totally stupid, why does every platform has to be political? Or rather, being forced by a subset of people with political agenda? Currently r/AskReddit is still relatively free, HN is also mostly free.

It's a lot easier to deal with the existence of political speech when the Great Firewall blocks you altogether.

Both Reddit and HN are blocked in China.

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#308

Post by khuey »

kmonsen wrote: post #146
belltaco wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wrong, it would have got huge media play in China as Blizzard not enforcing its rules in opposition to China. Just like the NBA issue.

Only if China decided to do so. They can pick a fight about anything they want to, so there is really no avoiding that.

For further evidence of that, look at what happened to Lotte, a Korean conglomerate that was essentially banned from China for the crime of having previously owned land that the Korean government used for a military purpose that China did not like.

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#309

Post by paulddraper »

esoterica wrote: post #231
irq wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's definitely not no-win. They can completely exit the Chinese market. The company will still survive if they do so. Earlier in this thread it was pointed out China generates only 10% of their revenue.

You’re correct that there’s a clear winning move, but you’re wrong about what that move is. Blizzard’s stock price hasn’t budged much since the scandal unfolded. Clearly the market doesn’t think there are going to be any long term repercussions from this. Every few week the gaming internet gets really mad about something or the (loot boxes, micro transactions, DRM, etc) and kicks up a huge fuss and then everyone imme…

Agreed. This is Facebook-level outrage and Facebook-level market consequences (little to none).

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#310

Post by darklajid »

falcolas wrote: post #135
colllectorof wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you respond? A bit too late for that. Traditionally, reasonable companies preempted this kind of stuff by creating a clear separation between professional and personal matters, and not mixing the two. But hey, these days many people want companies to stick their nose into everyone's business, police "bad speech", create comfortable "spaces", enforce conduct and so on. Well, you reap what you sow. Any mechanism…

Perhaps not cleanly stated, but true. Blizzard quite explicitly catered to the LGBTQ+ demographic recently via an Overwatch promotion, a move that can easily be construed as political speech (and which was voluntarily censored by Blizzard in Russia and China). They stuck their feet into this arena, and are now realizing that making political statement can affect their revenue in both directions.

I don't understand the line of reasoning here. If Blizzard wants to (appear to, if we doubt their sincerity) support a political cause, that's a decision by the company. I agree that they should expect a potential fallout for that.

But how is that related to Blizzard sponsoring (paying for casters, production and using their branding) content where random individuals make their own political statements (imho: presented in questionable ways)?

Is "not supporting individuals to hijack your platform for their own agenda" now immediately the same as "explicitly aligning yourself with the opposite political position"?

That feels like the "If you're against censorship you support child porn" argument? "If you don't want any random political statements then you are explicitly against the specific political point that a random guy chanted" does seem weird.

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