Funny how quickly free speech drops dead whenever right-wing snowflakes get involved.
Black Myth: Wukong studio requests influencers not include "feminist propaganda" or Covid-19 references in coverage
Submitted 8 months ago by woelkchen@lemmy.world to games@lemmy.world
Comments
style99@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Bakersfield@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I didn’t realize they even had freedom of speech in China.
Murvel@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Right wing Chinese communists you mean? Good one…
style99@lemm.ee 8 months ago
What’s funny is anyone thinking Chinese government has anything to do with communism.
cecinestpasunbot@lemmy.ml 8 months ago
China has plenty of right wingers and social conservatives living there. They just can’t organize for their beliefs outside of the existing political structures.
Chee_Koala@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Hahahaha, wow, what a bunch of wet noodles. If you don’t want negative discourse, maybe don’t be misogynistic. Or don’t publish your work in countries where free speech and personal freedoms are more abundant. No one is forcing you to publish here, so please keep your demands in your pants. Pffft, I was really interested in this game, now it’s such an easy pass!
Eyck_of_denesle@lemmy.zip 8 months ago
The game is insane. You are just missing out.
Chee_Koala@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Thanks a lot, I can imagine! It’s moot for me, sadly. Google maps is amazing too but I’m not on board with choices they are making so, can’t use that either. There’s enough games to take my mind of of missing this title. Have fun though!
batcheck@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Out of curiosity, since I’m out of the loop, what is the misogynistic discourse around the game or studio? Is it based on themes of the books/mythology the game is based on? Or is it some other thing the devs went too far with eastern culture wise?
Chee_Koala@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I read some articles from 2020 that touched on the culture @ Game Science, but it doesn’t even really matter. It’s just the way they single out stuff that feels really put of touch, pretty (ignorant) boomer attitude. I’ve only heard the word “feminist propaganda” from folks who are misogynistic, it’s not something I associate with caring about inequality. Can you imagine being a woman influencer that got this message? I would think 3 times before partnering up with a party that gave me this dos and don’t list.
It’s probably something that can be attributed to cultural differences, but that doesn’t mean that much to me. You move in a culture, but you are still responsible for you actions and words.
Rentlar@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
The guidelines are also likely in place to avoid mention of previous reports of misogyny at the studio. Posts from Game Science CEO Féng Jì including sexualised and misogynistic language were reported on in 2020, while IGN also reported on the studio’s history with sexism.
Lol, a Streisand effect here.
smeg@feddit.uk 8 months ago
However, it’s clear Game Science, through Hero Games, is keen to control the narrative around Black Myth: Wukong to avoid negative coverage and ensure focus is on the game itself.
Given that this is the first I’ve heard of this game and I know nothing about the game itself, I feel they’ve shot themselves in the foot a little, eh?
Alimentar@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Nah for a while now, this was highly anticipated within the gaming community. Journalists have covered allegations and controversies but honestly no one really cared. People wanted a good game and they got one. Politics or not, their steam review is 96% at overwhelmingly positive.
RunawayFixer@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I was wondering what “feminist propaganda” was and apparently it’s talking about misogyny.
Another forbidden topic seemed to be targeted at criticism of misogyny at Game Science. The company has come under fire for lewd and sexist comments attributed in media reports to its founders as well as recruiting materials from 2015 replete with sexual innuendos. Those original job postings and comments were deleted, and the company has not commented. nytimes.com/…/chinese-videogame-wukong-censorship…
But this anti feminism attitude is not limited to this 1 gaming company, but government policy under Xi Jinping’s authoritarian rule: www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-08/…/100165360
hornedfiend@sopuli.xyz 8 months ago
Thanks for sharing this. I wasn’t going to buy this game,but now I’m convinced I won’t. Will wait for empress to turn denuvo intro their bitch.
echodot@feddit.uk 8 months ago
Oh yeah but then there will be another unhinged controversy.
Etterra@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Well now I wish I was an influencer so that I could get paid for giving China the middle finger.
PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
I guess they’ve never heard of the Streisand effect in China.
ICastFist@programming.dev 8 months ago
It’s probably easier to control that effect over there, not so much on western countries.
TimLovesTech@badatbeing.social 8 months ago
For anyone not clicking thru:
In full, the don’ts are:
- Do NOT insult other influencers or players.
- Do NOT use any offensive language/humour.
- Do NOT include politics, violence, nudity, feminist propaganda, fetishisation, and other content that instigates negative discourse.
- Do NOT use trigger words such as ‘quarantine’ or ‘isolation’ or ‘Covid-19’.
- Do NOT discuss content related to China’s game industry policies, opinions, news, etc.
I see this as them wanting influencers to focus on their game, instead of using the game as a platform to wade into these other topics that focus on the country they happen to live in. And this being an election year in the US ,and the Right having spread wild conspiracy theories about China for years now, them not wanting any of that stuff to overshadow their art doesn’t seem all that crazy of a take. Basically they are saying they want influencers to talk about the game and to leave politics to /c/politics.
Oh and this is of course only sent to influencers, so just people they are giving the game to for free. The rest of the world (including influencers that buy their own copy) are of course free to do whatever they are legally allowed to in their jurisdiction.
Jaderick@lemmy.world 8 months ago
The use of “feminist propaganda” over “misogyny” seems very deliberate.
tja@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Yes, because it seems the studio doesn’t have any problem with misogyny
TimLovesTech@badatbeing.social 8 months ago
Oh for sure. I do wonder what part the Chinese government takes in shaping the wording of “exports” like this too.
kazaika@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I might give them the benefit of the doubt and say its a translation issue
throbbing_banjo@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Pirate the fuck out of this game, got it
rickdg@lemmy.world 8 months ago
excuse me wtf
yamanii@lemmy.world 8 months ago
IGN’s hitpiece was very iffy in the first place, with mistranslated “tweets” from one of the devs weibo and all, but by doing these guidelines they gave ammunition to these people, I’m glad the game is doing well at least so hopefully china keeps making good, AAA games that aren’t also gacha for once.
neo@lemmy.comfysnug.space 8 months ago
Naturally, you’re getting downvoted into oblivion for recognizing a hit-piece when you see one.
NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I was excited to play this game until I saw this. Now I kinda don’t want to play it.
Murvel@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Fucking pathetic
PunchingWood@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I’m not sure how that’s supposed to be relevant to the game and reviews of it anyway?
Lianodel@ttrpg.network 8 months ago
Somewhat off topic, but the names of both the publisher and the developer are also used by unrelated tabletop game companies. Hero Games makes the Hero System tabletop RPG, and GameScience (no space, so there’s a difference) make dice. It threw me for a loop.
Maggoty@lemmy.world 8 months ago
So a video of the game overlaid by a feminist manifesto?
FeelzGoodMan420@eviltoast.org 8 months ago
[deleted]StoneyDcrew@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Edit: downvoted for not wanting to pay attention to stupid controversy about video games? Weird…
It’s one thing to live peacefully in ignorance. I get it. it is exhausting keeping track of every shitty thing a company does when it’s so much easier at the end of an exhausting 9-5 shift to avoid news and play your games guilt free without thinking about who it’s hurting.
It’s a completely separate thing to brag that your ignorance somehow makes your way of life superior.
People caring about these issues, and sometimes leading to actions being taken because of that, all makes the gaming industry, or to be hyberbolic; the world a better place.
It’s fine to avoid news on controversy and just blindly enjoy games, but don’t lie to yourself (and others) by pretending that it is a good thing.
RandomGuy79@lemmy.world 8 months ago
So we’ve moved on from no minorities to whatever we can find?
Coelacanth@feddit.nu 8 months ago
The dev has a storied past^[1] of sexism and misogyny, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise. The COVID stuff is amusing but unsurprising considering it’s a Chinese studio.
TimLovesTech@badatbeing.social 8 months ago
Reading through that made me feel gross. It does seem to be acknowledged by women in China as a cultural issue (as well as globally online).
turmacar@lemmy.world 8 months ago
This feels like the second round of this going around as the AI articles / lazy sites pick it up.
It’s a doc ‘sent’ to one guy who had 12 followers on medium before this started blowing up. It was edited after it was sent out to be the real marketing email of the company instead of a gmail address. The doc is still owned by that gmail account, which isn’t typically how companies operate.
I guess they’re getting their viral moment so good for them for generating content?