College Hearthstone Players Quit Tournament Because Blizzard DIDN’T Punish Them

Blizzard banned one player but didn’t take any action against a collegiate Hearthstone team for saying “free Hong Kong.” So they quit.

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A college Hearthstone team has quit a collegiate tournament because Blizzard punished another player for expressing support of Hong Kong but not them.

Blizzard just can’t catch a break. You come down too hard on a player and ban them for saying “Free Hong Kong,” the internet hates you. You don’t punish another player for saying the same thing and the internet still hates you. It’s almost like you should just stick with one side or the other. We recommend the side of democracy and freedom, but Blizzard seems to be a bit on the fence.

Earlier this week, Blizzard ignited controversy after they banned Blitzchung–a professional Hearthstone player–from playing in sanctioned tournaments for one year. In addition, they also took back the $10,000 in prize money he’d won and fired the two casters that interviewed him when he said “Free Hong Kong.”

Now others are taking up the call and showing support for Blitzchung. During an American Collegiate Hearthstone Championship, the team from American University held up a sign that read: “Free Hong Kong, Boycott Blizz” near the end of the match. You can see it in the lower right-hand portion of the video below.

Team members Casey Chambers, Corwin Dark, and “TJammer” were expecting similarly harsh punishment from Blizzard for their actions but instead didn’t even receive a warning. However, they’ve announced that they will be quitting the tournament anyway due to Blizzard’s double standard.

“We feel it’s hypocritical for Blizzard to punish Blitzchung but not us,” the team told USgamer. “The response from Blizzard shows that as soon as the messaging is out of the view of China, they don’t care about ‘political’ messaging.”

The call to #BoycottBlizzard over Blitzchung’s banning and apparent appeal to the Chinese government is growing. Other Hearthstone players are severing their association with Blizzard along with professional casters. Even Blizzard employees aren’t happy, with dozens of developers staging a walkout.

(via USgamer)

Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/college-hearthstone-players-quit-blizzard/