I simply do not understand why so many in this thread are acting like this is a remotely controversial issue. IT'S NOT. It's common decency. Blizzard are the ones bringing real world drama into gaming in their support of an oppressive communist government - to the point of banning a young man merely voicing his support to freedom fighters and even firing 2 broadcasters who simply brought it up! That is utter lunacy from where I sit. THEY put THEMSELVES in the gd firing line when they began licking the boots of China. It also sets a frightening precedent in terms of free speech. 

And you have the "equivalent of censorship" thing entirely backwards.. This IS the censorship! That's why Blizzard fired 2 broadcasters, suspended a player for the mere utterance of a harmelss statement, and (initially) revoking his rightfully earned prize money. 

And wow that's a stretch - having a single esports player express support of the downtrodden Hong Kong citizens is "bringing reality into games." What skin is it off a typical gamer's back that a man simply said "the Hong Kong protests are the revolution of our age." Oh the horrors! Get this horrid reality out of mah games!

Seriously, wat?

Blizzard didn't go out hunting these guys for speaking up in the street. These guys used Blizzard's event, Blizzard's game and in front of Blizzard and ESport gamers and fans and voiced an opinion unrelated to the scene. They broke the rules and got punished and that's exactly what happened. If the guys at the show were smart enough they would have done it somewhere else. 

Just imagine at the next E3 2020, some host decides to voice his opinion on legalising Incest marriage? At a show about showcasing games.. would you be upset that someone decides to just bring it up at a show unrelating to the topic with your brand behind it? I would suggest he/she should be banned as well.

Don't bring this crap into the gaming industry, I don't want to watch shows and have people bringing up topics outside the show I am watching. Its as simple as that and these guys that did it got punished. Common sense is common sense. Like I mentioned before, gaming is an escape from reality, and these things don't belong in the gaming industry. Speak up somewhere else. That's all I am saying, but it seems people just want to hate Blizzard because they enforced the rules at a show they were running.

You think that Blizzard never ever cross their own rules on this,they just thought it would suit them to act against it this time and it should have been a real punishment and not an overblown "pretence" for political pandering to china and even then it would have been idiotic to punish for that.

And that shows in how it all backfired,common sense is not present with the higher ups at Blizzard it seems.

I believe anyone who brings up a sensitive topic at a show or event without giving consent to the Show/event holders should be banned, that's my belief across the board not just for politics. 

Mmhmm.. So deprived, downtrodden citizens fighting for their rights in the wake of an oppressive regime is equivalent to voicing support of.. legalising incest marriage. Gotcha. 👍

Gee, that sure is quite the leap you made there! And believe it or not - no, while that would be an asinine statement and said person should and would likely get mocked for it, even THAT statement shouldn't lead to an outright ban and revoking of prize winnings (especially of commentators not even directly involved!). 

Even Blizzard knows they fucked up when banning this guy. That's why they're backtracking now and returned the guy's prize money and shortened the suspension haha. 

For the 12th time. This is NOT remotely, in any shape or form, a controversial issue! The controversy should be SUPPORTING a Communist government that beats and shoots young people in the streets for protesting, and has concentration camps filled with people of a different religion. Or at the very least the controversy should be kowtowing to such a regime to such a degree that you ban and deprive your own professional players for a harmless statement.

This "crap" as you call it NEEDS to be heard in the gaming industry if you ask me. As much as possible. Especially if American companies are going to kowtow to these oppressive dictatorships. It's extremely important, and until Hong Kong is free, it's not going away. If you're going to be involved with Communism. Well.. then you're involved with Communism! And that's a dark road to go down. As far as I'm concerned, you've then got to deal with all the dark shit that comes with with being involved with shady governments - it goes with the territory.

If this brief, single statement - "liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our time," is all it takes to make you uncomfortable, well, then tough. Deal with it! How do you think those in Hong Kong feel right now while we in our comfy homes in the Western world are displeased of a boy speaking out for basic rights of his fellow citizens. Many are probably worried about their very livelihoods, shit some of them probably their LIVES themselves. 

Maybe I'm making too big a thing out of this, but to me I'm more concerned about the precedent this sort of thing sets more so than this particular event itself. Additionally I just have an instinctive gag reflex and natural defiant attitude when it comes to hardcore Authoritarianism in any form.

And trust me I'm totally down for the "leave politics out of my games" notion. Games are often an escape. True. But in this case.. people expressing support for those fighting for basic human rights against literally physically VIOLENT government opposition. I simply cannot accept that that's anywhere REMOTELY close to the same thing as your typical debatable "political issue" in which there is actually some grey area. Especially when we're talking about a signle brief statement at a single esport event.. There's no grey area here as far as I'm concerned.

Hey i respect your opinion but for me that is too absolute,that way you group together the people with bad and good intentions and giving them the same punishment and besides of that this was a pure political move from blizzard, and me and you are thankfully still free to criticize those out of order political moves for financial gains coming from company's founded and situated in the free western countries suddenly pandering to countries where human rights are not evolved as higly as ours are and you have to worry about how much of that can seep over and constrain our freedoms in the long run if you just let this happen at this present date.

Ah even more hypocrisy: https://www.reddit.com/r/Blizzard/comments/dgodfz/we_wont_allow_any_talk_of_social_justice_or/

You are aware they didn't punish a US team at all despite doing the exact same thing right? So even with your ignorant oversimplified belief, you should be against Blizzard as they clearly don't agree with you. Also, just lol at freedom being a sensitive topic.

You (and Blizzard for that matter) want people to ignore what was actually said and just focus on the label, to dismiss information because it's inconvenient for you. Well we wont, we're smarter than that.

Just wondering but how many of the "boycott Blizzard" people are boycotting anything and everything associated with China?