THE GAMER RIGHTS PROTECTION MOVEMENT IN CHINA Matthew M. Chew Jun 14 2008

Violent Confrontation at The 9, 2004

A Chronology of Gamer Activism 2003: PRC gamers’ commotion over the collective loss of virtual property in 金庸群侠传 in HK, Taiwan) 2003 : gamers organized to fight against termination of game of 盛大 2003: conflict between leading gamer Guo Lei 郭磊 and 盛大 2003 litigation and protests of banning of accounts in 魔力宝贝 2004: the sudden termination of 魔劍 led gamers to group together and sue publisher 天人互動 2004: self-immolation incident, Luo Qi ( 罗琪 ) 2004: violent conflict between gamers and the staff of The 9 2004: 40-gamer protest at 金山’ s office 2004: gamer won the 1st virtual property dispute case against game corporation, 李宏晨 vs 北極冰 2004: 游戏企业与玩家自律维权公约 proposed

2003: PRC gamers’ commotion over the collective loss of virtual property in 金庸群侠传 in HK, Taiwan)

2003 : gamers organized to fight against termination of game of 盛大

2003: conflict between leading gamer Guo Lei 郭磊 and 盛大

2003 litigation and protests of banning of accounts in 魔力宝贝

2004: the sudden termination of 魔劍 led gamers to group together and sue publisher 天人互動

2004: self-immolation incident, Luo Qi ( 罗琪 )

2004: violent conflict between gamers and the staff of The 9

2004: 40-gamer protest at 金山’ s office

2004: gamer won the 1st virtual property dispute case against game corporation, 李宏晨 vs 北極冰

2004: 游戏企业与玩家自律维权公约 proposed

Virtual-World Protests

A Chronology of Gamer Activism (cont’) 2005: litigation instigated by virtual property dispute and theft in 熱血傳奇 2005: large in-game protests in 剑侠情缘Ⅱ 2005: Netease staff beat up gamers of 大话西游Ⅱ at an outdoor activity 2006 : large protests and debates, 金山’ s treatment of dupes in 封神榜 2006: huge debates raged across games on buying hacked virtual property 2006: 6,700 gamers protested against 热血江湖 2006: protest of World of Warcraft’s technical instability 2007: Moliyo Incident, 摩力游事件 2007: Tianqing Digital Incident, 天晴数码事件 2007: mass banning of accounts, 征途

2005: litigation instigated by virtual property dispute and theft in 熱血傳奇

2005: large in-game protests in 剑侠情缘Ⅱ

2005: Netease staff beat up gamers of 大话西游Ⅱ at an outdoor activity

2006 : large protests and debates, 金山’ s treatment of dupes in 封神榜

2006: huge debates raged across games on buying hacked virtual property

2006: 6,700 gamers protested against 热血江湖

2006: protest of World of Warcraft’s technical instability

2007: Moliyo Incident, 摩力游事件

2007: Tianqing Digital Incident, 天晴数码事件

2007: mass banning of accounts, 征途

The Moliyo Incident, 2007

Virtual-World Grievances Rent-seeking activities Mistreatment of virtual property theft Mistreatment of duping problems Termination of individual online games Technical instability (eg. game crashes, lag)  Game corporations’ corrupted, authoritarian rule of virtual-worlds

Rent-seeking activities

Mistreatment of virtual property theft

Mistreatment of duping problems

Termination of individual online games

Technical instability (eg. game crashes, lag)

 Game corporations’ corrupted, authoritarian rule of virtual-worlds

Formation of a Collective Action Frame 玩家维权 : Gamer rights protection 2003: the Warcraft 3 Competition Slot Incident After 2003: the term became an increasingly recognized as a collective action frame The frame offers integrity and continuity across protests, turning largely NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) protests erupted independently in different games into an incipient movement collective consciousness an insurgent consciousness and subversive worldview that educate and mobilize gamers

玩家维权 : Gamer rights protection

2003: the Warcraft 3 Competition Slot Incident

After 2003: the term became an increasingly recognized as a collective action frame

The frame offers

integrity and continuity across protests, turning largely NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) protests erupted independently in different games into an incipient movement

collective consciousness

an insurgent consciousness and subversive worldview that educate and mobilize gamers

First Component of the Frame: Consumer Rights Consumer rights in China’s: eg. the CCTV ‘315’ night show ‘ 315’ special features, debates, channels of complaint organized by major game media Consumer Associations an official bureau; willing to handle gamers’ anti-corporate complaints individual Consumer Association websites have become defacto bases for mobilizing and coordinating activism

Consumer rights in China’s: eg. the CCTV ‘315’ night show

‘ 315’ special features, debates, channels of complaint organized by major game media

Consumer Associations

an official bureau; willing to handle gamers’ anti-corporate complaints

individual Consumer Association websites have become defacto bases for mobilizing and coordinating activism

Second Component of the Frame: Rights Protection Human rights and rights-based discourses and activism Rights protection movements sprouting in a wide variety of social arenas, led by different social groups: ‘Rightful resistance’ Rights protection lawyering Rights protection movements and the Internet

Human rights and rights-based discourses and activism

Rights protection movements sprouting in a wide variety of social arenas, led by different social groups: ‘Rightful resistance’

Rights protection lawyering

Rights protection movements and the Internet

Theoretical Implications I: Online Games and Social Movements The socio-political implications of online games Game corporations media businesses in the real-world authoritarian states of virtual-worlds Gamers real-world: middle-class cultural consumers virtual-world: grassroot, politically active virtual-world citizens

The socio-political implications of online games

Game corporations

media businesses in the real-world

authoritarian states of virtual-worlds

Gamers

real-world: middle-class cultural consumers

virtual-world: grassroot, politically active virtual-world citizens

Theoretical Implications II: The Internet and Social Movements The social significance of Virtual-World-Oriented Social Movements (VSMs) The social movement potential of virtual communities

The social significance of Virtual-World-Oriented Social Movements (VSMs)

The social movement potential of virtual communities