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Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

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Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#311

Post by paulddraper »

belltaco wrote: post #99
SolaceQuantum wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The NFL never took Colin's entire NFL earnings away from him on top of firing anyone commenting on the initial sitting. I'm pretty sure if they did this, there would be much more uproar than letting him do it and quietly not signing him onto any more teams.

He also didn't start talking about police brutality against African Americans in post game interviews to the media, IIRC.

1. Kaepernick kneeled during game ceremonies.

2. He talked to the media about this as much as possible. 18 minute interview with ESPN: https://www.espn.com/blog/san-francisco-49ers/post/_/id/1895...

3. And he launched an entire campaign around it https://www.knowyourrightscamp.com/

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#312

Post by willhslade »

taurath wrote: post #161
datapunk wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you respond when a character from your top grossing game is turned into a political meme? This is what Blizzard has been learning this week. How do you handle potentially thousands of attendees, at your organization's biggest annual event, turning it into a platform for political protest agaisnt your biggest growing market? There's three possible events: BlizzCon is canceled. Extremely unlikely but possible. B…

> This is a very awkward situation for blizzard, one they have ultimately created, no real way they will win. I don't think they created it per-say. I think they, and probably most of the executives in the industry, missed just how much a powder-keg chinese censorship is, and how political doing live international (or even national) sporting events can get. Everyone in the west is pissed at blizzard for cowing to Chi…

Per se.

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#313

Post by netsharc »

mintplant wrote: post #289
falcolas wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

So, what, as an LGBTQ+ person, I'm not allowed to be represented in media? Because my existence is "political"?

Sadly in many places it still is political isn't it? Like Russia, China, Utah... Since homophobic bigots run the places and think it's ok to oppress things they aren't comfortable with...

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#314

Post by darklajid »

derefr wrote: post #217
datapunk wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you respond when a character from your top grossing game is turned into a political meme? This is what Blizzard has been learning this week. How do you handle potentially thousands of attendees, at your organization's biggest annual event, turning it into a platform for political protest agaisnt your biggest growing market? There's three possible events: BlizzCon is canceled. Extremely unlikely but possible. B…

> no real way they will win They could win everywhere but China, by explicitly choosing to withdraw their products from China.

> They could win everywhere but China, by explicitly choosing to withdraw their products from China.

Westerner here. No, I don't want ANY political agenda in game streams. If Blizzard hosts people shouting "Free HK", "Liberate Tibet", "Support Palestine" then I'm going to tune out and don't buy their shit. If the next Dota2 stream I'm watching randomly is interrupted by one team reenacting a school shooting to then shout "restrict gun laws, down with the NRA" then I'll close the window and buy less Blizzard stuff.

This just Does Not Belong There. YMMV, but I really, really don't want to see this kind of content in gaming streams and would be turned OFF by it. China is unrelated at this point.

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#315

Post by flukus »

Latty wrote: post #299
saagarjha wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I hate the tendency to fall back to arguments about free speech when that is not the point. What you're saying isn't free speech at all; it's supporting the right to express speech you agree with and being ok with views you don't being taken down. In particular, free speech isn't "the point" to you .

Free speech is about not being arrested for expression. You are talking about companies being compelled to repeat speech, and that begs a lot of questions: what speech, by whom, how much relative time and visibility are different bits of speech given?

Free speech is an ideal, the constitutional protection is only an implementation and in the modern world arguably not the most important one.

As for compelling companies to do business with people they don't want to, we crossed that line long ago, they can't refuse service to people on the ground of race, sex, etc. Are you in favor of getting rid of anti-discrimination laws?

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#316

Post by manicdee »

datapunk wrote: post #55
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?

How do you respond when a character from your top grossing game is turned into a political meme? This is what Blizzard has been learning this week. How do you handle potentially thousands of attendees, at your organization's biggest annual event, turning it into a platform for political protest agaisnt your biggest growing market? There's three possible events: BlizzCon is canceled. Extremely unlikely but possible. B…

It’s only a “no win” if you consider losing business with an autocratic nation responsible for mass violation of human rights to be “losing”.

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#317

Post by 2bitencryption »

mintplant wrote: post #289
falcolas wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

So, what, as an LGBTQ+ person, I'm not allowed to be represented in media? Because my existence is "political"?

I think the problem is like this:

Blizzard creates art/items/events specifically catering to LGBTQ, with the concept that in modern western countries this is not a controversial stance but the only decent stance.

Then, at an event, a tournament winner is given a chance to speak and calls for democracy and freedom in Hong Kong.

Blizzard's response to this is ban him, take his prize away, ban the tournament casters for some reason (who did nothing at all, AFAIK).

The takeaway people get from these actions is "Blizzard projects the image that they care about social issues, but in reality they will shut you down hard if those issues cost them a penny."

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#318

Post by zucker42 »

falcolas wrote: post #168
zucker42 wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's because Blizzard did the "right" thing in the government's view. Just because the influence isn't visible doesn't mean it's not there, and invisible influence may be even more pernicious.

That doesn't diminish that it was purely Blizzard's decision in the end. Blizzard had a choice, and they picked censoring Blitzchung on their own.

So if the U.S. makes a law that fines companies for criticizing the president, and then Blizzard fires an employee for criticizing the president to avoid the fine, it's Blizzard's decision in the end and everything's fine? I don't know if you have considered the implications of this logic.

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#319

Post by manicdee »

Latty wrote: post #125
DoreenMichele wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a very awkward situation for blizzard, one they have ultimately created How do you figure they created it?

All these companies should refuse to self-censor for China. China does want western media and products. The fact that companies capitulate makes that the standard practice, and means China feels safe demanding it (or doesn't even need to because of the chilling effect). They can make a spectacle of any one company that refuses. I'm not saying that China wouldn't just ban them all, but it would at least mean there is…

Why should they refuse to self censor in Chine while they are happy self-censoring elsewhere?

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#320

Post by SkyMarshal »

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).

Try to copy a liberty-oriented message HK'ers are using and send it back.

For example, create a replica of their Lady Liberty and put it on the roof of the conference center or nearby hotel:

https://news.yahoo.com/protesters-erect-lady-liberty-statue-...

Or recreate "FREE HK" in neon lights and display somewhere prominent near Blizzcon:

https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/di1vjiAhE.3d29i_PNSPng--~B...

Basically, ping them back, let them know the outside world is getting their message and supporting them.

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