Opinions not wanted?

GeezerGamer

Seems a certain gaming company put pressure on certain gaming forums today.
I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

blamo2000

Please articulate.  I, also, was wondering why the long thread and posts regarding blizzard were removed or locked.

GeezerGamer

Just speculating.

Xasapis

I came here to see the reaction of the regulars a bit late and found the forums way too sanitised. 

If this place loses the ability to conduct heated but civilised discussions, it also loses the reason to exist.

YashaX

It is pretty amazing that every thread on the topic has been closed down, wow.

Quizzical

I strongly doubt that pressure from Blizzard was the issue.  The threads hadn't degenerated into an all-out flame war, but they were fairly heated, and were careening away from the original topic considerably.  Even after hundreds of forum posts, I'm still not sure what the original context for the interview was, and you really need to know that in order to properly evaluate what happened.

It's often better to lock the offending threads and move on than to start handing out bans as things escalate.  There's a "no politics" rule around here for a reason.  Heated discussions about MMORPGs are fine around here.  Heated discussions about how political everything in life ought to be, not so much.

If you really want to read the threads after the fact, here you go:

https://forums.mmorpg.com/discussion/484350/blizzard-bans-pro-heartstone-player-for-supporting-hong-kong/p1
https://forums.mmorpg.com/discussion/484380/pro-hearthstone-player-suspended-by-blizzard-for-voicing-support-for-hong-kong-protests-mmorpg-com/p1

bcbully

 Very sad indeed. I can’t recall actions this odd on these forums or anywhere I’ve spoke.

FlyByKnight

Hey folks, can you not say "WOW" when referring to the thread locks. Too soon! 

Phry

FlyByKnight said:

Hey folks, can you not say "WOW" when referring to the thread locks. Too soon! 

Probably too soon for: Blizzard: You think you want Freedom, but you don't.. also!

FlyByKnight

"What did they say about Hong Kong?"



  Alright I'm done. Stopping.

phoenixfire2

It was the right move to shut them down, but also ironic since an hour earlier one of them was created by/condoned by multiple editors of the site. 

Who knows.

ChildoftheShadows

Xasapis said:

I came here to see the reaction of the regulars a bit late and found the forums way too sanitised. 

If this place loses the ability to conduct heated but civilised discussions, it also loses the reason to exist.

I’m not afraid to drop this site as quickly as I did my bnet launcher. Blizzard can move to China, I’m done. Would be nice to have a place to discuss the unethical practices of one of our mmorpgs developers. I guess Reddit May have to be that place. 

Phry

phoenixfire2 said:

It was the right move to shut them down, but also ironic since an hour earlier one of them was created by/condoned by multiple editors of the site. 

Who knows.

I think everyone pretty much said the things they wanted to say, more would have just been repeating. However its also clear that this has 'exploded' well beyond what i could have imagined, in that actual Politicians, both Democrats and Republicans have also 'had their say' on the matter, so while discussions on the matter may have ended here, its just the beginning elsewhere. It only takes a spark to set a forest ablaze after all.

phoenixfire2

Arterius said:

I only find it funny because just a little while ago even the editor said that maybe they need to go through the old rules and terms and change it up a bit. Politics are everywhere and all that jazz. So for them do a complete 360 means their was either a lot of reporting or someone got to them

You know why they call it an Xbox 360?  Cause when you see one, you walk up to it, say "Nope", do a 360 and walk away.

YashaX

Quizzical said:

It's often better to lock the offending threads and move on than to start handing out bans as things escalate.  There's a "no politics" rule around here for a reason.  Heated discussions about MMORPGs are fine around here.  Heated discussions about how political everything in life ought to be, not so much.

Not all of the threads that were closed had people talking politics.

Blizzard has decided that saying a few unoffensive words in support of democratic freedoms is tantamount to damaging their image/brand. Is it even "political" to say that we therefore think they totally suck?

Gormogon

I'm not against "no politics" rules, but there should be a certain degree of discretion in how they're applied.   

If the politics are related to MMORPGs (such as legislation about lottery boxes) or in this case one of the most notable developers and publishers in the industry, MMORPG.com would be doing a disservice to its audience by not covering the story and providing a platform for the sharing of relevant opinions and ideas.  IMO.

To me, this is distinctly different than topics such as Trump's impeachment or AOC's healthcare plan.  These do not have anything to do with gaming and should be removed for the sake of preserving order and our mental health.   If you want to have discussions on those topics, there are far more appropriate places.

Does it mean more work for the moderators?   Yes, of course, but if you didn't want the responsibility, then don't run the site.