An apology from Blizzard’s CEO and a reduced sentence for Chung “blitzchung” Ng Wai were not enough to deter Fight for the Future’s planned protest outside of BlizzCon this weekend.
Protest organizer Dayton Young said that Blizzard has made a “small step in the right direction” by reevaluating their decision. But the developer’s actions towards blitzchung weren’t the only reasons that the protest was planned. Things like banning Twitch users for spamming support for Hong Kong or locking subreddits have the protesters “going full steam ahead.”
“Make no mistake; Blizzard continues to punish these individuals despite widespread outrage from gamers around the world,” Young said in a statement to GameSpot.
Young went on to explain that while game publishers and developers have a known responsibility to moderate the content within their platforms, silencing gamers who speak up about “issues that affect their freedom” is a type of “oppression and institutional abuse” that has led the protesters to continue boycotting Blizzard.
Organizing themselves on Discord, the gamers and activists will show up at BlizzCon opening day with umbrellas, signs, gas masks, and cosplay. The demonstration will start at the convention’s main entrance for “maximum visibility.”
Meanwhile, Gamers for Freedom have been working on a few objectives online, mostly revolving around tweeting and emailing. The first objective is tweeting game developers who “haven’t taken a stand.” This doesn’t include Epic, who have already stated their company won’t censor activists.
The second objective is to tweet and email BlizzCon sponsors and Blizzard’s partner companies. Some sponsors have already felt the pressure, though, like Mitsubishi. The car company has already silently dropped as a Blizzard sponsor earlier this month.
“Tell them what you think of their capitalizing on Blizzard’s censorship and oppression. We have brought sick burns in the default text, but by all means improve upon them,” the website reads.
The third objective is telling the world, sharing hashtags, making art, and showing up at the protest outside the Anaheim Convention Center. While BlizzCon will be starting at noon on Friday, Gamers for Freedom states “the real party will be outside.” Around 100 people have RSVPed on Facebook.
