[Dan_JiuJitsu]

I will never purchase another game from Activision or Blizzard unless they recant this backwards position. American art and media should not be subject to Chinese influence.

I've been a loyal customer over the years, but I have a long memory. Refuse to delete my account if you will, it will never be used again.

[uwuhn]

First they came for the skeletons, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a skeleton.

[hannasanarion]

For real though, changing character design for things like skeletons because it has a different meaning in another culture is a perfectly normal thing to do.

Changing characters to scrub them of LGBT characteristics that are illegal in another country is cowardly and should have caused a much bigger outrage than it did.

Banning players for supporting pro-democracy movements outside the game and retroactively seizing their winnings is horrific. Nothing about their rules says they had to do this, it was entirely at their discretion. The chinese government didn't even threaten them over it. They chose to make an example of Blitzchung within minutes of his statement. They went above and beyond to endear themselves to the CCP. If they want to win their reputation back, heads need to roll, and if that means the loss of the chinese market, too bad.

[FooHentai]

>The Chinese government didn't even threaten them over it.

Overtly. But this is a clear example of what is meant when people talk about the 'soft influence' which China seeks to develop. At the crude end of the scale, you have indoctrinated CCP people spreading out globally occupied in various positions able to exert leverage favorable to the party. At the more subtle end you have boards mindful of impacting their bottom line if they lose access to a large market.

What we're seeing here could be coming from either of those ends of the soft influence playbook. But no matter what, it's a clear example of the power of the approach, and how confounding it can become to resist it's effect.

[methodover]

The chilling effect that China is having in liberal democracies like ours is extremely disturbing.

We need our governments to do something about this. If Chinese companies want to do business here, we need our own businesses treated with the same ruleset in their country. We wouldn’t ban a Chinese corporation for a minor executive’s political speech. We have laws against it. (The first amendment protects non-citizens as well as citizens.)

China has been enjoying our markets but hasn’t been willing to extend the favor fully. We need a new trade agreement that demands equal treatment, or we should pull out of China and do business with friendlier countries instead.

[Corrado]

This reminds me of the classic mafia style of management; "Nice profit you got there, it'd be a shame if something happened to it."

[Pfhreak]

Totally. Localization is a key part of game development, and includes more than just translation of the written language.

[belltaco]

How does that jive with continuing to buy products made in China, thus ensuring their financial well being allowing them to oppress HK and minorities?

What Blizzard art and media was subject to Chinese influence?

[greycol]

As to your second question here's an example with the old version on the right. [1]

Your looking at removal of blood and skeletons mostly.

Similar changes have been made in other video games. For example this [2] story shows a reversal after player backlash to such censorship.

Call me paranoid as this point is anecdotal (and quite likely confirmation bias) but I've noticed a tendency for new AAA games to have a focus on enemies and combatants that don't have this issue. e.g. robots that don't bleed or dissolve away effects for enemies rather than leaving dead bodies. These are all things that have appeared in games before such efforts but it's certainly what I'd be advising if I was in charge of making games marketable in China without appearing to compromise 'realism' (we all know realistic aliens turn to glitter on defeat) or artistic vision.

[1] https://external-preview.redd.it/eIfkz0BCFqcwCnWen2Qi8ZwCOWO... [2] https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&c...

[traderjane]

The company you're loyal to has already been hollowed out. What would a little spiritual revision do?

[ReptileMan]

And I will never purchase another game until they start making good ones again. That is far bigger sin than refusing to be political about Hong Kong.

[threeseed]

People have died and many are missing due to the Hong Kong situation.

That's more important than a game.

[belltaco]

Boycotting Blizzard will do exactly nothing to change that.

Maybe put financial pressure on China by not buying things made in China? Nah that's too inconvenient for the keyboard(Made in China) warriors.

[ReptileMan]

I don't live in China or Hong Kong so I insist on being able to live my life without having a position about all remote kerfuffles.

[d0100]

Ah yes, the traditional "as long as it's not me"