71 OVER THE TOP Censorship
VKLIOOON: “I f you want to do it and you believe in yourself, you should just forget your gender and go for it”
VKLiooon accepted her trophy with a political message. “Two years ago I remember when I was competing in a huge tournament, I was waiting in line for a sign up and there’s this guy telling me you should not be waiting in line here, it’s not for you. I want to say to all the girls out there who have a dream for esports, for competition, for glory – if you want to do it and you believe in yourself, you should just VKLiooon’s remarks as controversial or problematic. But would they have if the company had substantial business interests in a country hostile to gender equality (of which there are a growing number)? Maybe not this year. PERSEUS VS THE TITANS The blitzchung controversary has been a catalyst for highlighting awareness of the protests in Hong Kong across the gaming and pop culture world. FEED talked to protesters lined up outside London’s MCM Comic Con at the end of October, just days before BlizzCon. One of the activists, “Perseus”, told us: “All we are trying to do at MCM Comic Con is raise awareness, and if it causes one more person to question what happened, and to maybe start researching about what is going on in Hong Kong, then that would forget your gender and go for it.” Of course Blizzard didn’t class
be something worthwhile. J Allen Brack further made an apologetic statement at the opening ceremony of BlizzCon 2019, however, many feel that it is too little too late, and does not really address the issues regarding dealings with what is an inherently repressive regime.” ESPORTS AND CIRCUSES The world is obsessed with sports. Players, stats, who’s up, who’s down are an ongoing part of our daily discourse. Sport can therefore be a conduit for rapid dissemination of different kinds of messaging (without sport, the advertising sector might very well collapse). And, like it or not, sport has been inherently political since the days of the original Greek Olympics – whether it’s getting representatives from all the surrounding city states to face off for a grand prize or just keeping an out-of-work population out of your hair with bread and circuses. Now sports is inextricably linked with international business deals, and increasingly, with tech platforms. In the case of esports, you’re not talking about a universal pastime like running or boxing;
the game itself is an intellectual property owned by a company – it’s sport as platform. Can you imagine a company with licencing rights to the word football™? The Blizzard/blitzchung controversy is just one case study of what can happen at the uneasy intersection of technology, intellectual property and politics – and it won’t be the last. The case raises questions which aren’t going away. In a world where sport is already highly corporate, esports is top of the heap for human competition as fully privatised ecosystem. When sport activities take place fully in the world of IP – that’s intellectual property, not internat protocol – what is the dividing line between consumer and citizen? Do terms and conditions take precedence over free speech? How might player activity damaging to a brand or its investors be policed when the game can be played anywhere on earth? And as we enter a landscape of increasingly granular content localisation, will the tech world’s approach to human rights become increasingly localised as well? The gaming community carries with it the potential both to have massive influence and to be massively influenced, boosted by its intimate connection with the global video streaming ecosystem. The esports world was built on players saying whatever the hell they wanted while they were streaming their games. That wild west may be over, or it may be about to get a lot more wild.
MANY FEEL THAT IT IS TOO LITTLE TOO LATE, AND DOES NOT REALLY ADDRESS THE ISSUES
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