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| Why Gamers Are Protesting BlizzCon for Hong Kong | Why Gamers Are Protesting BlizzCon for Hong Kong |
| (7 months later) | |
| Gamers revolted last month when Activision Blizzard, the company behind some of the world’s most popular video games, punished a player for voicing support for the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. | Gamers revolted last month when Activision Blizzard, the company behind some of the world’s most popular video games, punished a player for voicing support for the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. |
| Now, BlizzCon, the highly anticipated annual convention run by the company’s Blizzard Entertainment division, may be disrupted by demonstrations. | Now, BlizzCon, the highly anticipated annual convention run by the company’s Blizzard Entertainment division, may be disrupted by demonstrations. |
| Here’s the latest on the controversy and what to expect. | Here’s the latest on the controversy and what to expect. |
| In early October, Blizzard hosted a tournament for the Asia-Pacific region for Hearthstone, a strategy card game. During a post-match interview with the company’s Taiwan stream, Chung Ng Wai, a professional player in Hong Kong, spoke out in support of the pro-democracy and anti-China protests there. | In early October, Blizzard hosted a tournament for the Asia-Pacific region for Hearthstone, a strategy card game. During a post-match interview with the company’s Taiwan stream, Chung Ng Wai, a professional player in Hong Kong, spoke out in support of the pro-democracy and anti-China protests there. |
| Sporting ballistic goggles and a gas mask — accessories often worn by the demonstrators — Mr. Chung shouted in Mandarin: “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” echoing a popular protest slogan. Days later, Blizzard, which also makes the popular game Overwatch, announced that Mr. Chung had violated competition rules against offending “a portion or group of the public.” As a result, the company said he would be punished by being stripped of $10,000 in winnings and barred from the game for a year. It also suspended the hosts of that live stream. | Sporting ballistic goggles and a gas mask — accessories often worn by the demonstrators — Mr. Chung shouted in Mandarin: “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” echoing a popular protest slogan. Days later, Blizzard, which also makes the popular game Overwatch, announced that Mr. Chung had violated competition rules against offending “a portion or group of the public.” As a result, the company said he would be punished by being stripped of $10,000 in winnings and barred from the game for a year. It also suspended the hosts of that live stream. |
| Criticism of the move was swift and intense, with many accusing the company of being motivated by business interests in China. (Tencent, the Chinese internet giant, owns a stake in Activision Blizzard.) | Criticism of the move was swift and intense, with many accusing the company of being motivated by business interests in China. (Tencent, the Chinese internet giant, owns a stake in Activision Blizzard.) |
| Gamers posted angrily on social media; an anti-Blizzard boycott trended on Twitter; company employees staged a walkout and at least one creator of the immensely popular World of Warcraft said he had canceled his personal subscription to the game. | Gamers posted angrily on social media; an anti-Blizzard boycott trended on Twitter; company employees staged a walkout and at least one creator of the immensely popular World of Warcraft said he had canceled his personal subscription to the game. |
| Updated May 27, 2020 | |
| In the summer of 2019, Hong Kong protesters began fighting a rule that would allow extraditions to China. These protests eventually broadened to protect Hong Kong’s autonomy from China. The protests wound down when pro-democracy candidates notched a stunning victory in Hong Kong elections in November, in what was seen as a pointed rebuke of Beijing and its allies in Hong Kong. | |
| Late in 2019, the protests then quieted. | |
| Those peaceful mass rallies that occurred in June of 2019 were pointed against the territory leadership of Hong Kong. Later, they devolved into often-violent clashes between some protesters and police officers and lasted through November 2019. The current protests are aimed at mainland China. | |
| This latest round of demonstrations in Hong Kong has been fueled largely by China’s ruling Communist Party move this month to impose new national security legislation for Hong Kong. | |
| To China, the rules are necessary to protect the country’s national sovereignty. To critics, they further erode the relative autonomy granted to the territory after Britain handed it back to China in 1997. | |
| The rules would take direct aim at the anti-government protests and other dissent in Hong Kong. They are expected to prevent and punish secession, subversion as well as foreign infiltration — all of which Beijing has blamed for fueling unrest in the city. | |
| The legislation would also allow the mainland’s feared security agencies to set up their operations publicly in Hong Kong for the first time, instead of operating on a limited scale in secrecy. | |
| In trying to pass this legislation, Beijing is bypassing the Hong Kong government, and the legislation is being pushed by China’s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress. | |
| Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican, weighed in, as did Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat who said on Twitter that Blizzard had shown it was “willing to humiliate itself to please the Chinese Communist Party.” That criticism came as several other global businesses were accused by protesters of sympathizing with the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party. | Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican, weighed in, as did Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat who said on Twitter that Blizzard had shown it was “willing to humiliate itself to please the Chinese Communist Party.” That criticism came as several other global businesses were accused by protesters of sympathizing with the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party. |
| A spokeswoman for Mitsubishi, whose logo was front and center in the stream of Mr. Chung’s interview, told The Daily Beast that the company had decided to end its sponsorship of Blizzard esports events. | A spokeswoman for Mitsubishi, whose logo was front and center in the stream of Mr. Chung’s interview, told The Daily Beast that the company had decided to end its sponsorship of Blizzard esports events. |
| Days after announcing the punishment, Blizzard’s president, J. Allen Brack, walked it back in a lengthy letter, reducing Mr. Chung’s suspension to six months and allowing him to keep his winnings. | Days after announcing the punishment, Blizzard’s president, J. Allen Brack, walked it back in a lengthy letter, reducing Mr. Chung’s suspension to six months and allowing him to keep his winnings. |
| At BlizzCon, the annual convention, Blizzard typically debuts new games and rewards die-hard fans with insider knowledge and events. This year’s convention is being held this week in California at the Anaheim Convention Center near Disneyland. | At BlizzCon, the annual convention, Blizzard typically debuts new games and rewards die-hard fans with insider knowledge and events. This year’s convention is being held this week in California at the Anaheim Convention Center near Disneyland. |
| Mr. Brack addressed the controversy before the opening ceremony on Friday, shortly before planned demonstrations outside. | Mr. Brack addressed the controversy before the opening ceremony on Friday, shortly before planned demonstrations outside. |
| “Blizzard had the opportunity to bring the world together in a tough Hearthstone esports moment about a month ago and we did not,” he said in a live stream of the event. “We moved too quickly in our decision-making and then, to make matters worse, we were too slow to talk with all of you.” | “Blizzard had the opportunity to bring the world together in a tough Hearthstone esports moment about a month ago and we did not,” he said in a live stream of the event. “We moved too quickly in our decision-making and then, to make matters worse, we were too slow to talk with all of you.” |
| Mr. Brack said the company would “do better” going forward, but did not say whether it would change any policies or implement new ones. | Mr. Brack said the company would “do better” going forward, but did not say whether it would change any policies or implement new ones. |
| According to a news release, a group called Gamers for Freedom — a project by Fight for the Future, a nonprofit that seeks to uphold freedom of expression online — had partnered with the activist group Freedom Hong Kong to protest the event. | According to a news release, a group called Gamers for Freedom — a project by Fight for the Future, a nonprofit that seeks to uphold freedom of expression online — had partnered with the activist group Freedom Hong Kong to protest the event. |
| A demonstration was held outside the convention center Friday afternoon. The groups at the protest distributed “Freedom Hong Kong” T-shirts to attendees and protesters throughout the day. Some demonstrators dressed as Winnie-the-Pooh, a character that is censored in China after it was used to mock President Xi Jinping online. | A demonstration was held outside the convention center Friday afternoon. The groups at the protest distributed “Freedom Hong Kong” T-shirts to attendees and protesters throughout the day. Some demonstrators dressed as Winnie-the-Pooh, a character that is censored in China after it was used to mock President Xi Jinping online. |
| Featured afternoon speakers included Casey Chambers and Torin Wright, two members of the American University Hearthstone team, which had been barred from competing after speaking out in support of Mr. Chung. | Featured afternoon speakers included Casey Chambers and Torin Wright, two members of the American University Hearthstone team, which had been barred from competing after speaking out in support of Mr. Chung. |
| “If me getting banned from a video game is going to help people, help people’s lives and help spread awareness about Hong Kong, then I think that’s a positive thing,” Mr. Wright said. | “If me getting banned from a video game is going to help people, help people’s lives and help spread awareness about Hong Kong, then I think that’s a positive thing,” Mr. Wright said. |
| Mr. Chambers said that the entire situation with Blizzard had left a bad taste in his mouth. | Mr. Chambers said that the entire situation with Blizzard had left a bad taste in his mouth. |
| “It’s not a good feeling going out like this,” he said. “It definitely wasn’t how I imagined putting down Hearthstone as a game, but I’m going to stand up for what’s right.” | “It’s not a good feeling going out like this,” he said. “It definitely wasn’t how I imagined putting down Hearthstone as a game, but I’m going to stand up for what’s right.” |
| Employees typically look forward to the annual event, but recent layoffs and the public relations fallout over the Hong Kong protest decision have affected morale for some, The Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday. | Employees typically look forward to the annual event, but recent layoffs and the public relations fallout over the Hong Kong protest decision have affected morale for some, The Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday. |
| Aimee Ortiz contributed reporting. | Aimee Ortiz contributed reporting. |