Hearthstone pro Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai, the player who Activision Blizzard suspended from competitive play after he made pro-Hong Kong protest comments during a post-game interview, spent this morning streaming Liberate Hong Kong on Twitch, a game depicting scenes from the Hong Kong protests. While protesters clash with police in Hong Kong and Chung streams Liberate Hong Kong, people in America are preparing to descend on BlizzCon next week, and it’s looking increasingly likely some may stage protests at the event to pressure Blizzard and other game companies into more actively supporting freedom of speech.
Blizzard’s actions drew condemnation from international human rights groups, other players, and high-profile American politicians. The company’s response to the backlash, dropped on a Friday evening, was poorly received. As the controversy dragged on, no one was sure was sure if anti-Blizzard sentiment would fizzle out or fester into something larger.
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Chung has been silent since the suspension, save for one public statement where he thanked Blizzard after it returned his prize money and reduced the length of his suspension. But he spent this morning on Twitch streaming Liberate Hong Kong, a game where players experience the frontlines of the Hong Kong protest movement. The game has no presence online and isn’t listed for sale or pre-order on Steam. It’s unclear who made it or how Chung acquired it.
The Hong Kong protesters wear gas masks, helmets, and makeshift shields to deal with police. The cops throw tear gas at protesters, who pick up the canisters and hurl them back or extinguish them. Police have fired rubber bullets and live rounds into the crowd. Liberate Hong Kong—you can watch some gameplay of it here—depicts these events. Players dodge bullets, toss gas canisters back to the police, and run from cops to avoid arrest. Chung streamed the game for an hour this morning.
https://www.twitch.tv/blitzchung/clip/AssiduousObliviousClintChocolateRain
The protests started in June when Hong Kong’s leadership attempted to pass a law allowing the extradition of criminals to mainland China. Leaders rescinded the proposal, but protests continue amid a call for greater democratic control of Hong Kong and concerns about police violence during the protests.
Chung’s singular action, and the ensuing response from Blizzard, proved to be a defining movement that has inspired others. Most of that protest has happened online, like the three college Hearthstone players who held up a “Free Hong Kong, Boycott Blizz” sign during an official tournament, but now there’s a chance it’s going to move into the real world.
Fight For the Future, an activist group that promotes civil liberties in the digital world, is one of the protest organizers. Fight For the Future has a long history in digital activism, from pressuring Amazon to end its partnerships with police to fighting for net neutrality. Now the activists are organizing a protest and a day of digital activism on October 29, a few days before BlizzCon, followed by a rally on November 1, the first day of BlizzCon.
“We’re calling on every gamer to tweet and email their favorite developers, pros, and event sponsors,” Dayton Young, Fight for the Future’s Product Director, said in a statement. “We’re calling on artists to send us art of their favorite characters supporting the protest. We’re calling on sponsors to pull out. And most of all, we’re calling on game developers to speak out in solidarity.”
Fight for the Future is organizing at GamersforFreedom.com, where it provides links to memes, a Discord channel, and a handbook explaining proper protest etiquette. The handbook advises participants to dress like Hong Kong protesters, know their rights, and keep equipment clear of sidewalks.
The page also includes a list of reactions to Blizzard’s action from players and media personalities, pulled from Twitter. An early version of the website included commentary from game developer Mark Kern, a former senior developer on World of Warcraft, who became a major advocate and supporter of the GamerGate harassment movement. Kern left Blizzard in 2006, but he’s been vocal about Blizzard’s problems since his departure, which is why people often quote him without vetting him.
“We have no association with Mark Kern and do not support harassment or oppressive nonsense,” Evan Greer, Deputy Director at Fight for the Future, told VICE in an email. “At one point I believe we included a tweet from him in a gallery of tweets but we removed it as soon as we were alerted to his history. Fight for the Future’s focus is on defending free expression and human rights for all in the digital age.”
Right now, Fight for the Future plans to use its savvy to organize folks into a hopefully massive in-person protest, with an online component launching three days ahead of BlizzCon. The October 29 online action will include people flooding the social media of gaming companies, asking for them to publicly affirm their commitment to free speech. Fight for the Future will follow this with the in-person protest at BlizzCon on November 1.
“Blizzard, and other companies who are engaging in censorship on behalf of an authoritarian government, are not going to get away with it,” Greer said in a statement. “They have no idea what kind of internet shitstorm they’ve unleashed. We’re going to make an example out of them to make sure that all companies know that throwing human rights and free expression under the bus to make some extra money will not be tolerated.”
Activision Blizzard has made no public statement regarding changes to BlizzCon or its reaction to the protests.
