A US Congressman Lashes Out At Blizzard For Racism

The Democrats’ Lou Correa thinks Blizzard allowing racism in his games should be called out.

Vice reports that in World of Warcraft (which needs no introduction…) has a far-right extremist guild called The Enclave, which is alive and kicking in Blizzard’s MMORPG (and the team has been around since 1998, meaning it’s nothing new). Correa is affected because he represents the district that also has Anaheim. Anaheim where BlizzCon is held every year.

A member of Correa’s staff informed him about The Enclave. The person discovered a „racist Halloween costume contest” while playing World of Warcraft. He also posted an image of an avatar dressed in white robes reminiscent of those worn by the Ku Klux Klan, flanked by two slave avatars, one of them named Jesse Jackson, which is a clear reference to the African American civil rights activist. The screenshot also had a reference to Charlottesville. Here, in 2017, a white nationalist terrorist has killed a protestor of an anti-racist demonstration.

„I was looking forward to welcoming you to Anaheim for your 13th BlizzCon. Instead, I find myself asking how this can exist in one of your games. The FBI knows online radicalization is real. I hope you agree & will remedy this immediately. Racism isn’t a game,” Correa wrote on Twitter. He also spoke with Vice: „This content is just one example of how far-right extremists are infiltrating online platforms and video games. By allowing white supremacists refuge, companies inadvertently create safe harbours that extremists can leverage to recruit and indoctrinate other people while also degrading the enjoyment of their own fans.”

The bad vibes around Blizzard keep continuing. Even politicians start to take note of the company after they banned someone for supporting the Hong Kong protesters on a stream.

Source: Gamesindustry

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