The Hex is a game about protagonists.
The Chinese government banned Fortnight. So what, right? China bans a lot of things. That is what the public is saying, but not the business entities that rely on the gaming ecosystem for year over year growth.
To them, this news makes them a casualty in the trade war going on that was inevitably going to evolve into a culture war. Had to happen.
Wasn't just Fortnight. The Chinese government's online ethics review committee had about twenty games on the chopping block. Some have been banned, like Fortnight and PUBG, some have been put on notice, like League of Legends and Overwatch.
Sucks to be Tencent right now; sucks to be NetEase, sucks to be the organizations from Chinese cities that went 20 mill in on the Overwatch league. Sucks to be Blizzard, who are going hard into mobile territory. Losing the China market is like losing the game in that arena. Oof.
So what happens now? Well, Huawei doesn't make a buck in the states with hardware or 5g. Apple can't manoeuvre on the cheap in Shengen anymore. Video game companies can't play global ball without each government having a say, taking a cut, or outright locking the gate. Companies can't make a unified sku and have to make a thousand little variations to each which costs money, so that means they can't afford to take chances so innovation stagnates.
Which episode of Black Mirror is this?
Winter came early, as it is want to do. The world has gone tribal, the global connection has exacerbated old global arguments like the aunties at the bbq who can't let go of the fact that one auntie got grandmas piano all those years ago, so no one gets to play it until we all figure out who the rightful owner is. Such is life.
Anyway, The Hex is a solid game, you should play it. Also Jerbz.
The Protoculture Mixtape: Issue: People: Cresentic
