{"id":21382,"date":"2019-10-11T19:21:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-11T19:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2019\/10\/11\/blizzard-entertainment-faces-public-backlash-following-esports-player-ban\/"},"modified":"2019-10-11T19:21:00","modified_gmt":"2019-10-11T19:21:00","slug":"blizzard-entertainment-faces-public-backlash-following-esports-player-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/blizzard-entertainment-faces-public-backlash-following-esports-player-ban\/","title":{"rendered":"Blizzard Entertainment Faces Public Backlash Following Esports Player Ban"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Paolo Zialcita<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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\n The logo of Activision Blizzard, the parent company of Blizzard Entertainment.<\/p>\n

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SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images<\/p>\n

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SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images<\/p>\n

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After Blizzard Entertainment banned professional esports player Blitzchung from competitions for 12 months over his support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, there is a growing movement in the gaming community to boycott the company’s decision.<\/p>\n

Last Sunday<\/a>, Blitzchung, whose real name is Ng Wai Chung, appeared on a Twitch broadcast after playing in a Hearthstone <\/em>tournament. Blitzchung<\/em> ended his remarks by reciting the popular Hong Kong protest slogan, “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times.” At the time, he was wearing a gas mask and dark goggles, evoking the gear activists have worn during months of street protests.<\/p>\n

For his actions, Blitzchung, who lives in Hong Kong, was handed a one-year ban from Blizzard’s tournaments. The company also rescinded his 2019 winnings, said to be $10,000.<\/p>\n

Nathan “Admirable” Zamora, a commentator for the Hearthstone Grandmasters tournament, announced Thursday that he was stepping down from his role as a “caster” on the Hearthstone <\/em>broadcast team.<\/p>\n

“In Hearthstone<\/em>, good strategic play involves making the right choice, even if that choice will sometimes cost you. You think about the range of possibilities from the other side,” Zamora said in a tweet<\/a>. “With the hand you’re dealt, you make the best choice you can, even if the foreseeable outcomes hurt. That doesn’t mean you should make worse choices \u2014 it means do the right thing, even if you pay the price.”<\/p>\n