Because he positioned himself for the political situation in his home country during the live broadcast of an e-sports competition, "Hearthstone" player Chung Ng Wai aka "Blitzchung" from Hong Kong was banned by gaming maker Blizzard for a year. In addition, the player, who is one of the top 48 in the world as a grandmaster, was officially denied his status and withheld his prize money for the current season. These should amount to around 14,500 euros.
"Blitzchung" in a Taiwanese stream after a game of the Asia Pacific Hearthstone Grandmasters had put on a gas mask and goggles and called "Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our time". The two interviewers hid under the table, a soft laugh was heard. Although it was directly displayed advertising, but they were punished and dismissed by the manufacturer.
[BREAKING] Hong Kong Hearthstone player @blitzchungHS calls for liberation of his country in post-game interview: https: //t.co/3AgQAaPioj
@Matthieist #Hearthstone pic.twitter.com/DnaMSEaM4g
Blizzard justified his decision to punish "Lightning" by violating the official rules for "Hearthstone" Grand Master. Accordingly, they are prohibited from making any public statements that could damage the reputation of the online trading card game "Hearthstone" and Publisher Blizzard. Five percent of the shares of Activision Blizzard belong to the Chinese conglomerate Tencent.
"A way to participate in the protests"
The e-sports portal Inven published a statement from "Blitzchung" which states, "My call to the stream was a way of engaging in the protests that I hope will get more attention." Commenting on the implications of his remarks, he said, "I know what my appearance on the stream means, it can bring me a lot of trouble, including my own personal safety, but it's my duty to voice it."
Due to the increasing influence of the Chinese government and the fear of the further curtailment of civil rights, there have been mass protests in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for months. Since its return to China in 1997, the former British crown colony has been autonomously governed by its own constitution, based on the principle of "one country, two systems". However, the seven million Hong Kong residents currently fear for their special rights, such as freedom of expression and assembly.
In Hong Kong, violence was escalated again at the weekend, subway stations and prochinese shops were devastated, demonstrators were causing fires in streets. Prime Minister Carrie Lam threatened the demonstrators on Tuesday to end the protests with military support from China.