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Virtual Protest: Online Fight Between Hong Kongers and Chinese Gamers

Rockstar’s wildly popular online multiplayer game, Grand Theft Auto Online, has become the latest avenue for Chinese nationalists and Hong Kong pro-democracy supporters to wage their ideological battles. The protests are now breaking out in the virtual world.

Virtual Protest: Online Fight Between Hong Kongers and Chinese Gamers

According to AbacusNews, the Hong Kongers’ superior numbers on the continental part of China overcame the Chinese after a battle with railguns in the game.

Over the last two weeks, message boards and social media platforms that are used by gamers have been filled with videos. Also, the virtual clashes along with insults and recriminations from both sides of the ideological divide.

What Is GTA?

GTA Online is an online open-world game that allows players to move freely on the virtual streets of a large, fictional American city.

In the multiplayer game Grand Theft Auto (GTA) V, Hong Kong protests are being played out online as pro-democracy supporters fight in-game Chinese nationalists. The online challenges for ideologies as protesters started to dress up their avatars and riot online in the usual garb of their movement.

In the meantime, social media was full of clashes, which included videos of battles and insults on both sides on gaming messages.

After the release of recent expansion earlier this month, gamers in Hong Kong noticed they could dress their avatars in the clothing worn in their movement. Hence, it is pushing for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability.

They dressed in black clothes, masks, and yellow helmets and threw oil bombs, smashed underground stations, and attacked the cops. They are almost repeating the protests, which have stirred up the financial hub.

Their antiquities quickly drew the attention of gamers in China. After this, they dressed themselves up as a police force and fought with the Hong Kongers.

The gamers posted images on a video clip on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, Twitter-like platform on Monday titled “Compilation of players who kill the cockroaches.”

What Is A Cockroach?

A cockroach is a word that Hong Kong’s police and state supporters regularly identify protesters with.

On Tuesday afternoon, the video had over 175.000 views.

One video clip reads, “No one can trample down our honor. We must fight like a Chinese player!” The makers of the video blurred some slogans of the Hong Kong players for democracy in an example of the censorship people in China.

Half self-governing Hong Kong is fighting with increasingly violent demonstrations for democracy.

At first, they ignited themselves by a now-abandoned attempt to allow extraditions into the repressive continent. However, the movement has developed into a revolt against the rule of Beijing.

China’s authorities flung its weight to put an end to the massive protests. The police called protestors for an investigation. More than 6000 people were arrested.

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