WoW Classic and protests at Hong Kong - Azeroth remains a place that is free from censorship

The Taiwanese server World of Warcraft Classic is a place where people from Hong Kong and Taiwan can communicate without censorship. They bring up sensitive topics that are related to politics or protests.

Zheping Huang, a journalist on Bloomberg reported that residents of two autonomouss, Taiwan (the main location of World of Warcraft's storyline), and Hong Kong (the main locale of the protests), can freely discuss politics without fear of censorship. During the protests, now in their 16th week, Taiwan's servers provided an independent channel of communication linking communities that might be isolated from one another by top-down restrictions on media accessibility from different geographical parts. This allows citizens of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China to freely exchange ideas with one another, so there are no conflict situations. There is also solidarity.

Huang was reported to have witnessed a brief slogan exchange on the Taiwanese WoW Classic Server between two other players.

Liberate Hong Kong

- The revolution of our times.

The protests were not ignored by the hostile community. The other side responded with xenophobic slurs. However, the Taiwanese acted as mediators and urged the Hong Kong people to direct their anger towards the government and not the People's Republic of China. There was much discussion, with one player encouraging others to protest on the streets of the city state, others taking an apolitical stand, and others admitting that it was for freedom to speak that they chose the Taiwanese servers.

Huang points out that the most striking thing about these conversations is their sincerity. They don't give the impression that they are attended by government agents to spread propaganda. It is to be hoped that the hype around the topic will not change this and that China will continue to uphold freedom of speech.

Protests in Hong Kong

They were initiated in June in response to a bill that allowed the extradition of citizens of autonomous Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China. Nearly two-thirds of the seven million residents marched onto the streets at one time. Police brutality and arrests became a problem over time. The project was cancelled in September. The protest continues, with a focus on opposition to the current administration and police violence, as well as the release of those who were arrested.