Gamers Want to Get Blizzard in Trouble With China
An online effort would turn an Overwatch character into a symbol of support for Hong Kong
A potential international incident started on Tuesday, when one Reddit user posted, “It would be such a shame if Mei from Overwatch became a pro-democracy symbol and got Blizzard's games banned in China.”
If your head started spinning when you read that, let me explain. First, some definitions: Overwatch is a popular video game made by Blizzard Entertainment, part of the $41 billion company Activision Blizzard, which sells games and has business partners in China. Mei is a parka-clad, icicle-shooting Chinese character from Overwatch. China is a country whose government has recently proven to be quite sensitive about pro-democracy symbols and speech, and willing to punish companies that speak out against it.