xSolozx · @xSolozx
8th Oct 2019 from TwitLonger
On Blizzard's ruling on Blitzchung
Thinking about this after a while, this should not be surprising at all. Blizzard has been catering to the Chinese market (all the censoring in card arts etc.), and will be doing so as well. That said, it's one thing to "fix" card arts to promote "family-friendliness" so that the game can be published in China, and it's another thing to effectively kill a player's career (and punishing him for speaking out against a totalitarian government and all the violations of human rights in HK) , and more importantly, kill the freedom of expression by self-censoring.
"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"
Look at this clause that they punished Blitzchung for. Public disrepute? A lot of people applauded Blitzchung for his bravery and his commitment to the protests in HK, and while some might not agree with such actions, it in no way brings public disrepute.
Offending a portion or group of the public? This is where the problem comes in. Was there hate speech in Blitzchung's actions? No. Were there any disrespectful actions? No. Who did he offend? No one. He was merely stating his stance and support for the HK movement, a movement that tries to uphold democratic values, human rights and fight against a totalitarian government.
"In Blizzard's sole discretion" they decided that they would rather not trigger some of the Chinese audience's political ignorance and the questionable goldmine (despite being a totalitarian that repeatedly oppress people and do against basic human rights), to punish a player for doing what's right. They valued money (of a state built on oppression) over universal rights.
If you go and check Blizzard's mission (https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/company/about/mission.html), they have missions that say "every voice matters", that "Every employee is encouraged to speak up, listen, be respectful of other opinions, and embrace criticism as just another avenue for great ideas." Does the voices of the oppressed not matter? Is money more important than upholding your company's "mission" and freedom? Apparently so.
I hope everyone who sees this think about what Blizzard has done, and if you want to support this kind of company that cares more about money than rights, values and lives.
Please speak out or tweet/ RT or do whatever you can to let Blizzard know that this is not the correct decision, and that they are tarnishing the values that we all are striving for.