Chinese citizens may face limitations on freedom, rights, and open expression due to the risk of severe punishments. However, when it comes to standing up against corporate tyranny or aversion to political agendas in the video game industry, the Chinese have the West licked.
BiliBili, a major Chinese video-sharing site, is experiencing an unusual form of protest from its users. After realizing the platform was reducing the visibility of content supporting miHoYo’s Genshin Impact, Chinese gamers responded by inundating the site with explicit, NSFW content.
The controversy started when content creators noticed discrepancies in the promotion of their videos, especially those related to Genshin Impact.
To test BiliBili’s algorithm, one creator uploaded a video of Genshin Impact’s 5.0 livestream with a clickbait title that was critical of the game.
Despite the lack of commentary, the video garnered over 2.2 million views, far exceeding the official video by miHoYo. This fueled suspicions that BiliBili was suppressing content related to miHoYo while promoting videos that criticized the company.
It’s important to recognize that BiliBili is a significant brand in China, involved not only in video sharing but also in competitive eSports with its professional teams, “BiliBili Gaming,” competing in top-tier events for Valorant and League of Legends.
Additionally, BiliBili acts as a publishing agent for several popular mobile gacha games in the Chinese region, such as Fate/Grand Order, Azur Lane, and Princess Connect! Re:Dive leverage BiliBili as localized publishers.
Their connections with competing gacha games obviously raises concerns over conflict of interest, that BiliBili might manipulate video content to negatively influence the popularity of competing titles
As more Chinese content creators tested the platform and observed similar outcomes, the BiliBili community began to take action. Users started upvoting and flooding videos, especially the Natlan concert video, with comments to boost their rankings.
The perceived bias of the platform became a major source of frustration, which escalated into a more radical protest: inundating BiliBili with explicit content to highlight and mock the alleged manipulation.
By mass-uploading and upvoting NSFW content featuring Hoyoverse characters, users sought to ridicule and expose BiliBili’s alleged manipulation tactics. This protest not only targeted BiliBili’s practices but also brought to light broader issues of content moderation and censorship on the platform, which are common concerns in China.
However, this form of protest comes with serious legal risks. Uploading pornographic content in China can lead to harsh penalties, including imprisonment for 3 to 10 years.
A well-known case involved a creator known as “Shirakami,” who produced 3D animated pornographic content. Shirakami, whose creations are actually showcased in the screenshot above, was arrested by the Chinese authorities for “illegally gaining profits through pornographic material” distributed on foreign platforms, highlighting the potential consequences of such actions.
BiliBili now finds itself in a tough spot, as its credibility and moderation practices are under heavy scrutiny. The platform’s handling of this unconventional protest will likely have significant effects on its relationship with users and its reputation with the Chinese community, who have essentially transformed BiliBili into a porn site out of protest for artificial manipulation.
While Chinese citizens face oppression under their government, Chinese gamers are quick to voice their discontent against corporate actions. For example, miHoYo recently reversed a character nerf in Genshin Impact after vocal complaints from Chinese players, who, if ignored, might escalate the issue further, potentially involving the Chinese authorities.
As the controversy continues, it is unclear how BiliBili will address the user-led protest beyond removing the explicit content and whether it will adjust its content moderation policies in response to the backlash, I for one am simply laughing at these events unfolding.
