Blizzard bans 'Hearthstone' pro for Hong Kong protest support

[ipecac]

I'm not trying to provoke a fight, but it seems this topic is a little personal to you ipecac.  If anything this whole Hong Kong - China - Blizzard event has highlighted just how different value sets are between west and east, and having either side try to view the other's actions through their own lens is of course only going to make them think the other is wrong.e

It's not personal. If anything, people like me are best suited to understand both western and eastern value sets, which puts me on the side of neither, but that of common sense. It's common sense that making such a political protest would get you banned as that guy that Scooter linked said, and it's also common sense that the commentators are going to get fired for encouraging him to do it and laughing about it on air

It's also common sense that Blizzard is caught in between the two sides, and can at best hope to mollify only one side. So it's decided on the path that infuriates the west.

  To a westerner it's the duplicity by Blizzard that is so infuriating

Neither side wants the truth - which is that being a selfish asshole that puts a company smack in the biggest current geopolitical shitstorm has consequences. One side does not care about Blizzard's internal view but just wants firings and grovelling, the other wants the illusion that it's not an IRL situation where stupid actions have consequences.

Blizzard can satisfy one side but not the other. Despite its famous ability to make immersive games, it can't make a Real Life situation not Real Life.

and what caused many of their own employees to stage a walkout today.

If it was my company I'd fire the lot. The company is in a big crisis and you decide to walkout because the PR decision in a desperate situation is to tell two different stories to two different angry sides of customers?

[Krill]

Is AB publicly or privately owned?

[Gustaran]

It's not personal. If anything, people like me are best suited to understand both western and eastern value sets, which puts me on the side of neither, but that of common sense.

This has nothing to do with "western" or "eastern" values. It's a totalitarian one party state that suppresses free speech and violates human rights on one side vs. a movement for democracy and basic human rights on the other.

You make it sound like it's a discussion if it's ok to eat dogs or not.

[The Black Sword]

Honestly ipecac, it sounds like you're deliberately misinterpreting the 'western' side of the issue. I'm not really interested in arguing it line-by-line, I don't see the point and RB is where I come for fun. 

Personally I sent Blizzard a message saying that I won't be buying any more of their products(I usually pre-order each Hearthstone expansion). I think it's clear by the severity of their actions that they weren't punishing the act of making a political statement, but the content of that statement. And I don't want to support a company that does that.

I fully understand it would have cost them a lot of money not to punish the content of that staement, but that doesn't make it ok with me.

[scooter]

I would recommend not replying to him.

Is AB publicly or privately owned?

It's publicly owned, but it's worth noting that Tencent (a Chinese company) owns a 5% stake in it.

Personally I sent Blizzard a message saying that I won't be buying any more of their products(I usually pre-order each Hearthstone expansion). I think it's clear by the severity of their actions that they weren't punishing the act of making a political statement, but the content of that statement. And I don't want to support a company that does that.

I fully understand it would have cost them a lot of money not to punish the content of that staement, but that doesn't make it ok with me.

Yeah, I uninstalled Overwatch, which is the one Blizzard game I play here and there. It's a trivial thing, but if they check metrics for things like that in the aftermath of this incident, I'm happy to be a statistic. Ultimately they've made a financial decision: the risk of lost money from China in case of a ban there > risk of lost money from public displeasure in the west. The only way they're going to course correct here is if they feel that equation has changed.

[darrelljs]

Engaging in any act that, in Blizzard’s sole discretion, brings you into public disrepute, offends a portion or group of the public, or otherwise damages Blizzard image

Hearthstone dude put on a mask and said a short statement of support towards the demonstrators in Hong Kong.

Hmm.  I don't see it.

Darrell

[ipecac]

This has nothing to do with "western" or "eastern" values. It's a totalitarian one party state that suppresses free speech and violates human rights on one side vs. a movement for democracy and basic human rights on the other.

You're from Germany, right? How many 80+ yr old grandmas have been sent to jail for Holocaust denial? How many times has the government leaned on social media companies to stifle anti-immigrant posts?

Each society has its own forbidden speech for people living in it. What China is additionally doing is to require of foreign businesses to follow certain restrictions to do business there. Their place, their rules, otherwise you are free to not do business there.

[ipecac]

Hmm. I don't see it.

Seriously?

brings you into public disrepute

Side with violent rioters - check

offends a portion or group of the public

Anger the Chinese - check

otherwise damages Blizzard image

Makes an inflammatory political partisan statement on Blizzard stream - check.

[ipecac]

I think it's clear by the severity of their actions that they weren't punishing the act of making a political statement, but the content of that statement.

As previously mentioned, their reaction is not severe at all. People are also saying that they were severe by firing the supposedly innocent commentators, when it's clear from the video that they were encouraging him.

[Mardoc]

Ultimately they've made a financial decision: the risk of lost money from China in case of a ban there > risk of lost money from public displeasure in the west. The only way they're going to course correct here is if they feel that equation has changed.

The other way to change the equation would be for the US government to punish China for their interference in our internal affairs, until the pressure on companies like Blizzard gets removed.  Last week I thought Hong Kong wasn't really my problem, but this week I want war.  I suppose I could be talked into something smaller, like shipping a bunch of weapons to Hong Kong and that Muslim province and Tibet, anyone who wants to try a rebellion.  Maybe just trade sanctions.  But the idea that China wants to censor Americans speaking in America is deeply offensive to me.  I want to make it clear to the Chinese government that attempting to censor us is a losing tactic, not worth attempting.

I wasn't willing to fight over the Great Firewall, they can keep that, but this is an attack on our citizens.

It's not just Blizzard - the NBA, ESPN are currently also being blatant about this, and it seems to me that there must be 10 more subtle censors for each instance that makes it into the news.