China has seen some ugly days since the outbreak of the coronavirus. With COVID-19 threatening to be lethal, people had to stay indoors – resorting to video games and online chatrooms for passing time. However, restrictions on such online interactions would soon be imposed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
This ban comes shortly after China put a ban on Animal Crossing owing to the game being used as a platform for pro-Hong Kong propaganda. A pro-Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong had revealed a customized scene reading “Free Hong Kong”.
Other supporters of the movement have also used scenes to create a mockery of Chinese President Xi Jianping. If you’re anyone familiar with Chinese politics, you know that Xi Jianping hates nothing worse than a “Winnie the Poo” joke – and that’s exactly what triggered a radical reaction against these activists. Shortly after the incident, the game was removed from sale in China – even though no good reason was given for the ban.
Even as we speak, laws are being drafted to prevent the Chinese from having any form of interaction with the world outside the Great Firewall – sometimes also referred to as the “online border” for China. The new law will not allow for zombies and plagues, map editing, roleplaying, as well as organizing a union in games — regulations which are believed to be inspired by the sensitive content made by Joshua Wong. Exact restrictions vary from region to region, from a time restriction on younger gamers as well as a restriction on the maximum amount of money they are allowed to spend in online games to a blanket ban on any form of interaction with gamers beyond the Great Firewall. Beijing has been growing more eager to prevent “propaganda” from being spread about the failures of the government, particularly related to controlling the coronavirus outbreak.
Thanks, Taiwan News.