If you haven’t heard about any of this before now, you can read the full backstory here. The shortened version is this: Blizzard Entertainment, an American gaming company, punished a player from Hong Kong after he yelled out “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our age!” during a post-game live stream. The player, who goes by the handle Blitzchung, was suspended for a year and had his prize money seized. Blizzard did this because, just like the NBA, it is in business with China.
But the reaction from many players has been swift and furious. Vox’s Zack Beauchamp, who is apparently a daily player of one of the company’s games, suggested a boycott yesterday. He was not alone as similar suggestions were being made in various subreddits and on social media sites like Twitter.
Tuesday evening, game designer Mark Kern who worked on World of Warcraft for Blizzard announced he was joining the boycott because China’s money was dictating “American values.” Kern says he once received an offer for a $2 million dollar bribe if he would accept an investment from a Chinese company.
This hurts. But until Blizzard reverses their decision on @blitzchungHS I am giving up playing Classic WoW, which I helped make and helped convince Blizzard to relaunch. There will be no Mark of Kern guild after all.
Let me explain why I am #BoycottBlizzard
— Grummz (@Grummz) October 9, 2019
I have watched China slowly take over as the dominant investing force in gaming and movies over the years. It’s a shame US companies never believed as strongly as China and Asia in investing in games, but this allowed China to have unprecedented influence over our media.
— Grummz (@Grummz) October 9, 2019
I’ve seen firsthand the corruption of Chinese gaming companies, and I was removed from a company I founded (after Blizzard) for refusing to take a 2 million dollar kickback bribe to take an investment from China. This is the first time I’ve ever spoken pubically about it.
— Grummz (@Grummz) October 9, 2019
Chinese companies tried to ruin my career with planted press stories. Money is often paid for favorable press in China and some of that money flows here to the US as well.
Unfortunately, money talks. China has succeeded in infiltrating all levels of tech, gaming and more.
— Grummz (@Grummz) October 9, 2019
But now we are in a situation where unlimited Communist money dictates our American values. We censor our games for China, we censor our movies for China.
Now, game companies are silencing voices for freedom and democracy.
China is dictating that the world be authoritarian.
— Grummz (@Grummz) October 9, 2019
It’s one thing to keep politics out of games, which I am still a proponent of doing. It’s another to unfairly and harshly punish voices that speak out against corruption, against abuses of human rights, and freedom.
— Grummz (@Grummz) October 9, 2019
But enough is enough. I stand with Hong Kong, and I oppose Blizzard’s obvious and laughably transparent fear of China.
It’s time for Blizzard to grow the spine it used to have, and to do what’s right for gamers once again.
Gamers, rise up.
— Grummz (@Grummz) October 9, 2019
In addition to Kern, at least two Senators have weighed in:
Blizzard shows it is willing to humiliate itself to please the Chinese Communist Party. No American company should censor calls for freedom to make a quick buck. https://t.co/rJBeXUiwYS
— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) October 8, 2019
Recognize what’s happening here. People who don’t live in #China must either self censor or face dismissal & suspensions. China using access to market as leverage to crush free speech globally. Implications of this will be felt long after everyone in U.S. politics today is gone. https://t.co/Cx3tkWc7r6
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 8, 2019
But there are lots of regular people who are mocking the company with memes like this one featuring Blizzard’s logo superimposed on the Chinese flag:
Love the new Blizzard logo.#BoycottBlizzard
From: Mashmalo on Reddit pic.twitter.com/Pms2ok39Lq— Angelo Kingston (@Angelo_Kingston) October 8, 2019
This mock game card reads, “Silence any minions who oppose you and take their prize money.”
❄️ …lovely…#BoycottBlizzard pic.twitter.com/d1JRhSF8fS
— Kestrel,❄️ of The Flock (@LilFlockers) October 9, 2019
Others are just posting screenshots showing they’ve removed Blizzard’s games from their computers:
https://twitter.com/brittadal/status/1181982684383514625
Finally, some American University students held up a sign saying “Free Hong Kong/Boycott Blizz” at the end of a live stream yesterday. Watch the camera in the bottom left:
https://youtu.be/u_mmWMN6K40?t=3094
Given all of the polling that shows younger people increasingly support socialism, it’s refreshing to see some young people who still get that appeasement of communist China should not be tolerated. The pushback is getting a lot of coverage, including at major papers like the NY Times, but so far Blizzard has not offered a comment about any of it. Maybe they’re hoping this will blow over? I sincerely hope they’re wrong.
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