Blizzard Suspends Hearthstone Player For Hong Kong Support, Pulls Prize Money

[Blade Wolf]

Here's one way Blizzard could shut down the "Re-imagine Mei as a Resistance symbol" meme:



So what do you think? Too believable?

It's obviously not real, but the concept of a video game company re-framing an angry player base as "just a bunch of bigots" is not unprecedented.

Is that legit?

[Belize]

So let me get this straight on that tweet....

THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT...out of all entities involved...GIVES SO MUCH FUCK ABOUT BLIZZARD'S IMAGE....they had to produce a statement for them to publish to cover up....

...Let that Logic sink in a bit and how fucked it is....they did not do it with the NBA with all it's money and brand...not for Apple and what they did...but they stood up with Blizzard and made a statement for them...

How ILL minded do you have to be to actually believe this? no matter your stance on the subject....

You know anyone could easily claim it was translated from Spanish, Italian, heck even Russian and we could get the same effect....internet mob mentality that would believe anything tossed at them /facepalm

I don't think it was implied that it's some grand conspiracy with the Chinese government.

It's more likely that this was a statement written alongside Chinese partners to make it paletable for that audience, and that they decided that having 2 different messages for different audiences (see ban announcement) might not be the best. Which is why it sounds so stilted.


... Or, human android Andrew Wilson can robotize others now, and Brack was one of the first.


The former sounds more plausible though.

[Yunru]

Is that legit?

Probaly not. But as i know how Blizzard goes, they will probaly pull out a give us money for kids scheme. (charity non-sense)
Just to hide themselfs a bit.

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

I'm glad that people care about what's happening, but at the same time I'm skeptical that this will lead to anything. The way I see it, the only difference between Blizzard and countless of other corporations operating in China is that Blizzard was caught with their pants down - we all know what's "underneath those pants" (the implicit support of oppressive regimes, sweat shops etc).

That is not to say that you shouldn't be upset about Blizzard, and that you shouldn't do whatever you can to protest their behavior - you absolutely should. And I hope it can grow further and expand into a bigger and more encompassing movement.

It has to start somewhere.

[Mayhem]

I mean just look at all the usual 'outrage' channels spamming videos over this and it's not hard to see why this is such a big deal on youtube/twitter/etc. People want that money from your views over the latest and greatest outrage incident on the conveyor belt of outrage videos that are made. It's so pathetic how monetized manufactured outrage is these days...

Next month this will all be forgotten and we will be outraged and boycotting over the next new trend and outrage meme.

I especially like the one poster that keeps posting youtube videos. Sure take money from google but be outraged at blizzard.

[thottstation]

Is that legit?

Probaly not.

I literally... literally... said it wasn't real.

[Muzjhath]

I literally... literally... said it wasn't real.

You expect people to read an entire post on the internet? Outrageous!

[Cthulhu 2020]

So many people railing about "free speech!" as usual.

It's like we have to remind people every other day what "Free Speech" actually covers.

Blizzard firing a pro player is not a violation of free speech, true. China's own actions of trying to silence their citizens who are speaking out in opposition to their loss of democracy though, is a free speech issue. And Blizzard standing behind China silencing its citizens is a matter of free speech for Blizzard within the US, but is aiding Chinese government efforts to silence protesters.

It's one thing for companies to ban users who break their terms of service. But, if the US government made it a crime to speak out against Donald Trump, that would go directly against the first amendment of course. If COMPANIES started going along with said law, rather than protesting the law, and began banning users for speaking out against Trump, the waters would get incredibly muddy, as companies would be complying with a law that violates the first amendment.

Yes, I know the first amendment does not apply in China. But Hong Kong does have some degree of free speech, which mainland China is trying to suppress.

A company does not have to host the speech of anyone they do not want to, as that is their right. But if a company were to begin backing a law that suppresses free speech in accordance with a government decree that suppresses free speech, then it would be a free speech issue.

[Mayhem]

Blizzard firing a pro player is not a violation of free speech, true. China's own actions of trying to silence their citizens who are speaking out in opposition to their loss of democracy though, is a free speech issue. And Blizzard standing behind China silencing its citizens is a matter of free speech for Blizzard within the US, but is aiding Chinese government efforts to silence protesters.

It's one thing for companies to ban users who break their terms of service. But, if the US government made it a crime to speak out against Donald Trump, that would go directly against the first amendment of course. If COMPANIES started going along with said law, rather than protesting the law, and began banning users for speaking out against Trump, the waters would get incredibly muddy, as companies would be complying with a law that violates the first amendment.

Yes, I know the first amendment does not apply in China. But Hong Kong does have some degree of free speech, which mainland China is trying to suppress.

A company does not have to host the speech of anyone they do not want to, as that is their right. But if a company were to begin backing a law that suppresses free speech in accordance with a government decree that suppresses free speech, then it would be a free speech issue.

So a company abiding a law would be against the law? Uhm.

[Freighter]

I read through both sections like 100 times now and I still fail to understand how some people here think these rules any different, honestly...?
So I call blatant hypocrisy on Blizzard, for punishment toward Hong Kong player, but not the US players even though they basically broke the same rule.

How is that hypocrisy? The circumstances are not the same.

[Kallisto]

Do you have an actual opinion of your own? Because all I see are random garbage YouTubers. Do you need angry clickbait shite to make your opinion for you or what? Are we supposed to care about clickbait from idiots?


All 3 of the people in that post would make any video they can to make some angry clickbait, they thrive on it. Especially the absolute garbage that is TheQuartering.

I think I have only seen 2 videos where a reasonable view actually came out. Taliesin's and one guy who I can't remember. Hell even Angry joe who is always anti business practice took a step back and was like "Yeah it's shitty but not much else could be done."

Then again I just the irony of these people getting money from Google by using youtube as their platform whose actions in China was much much worse.

[SirBeef]

I was replying only to the idea that since they are not publicly traded they don't have a duty to their shareholders. I didn't feel the need to mention the stakeholders that were not part of the conversation.

- - - Updated - - -



That still doesn't mean they don't have a duty to their shareholders.

It's more of a clarification to those that say Blizzard or any other public company only dies things to appease shareholders. Citing that as if it is law. When it's stakeholders and it encompasses 3 groups. Again, customers and employees have been ignored for 40 years in that regards. In respect to Epic, while it is a private company, it has multiple owners, and if say Tencent told Tim that public support of HK is off limits or they will leave with their 40%, I bet he would listen.

[rhorle]

Probaly not. But as i know how Blizzard goes, they will probaly pull out a give us money for kids scheme. (charity non-sense)
Just to hide themselfs a bit.

They do that every year around this time. Saying it is to hide is dumb.

[Kathranis]

Okay, here's what I really think Blizzard needs to do, not only to correct this or improve their public image, but to actually have something positive come from it.


1. Maybe have a few more members of leadership make a few more public statements. They need to appeal to humanity here, since it's a humanitarian issue. Jeff Kaplan would be a good face to put to this, as the team lead for Overwatch, a game that is meant to champion the company's values.

2. Make some charitable donations.

3. Let things die down a bit. Start working internally to create their own charity or humanitarian fund, in the style of Penny Arcade's Child's Play charity, or at least partner with one. Amnesty International or something.

4. Open Blizzcon by directly addressing the controversy. Have Jeff Kaplan do it, or bring in someone like Chris Metzen. Not Brack, he's too abrasive. Announce plans for the new Blizzard-backed charity organization or partnership. In particular, parley the Overwatch ethos into something meaningful. You can already imagine the video presentation with Tracer saying "the world could always use more heroes" and Harold Winston saying "dare to see the world as it could be," Saurfang saying "We don't get to hide," so forth. At the same time define a firm line between their games, esports programs, and charity, with the charity being the outlet for "making a difference."

5. Future charity mounts, pets, skins, events, etc. go through this new charity program / partnership. Other ways for people to donate or make purchases (like apparel) that contribute to it.

[caervek]

Again this depends on perspective. From the PRC perspective it was held in China, from the ROC perspective it was held in Taiwan.

Hong Kong is part of the PRC but they were a British colony up until 1997 when the UK handed sovereignty back over to China.

It's even crazier than that, because prior to '97 the PRC had never owned Hong Kong, it was Taiwan (or at least the country today called Taiwan) we signed the lease with and to make matters crazier the lease didn't even cover all of Hong Kong, a lot of the colony was actually flat out British territory, we just handed it all over because at the time our government wanted to court favour with the PRC (emerging market, big value, etc).

[Jshadowhunter]

How is that hypocrisy? The circumstances are not the same.

Okay, Enlighten me. How?

- - - Updated - - -

It's even crazier than that, because prior to '97 the PRC had never owned Hong Kong, it was Taiwan (or at least the country today called Taiwan) we signed the lease with and to make matters crazier the lease didn't even cover all of Hong Kong, a lot of the colony was actually flat out British territory, we just handed it all over because at the time our government wanted to court favour with the PRC (emerging market, big value, etc).

And the fact that British Empire was on deaths bed and even if they wanted to keep the Hong Kong island that they won from 1st Opium war, there was no chance they'd be able to defend the island from a powerhouse on the other side of the world, so they just handed it over to PRC, thus officially ending the British empire.
Sadly people of Hong Kong had no say in it. About as much as Czechs had a say in the handover of Sudetenland to Nazi Germany.

[ShadeknightX]

Okay, here's what I really think Blizzard needs to do, not only to correct this or improve their public image, but to actually have something positive come from it.


1. Maybe have a few more members of leadership make a few more public statements. They need to appeal to humanity here, since it's a humanitarian issue. Jeff Kaplan would be a good face to put to this, as the team lead for Overwatch, a game that is meant to champion the company's values.

2. Make some charitable donations.

3. Let things die down a bit. Start working internally to create their own charity or humanitarian fund, in the style of Penny Arcade's Child's Play charity, or at least partner with one. Amnesty International or something.

4. Open Blizzcon by directly addressing the controversy. Have Jeff Kaplan do it, or bring in someone like Chris Metzen. Not Brack, he's too abrasive. Announce plans for the new Blizzard-backed charity organization or partnership. In particular, parley the Overwatch ethos into something meaningful. You can already imagine the video presentation with Tracer saying "the world could always use more heroes" and Harold Winston saying "dare to see the world as it could be," Saurfang saying "We don't get to hide," so forth. At the same time define a firm line between their games, esports programs, and charity, with the charity being the outlet for "making a difference."

5. Future charity mounts, pets, skins, events, etc. go through this new charity program / partnership. Other ways for people to donate or make purchases (like apparel) that contribute to it.

Sentimental wise that would be decent....Objectively and realistically that's never ever going to happen in any company...

1-You are asking members such as Jeff Kaplan with no management roles inside the company take on a position they cant and shouldn't do, such a thing has to fall upon a spokes person with responsibilities to do so aka Brack....also why do we need drag and taint Jeff with the corp. shit show :/

2-...They do that....every year....every Blizzcon....and every now and then with merch. and promos, only to be called Hypocrites and publicity seekers...so....

3-First part will happen and is happening, second part.....I think they structure it differently as I said in point 2....which will lead to what I said in point 2

4-No no no no no....They already did in an official statement and still getting shit on cause no matter what, people won't take them at face value as every statement and action should....there is always a deeper meaning for some and people are sooo deep into that dark hole of interpreting every syllabus and every body twitch to get to them....just reply when needed, Blizzcon is for people to enjoy...and as per a poll in another thread....Some would argue the majority doesn't give that much of a damn to keep that in the spotlight, they want to play and enjoy their time without politics getting dragged in.

5-Refer to number 2....then number 3...apply the consequences loop....multiply by cynics and disbelievers...

A company, no matter how much we embrace and have grown up with, should not be our representatives of moral values or lackeys to what us as individuals should be doing....I find it of GREAT hypocrisy that it just happens the ones with most vocal rage against a company....making statements, memes, spreading false info, and screenshots of whatever they think prove them dropping the company.......most of them never once showed what they would positively do to support the cause they are allegedly enraged about whether with charity, donations, providing information....etc.

The whole thing is a REACTION....but never actual supportive POSITIVE ACTION.

[PosPosPos]

Blizzard has every right to do what they did. That does not mean it's the actual right thing to do.

And they just sent the message to China they can do whatever they want; that they can be brazen bullies without having pushback from those with moral and ethical spine.

[Jshadowhunter]

[AidanJLowe]

I must be one of the very few who didn't think they needed to put out a statement and in doing so have apparently made themselves look worse.

I didn't expect an apology and rightfully they didn't but they gave in and reinstated the prize money despite their own rules of the competition stating prize money would be stripped.

They probably shouldn't of been as hasty in the snap decision but I for one respect rules & laws and think many should adhere to them, you're speaking on someone elses stream about politics which doesn't represent the view of the company associated with it of course you're going to face backlash and they knew that.

And to people who haven't noticed it's not the Blizzard that was founded, not in the slightest so why this is so shocking to people is beyond me. Of course they have big business in China the outcome where the player was penalised would of still happened, they would't have competition rules and not enforce them and they look after their business first and that should not come as a surprise.