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Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

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Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#321

Post by ryacko »

darklajid wrote: post #314
derefr wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 s…

But in the West it is expected that token political statements are to be allowed and protected. "Free HK" isn't a particularly complex political statement, and it is over a topic which Westerners think is unfairly suppressed.

A similar comparison would be if Saudi Arabia had Blizzard ban someone for saying "Don't execute rape victims."

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#322

Post by tutiospose »

Lazare wrote: post #127
vbezhenar wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They banned him because he spoken about politics which have nothing with video games. I don't think that they tried to censor exactly HK speech. I guess they would have banned him if he would talk about Putin as well.

You reckon they'd have banned him if he'd worn a Elizabeth Warren campaign badge? Really? Like...that's a thing you honestly can imagine?

I believe they would have banned him if he said “Free Palestine.”

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#323

Post by darklajid »

ra1n85 wrote: post #306
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.

> And seize his prize money and fire the casters?

I don't know. Personally I'd say "yes and no", but ..

> Would they have done the same had he voiced support for BLM or Julian Assange?

No idea.

> Your line of thinking is predicated on the fallacy that Blizzard acted in a principled manner.

Nope, I very much believe that Blizzard wanted to appease China. I just think they had a good reason to ban the guy and don't support what he did.

> It’s also extremely suspicious to see how quickly you were upvoted. Subtly is not your forte.

Wat. The comment you replied to is below 0. Maybe put down your tinfoil hat and explain what this is supposed to mean? IF my comment gets upvoted it's .. because China is hijacking HN? Whereas if it's downvoted that is The Obviously Right Thing™?

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#324

Post by taurath »

willhslade wrote: post #312
taurath wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

Per kay!

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#325

Post by tutiospose »

soraki_soladead wrote: post #92
alasdair_ wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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).

It might be too subtle and difficult to organize but it would be pretty funny and effective if _everyone_ showed up as Mei. It would be really hard for Blizzard to penalize anyone for it but the message would be pretty clear if enough people did it.

The problem is the Chinese fans are also using Mei for patriotic messages now, especially after the voice actress sided with China.

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#326

Post by Pfhreak »

nyolfen wrote: post #279
Pfhreak wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FYI, for folks who aren't familiar, Mark Kern's history also includes full throated support of GamerGate and being removed from a CEO role at Red 5 by the board of directors. (Allegedly for erratic and disruptive behavior.) It's been a really, really wild ride seeing lefty twitter and righty twitter hold hands and agree that Blizzard did the wrong thing. (Though for different reasons.)

> FYI, for folks who aren't familiar, Mark Kern's history also includes full throated support of GamerGate and being removed from a CEO role at Red 5 by the board of directors. (Allegedly for erratic and disruptive behavior.) how are these relevant to the subject at hand, particularly the second issue? it comes across like fnords

Because it's fairly common to signal boost someone who you may or may not agree with, and having the information can be useful for someone who previously was unaware?

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#327

Post by tutiospose »

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.

Most countries, and even many in the West, don’t actually care. I think HN and Reddit are a echo chamber in this regard. None of my friends have stopped playing and they are now talking about the “next outrage” like Catalonia or the Extinction Protests in London.

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#328

Post by darklajid »

ryacko wrote: post #321
darklajid wrote: post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 s…

But in the West it is expected that token political statements are to be allowed and protected. "Free HK" isn't a particularly complex political statement, and it is over a topic which Westerners think is unfairly suppressed. A similar comparison would be if Saudi Arabia had Blizzard ban someone for saying "Don't execute rape victims."

> But in the West it is expected that token political statements are to be allowed and protected.

Is that so? I could imagine a huuuge amount of political statements that are illegal in my home country, Germany. Since I was raised there these rules are ingrained in me: "Free Speech" is not a thing (if we compare it to the US) and - that's the important part - I don't DISAGREE with that.

> "Free HK" isn't a particularly complex political statement

Is it not? I truly, honestly, don't know how complex that is in the end, compared to - say - supporting Texas leving the US, Bavaria leaving Germany, Basque leaving Spain (note I'm not comparing these countries with China at all, I'm just wondering if a separation argument can be simple)

> and it is over a topic which Westerners think is unfairly suppressed.

I wasn't aware of that

> A similar comparison would be if Saudi Arabia had Blizzard ban someone for saying "Don't execute rape victims."

No.

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#329

Post by tutiospose »

not_a_cop75 wrote: post #223
alasdair_ wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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).

You could all wear "Winnie the Pooh China" shirts. If you get kicked out for those, that will really be the shit hitting the fan for them. That's not even protest. That's simple freedom of expression.

It’s not actually banned. There’s a Winnie the Pooh ride in Shanghai Disneyland.

You can also watch Winnie the Pooh cartoons on Chinese streaming services.

Re: Blizzard Cancels Overwatch Event

#330

Post by tutiospose »

echelon wrote: post #202

We need to impose an 80% repatriation tax on any profits earned in China in order to offset the damages done to our domestic freedom of speech. China should not be able to control society outside of its own walls, yet they have blatantly influenced the behavior of our biggest mass media companies for years. To be fair, they've done an outstanding job of it. They fund a huge number of film productions. They've bought…

> China should not be able to control society outside of its own walls, yet they have blatantly influenced the behavior of our biggest mass media companies for years.

It’s companies that want access to China that are making these choices. It’s why foreign companies are afraid to deal with Cuba, Venezuela, or Iran.

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