More than just cards –
Lee receives no sanction, in contrast to Blizzard’sHearthstonecrackdowns.
Enlarge/Lee Shi Tian pumps his fist during an interview in which he highlighted the ongoing protests in his native Hong Kong.
Magic: The GatheringproLee Shi Tianused a major win at this weekend’sMythic Championship V eventin Long Beach, California, as a chance to call attention to protesters in his native Hong Kong.
“Life has been very tough in my hometown in Hong Kong,” Lee said inan emotional, livestreamed post-match interviewafter reaching the Top 8 in the digitalMagic: The Gathering Arenaevent. “It feels so good to play as a free man” he added later.
Lee wore a dark red scarf as a mask over the lower half of his face during the match and interview, because “we wear [masks like that] when we go on the street,” as he toldMagicsiteHipsters of the Coast. Lee alsocovered one eye during his entrance to the tournament, an apparent show of support fora nurse who was hit in the eye with a beanbagduring a recent protest in Kowloon.
While a recentHearthstone (Tournament) ************************************** (quickly cut away) from a similar on-stream show of support for Hong Kong protesters, the Mythic Championship broadcast didn’t edit Lee’s statements or stop him short in any way. And while Blizzardquickly punished Ng “Blitzchung” Wai Chungfor similar statements after aHearthstonetournament win earlier this month, there has thus far been no indication fromMagicowner Wizards of the Coast that Lee will receive any official sanction for his statement (a representative for Wizards of the Coast was not immediately available to respond to a request for comment from Ars).
To the contrary,Magicesports Twitch chat moderator Ian Dixonnoted on Twitterthat “mods actually had instructions to * allow and not touch * any and all of those kinds of mentions of [Hong Kong]. ” That forms a stark contrast to the situation inHearthstonetournaments, where Blizzard hasrecently started handing out 24 hour suspensions to Twitch chatters that express support for Hong Kong during matches.
Blizzardsaid earlier this monththat “the official broadcast needs to be about the tournament and to be a place where all are welcome … we want to keep the official channels focused on the game. ” But that was before a bipartisan group of US lawmakerssent a letter urging Blizzard to reconsider their stance, expressing worry about “the Chinese government growing appetite for pressuring American businesses to help stifle free speech . “
Blizzard also recentlycancelled a planned promotional event at the Nintendo World NYC storeand faces planned protests at next month’s Blizzcon fan gathering over its stance on this issue.
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