On October 8th, Video game developer Blizzard banned virtual card game Hearthstone player Ng “Blitzchung” Wai Chung for voicing support for Hong Kong protesters during a competition live stream. Since then, Blizzard has banned three college students and temporarily suspended multiple people in a Twitch chat for also expressing support for the protests.
In the story stream below, follow the developments after Blizzard joined a list of companies coming under fire from users, activists, and lawmakers for moderating support for the protests. Some critics see the move as acquiescing to the Chinese government, and both Apple and the NBA have faced similar allegations.
These incidents have sparked outcries about the restriction of free speech and expression, and raised the all-too-familiar debate surrounding whether politics should be kept out of gaming, sports, or anything else. There’s speculation that US-based companies are trying to appease China through this kind of moderation, and it’s seemingly motivated by profit.
Nov 5, 2019, 4:41 PM UTCAron Garst
Team Hong Kong’s unlikely journey to the Overwatch World Cup
Amid controversy, one team fights to prove they belong
Nov 1, 2019, 6:12 PM UTCNick Statt
Blizzard says ‘we failed in our purpose’ after Hearthstone Hong Kong controversy
Blizzard’s president apologized directly to fans
Oct 30, 2019, 12:42 AM UTCNick Statt
Blizzard lost a big sponsor after the Hong Kong outcry: Mitsubishi
Blizzard lost the trust of its fans, and some money too
Oct 24, 2019, 9:51 PM UTCBijan Stephen
Gamers for Freedom is a new group pressuring Blizzard and other publishers about Hong Kong
The movement has been orchestrated by the web-focused nonprofit Fight for the Future
Oct 18, 2019, 8:25 PM UTCBijan Stephen
Blizzard is banning people in its Hearthstone Twitch chat for spamming pro-Hong Kong statements
According to Blizzard, that’s because of automated moderation
Oct 18, 2019, 7:45 PM UTCColin Lecher
AOC and Ted Cruz call out Apple for dropping Hong Kong app in joint letter
Lawmakers also criticized Blizzard
Oct 17, 2019, 6:45 PM UTCRussell Brandom
Mark Zuckerberg took on China in a speech defending free expression
‘Is that the internet that we want?’
Oct 16, 2019, 5:56 PM UTCJulia Alexander
Blizzard bans three college Hearthstone players for Hong Kong protest sign
The latest entry in protests against Blizzard
Oct 12, 2019, 12:32 AM UTCNick Statt
Blizzard breaks its silence on controversial suspension of pro Hong Kong Hearthstone player
It claims the ban has nothing to do with China
Oct 11, 2019, 5:47 PM UTCMakena Kelly
Riot doesn’t want League of Legends broadcasters discussing ‘sensitive topics’ on the air
Epic Games is cool with political speech though
Oct 10, 2019, 5:10 PM UTCChaim Gartenberg
Google pulls Hong Kong protest game for violating rules against ‘capitalizing on sensitive events’
The latest Hong Kong-related app to be removed
Oct 10, 2019, 1:00 AM UTCNick Statt
Apple removes Quartz news app from the Chinese App Store over Hong Kong coverage
Quartz says its website has also been banned in mainland China
Oct 9, 2019, 8:55 PM UTCMakena Kelly
Blizzard employees walked out in protest following pro-Hong Kong player ban
It was a small, but highly visible group
Oct 9, 2019, 7:56 PM UTCMakena Kelly
TikTok should be investigated for censorship, Marco Rubio says
Relations with Beijing are not the best this week
Oct 9, 2019, 12:09 PM UTCMakena Kelly
Unlike Blizzard, Epic Games says it won’t ban players for political speech
Woke Fortnite
Oct 8, 2019, 7:18 PM UTCMakena Kelly
After Hearthstone player’s ban, Blizzard is in hot water with lawmakers
‘Blizzard shows it is willing to humiliate itself to please the Chinese Communist Party,’ Sen. Ron Wyden said
Oct 8, 2019, 12:06 PM UTCJon Porter
Hearthstone player banned for supporting Hong Kong protesters during live stream
‘Liberate Hong Kong. Revolution of our age!’
Oct 7, 2019, 10:32 PM UTCJay Peters and Nick Statt
Apple is hiding Taiwan’s flag emoji if you’re in Hong Kong or Macau
But there are still ways to use it
