Gamers Are Planning a Protest in Solidarity of Blitzchung at BlizzCon 2019
Digital rights group Fight for the Future recently revealed their Gamers for Freedom campaign, calling for an umbrella protest to take place at BlizzCon 2019. They’re offering a coordinated protest where attendees can RSVP through a Facebook page and communicate through a dedicated Discord channel. Fight for the Future deputy director Evan Greer and Dayton Young, product director at Fight for the Future gave their thoughts on the blitzchung controversy and gave a series of steps they believe Blizzard must take, some of which they have. BlizzCon takes place on November 1st & 2nd at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.
“No gamers should be punished for expressing their views on politics and human rights,” said Dayton Young. “And no game company should ever ban or penalize players for advocating for their own political freedom. We call on all game developers and publishers to make a public commitment to support the rights of their customers, employees, and fans to freely express their beliefs in America, in Hong Kong, in China, and around the globe.” Fight for the Future’s website has tools in place like a scorecard for companies which have publicly pledged not to censor players and suggestions for similar games for those who want to boycott Blizzard.
“Blizzard, and other companies who are engaging in censorship on behalf of an authoritarian government, are not going to get away with it,” said Evan Greer. “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.” It’s clear that a portion of Blizzard’s community will be coming to BlizzCon with the intention of protesting and Fight for the Future’s umbrella protest will likely gain some traction.
Are you a Blizzard fan that’s disappointed in how they’ve handled the blitzchung controversy or do you not care about it much? Are you hoping for a new announcement for your favorite Blizzard franchise at BlizzCon 2019? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Gamespot