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The 4 Best Ways to Boycott Activision Blizzard

Activision apparently thinks mainland Chinese money is more important than basic human rights for Hong Kong, so it's time to speak with your wallets.

Activision Blizzard f*cked up in the "Basic Human Rights" department.

Hong Kong activists are fighting for their very freedom, no longer willing to stand for the looming threat of mainland Chinese rule. Considering mainland China is currently putting religious minorities in internment camps, the Hong Kong protesters have a very solid foundation for their concerns.

So when grandmaster-level Hearthstone player Blitzchung (real name Chung Ng Wai) used his post-match interview during a recent tournament in Taiwan to express support for Hong Kong ("Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our age"), it shouldn't have been particularly controversial. Activision Blizzard is an American company, and even diametrically opposed lawmakers like Ted Cruz and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are pretty much in agreement over support of Hong Kong protestors.

Instead, Activision Blizzard banned Blitzchung for a year, revoked his prize-winnings, and fired the two people who interviewed him. They subsequently lowered the ban to six months, but the damage was done. Their interests clearly lie more with not alienating China than with basic human rights. Bring on the Activision Blizzard boycotts. Want to help? Here are four things you can do.

1. Don't buy Overwatch for Switch

Overwatch just came out for Nintendo Switch, and Activision Blizzard is absolutely banking on the sales boost from bringing a hugely popular title to an entirely new platform. Don't buy it. If the only thing Blizzard cares about is profits, speak with your wallet and hit them where it hurts.

2. Stop making microtransactions in Blizzard games you already own

If you already own Overwatch or actively play any other Activision games like World of Warcraft or Hearthstone, that's totally fine. But if you want to support the boycott, take the no-frills approach and refrain from making any microtransactions for the time being. Halloween costume DLC will be back next year.

3. Cancel your World of Warcraft subscription

Assuming you still play World of Warcraft, cancel your subscription. Your account will stay safe, but if you're looking for a different (and better) MMO to eat up all your time, check out Final Fantasy XIV.

4. Don't play Call of Duty Mobile

Activision is heavily relying on support for their new Call of Duty Mobile game. In fact, a good portion of their reasoning for not wanting to let players speak out about Hong Kong is a desire for the game to succeed in China. Let them know that if they want the Chinese market so badly, they can have it, but they won't get the Western market too. Don't download it.

And above all, keep speaking out. Liberate Hong Kong.

PlayStation to Release Mini Version of Original Model

This tiny console will only be $100 and come with 20 games

Once again, nostalgia wins out — this time with the PlayStation Classic.

This new bite-sized console is only half as big as the original PlayStation and comes with the standard gray color scheme and classic PlayStation logo. The console — which is only $100 — will come with 20 classic games that'll be released on December 3. Early Christmas gift, anyone?

Sony announced that the first five games will come preloaded on the device and will include titles such as "Final Fantasy VII," "Wild Arms," "Tekken 3," "Ridge Racer Type 4," and "Jumping Flash." However, these are only teasers as they're keeping the other 15 secret — but allow us to speculate and predict which other games will be released with the Classic.

"Spyro the Dragon"

Spyro was released on Sep. 10, 1998 for the original PlayStation console — the user played as a small purple dragon that went around the world to free his friends from crystal prisons. Spyro would be transported to these worlds via portals in hopes of finally defeating the final boss, Gnasty Gnorc.

"Tony Hawk's Pro Skater"

There's got to be at least one game from the famous skateboarder, Tony Hawk — the first Pro Skater was released on Aug. 31, 1999 and instantly became a favorite. The player performs different skate tricks in the game, often obtaining more points for more complex tricks. Characters included Tony Hawk, Bob Burnquist, and Kareem Campbell among others.

"Resident Evil"

The first "Resident Evil" game came out in 1996 and was Capcom's best-selling debut game. The user either chose to play as Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine as they scoured Racoon City in hopes of finding their disappeared S.T.A.R.S. team members — instead, they come across the undead!

"Tomb Raider"

Released in 1996, the first "Tomb Raider" follows the adventures of Lara Croft, an English archaeologist with comical proportions. The player follows her as she picks apart the earth, uncovering secrets and discovering treasures — like the Scion in the Tomb of Qualopec.

"Crash Bandicoot"

First released in 1996, "Crash Bandicoot" is a fox-like character whose goal is to stop Doctor Neo Cortex and henchman Doctor Nitrus Brio from world domination. He also has a girlfriend — Tawna, a female bandicoot. The user can attack enemies from humps and spinning attacks and can also lose lives in the process.

These are only speculations of course, but who knows? Maybe PlayStation will put all of them in the console — old video games like Atari are making comebacks now with hipsters and nostalgic millennials so this is a pretty good business move.

Amber Wang is a freelancer for Popdust and various other sites. She is also a student at NYU, a photographer and intern at the Stonewall National Monument.

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