When professional Hearthstone player Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai recently used his platform as a competitor in the Asia-Pacific Grandmasters to state “Liberate Hong Kong” during an official livestream, not only was he banned from competition and stripped of his winnings, but even the event casters were punished for his actions. This mishandled Blizzard Hong Kong protest prompted the company to lock down their subreddit as many players opted to boycott games like Hearthstone and WoW Classic in response, though the extent of the devastation caused is perhaps best summarized by a response from fired Taiwanese caster M.Yee.
Despite ducking out of shot in an effort to disassociate himself from Blitzchung’s actions, perhaps fearful of potential repercussions, M.Yee and his co-host were still punished regardless. Both of them lost their jobs, pertaining not only to Hearthstone but also the casting of additional Blizzard titles like Overwatch and World of Warcraft. This is no doubt a massive blow to them both.
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Having worked hard to reach a privileged position within the burgeoning esports industry, a tearful response from M.Yee makes it immediately clear that his firing has had a devastating effect on his life and career. Though his thoughts on the matter are expressed in Taiwanese, his evident heartbreak transcends the language barrier and at times makes the clip embedded below difficult to watch.
While openly weeping and discussing the situation with his followers on Twitch, he breaks away momentarily to retrieve a tissue when things presumably become too much. One amateur translator on Reddit says that the caster claimed to have already done “a ton” of preparation for upcoming Blizzard events — like the Overwatch Pacific Showdown and Hearthstone Grandmasters Playoffs — and now that work, alongside “years of cultivating his passion,” has potentially all been “in vain.”
