It seems that the most popular free-to-play action RPG is in serious trouble, with fans comparing the primal baddies in Genshin Impact, known as Hilichurls, to native Americans and accusing it of being an unjust representation of people of color, or in simple terms, racism. Keep reading to find out what the fuss is about the boycott Genshin Impact.
Why Is Boycott Genshin Impact Trending In April 2021?
Despite being an instant hit on all devices for its impressive characters, gameplay, and frequent updates, the game is now witnessing extreme criticism from fans, with a Twitter hashtag boycott Genshin Impact making the rounds on the internet.
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The trend began at 3 a.m. UK/10 p.m. ET on April 5/6 on Twitter and was quickly joined by several players who voiced their concerns through the social media platform. The reason behind this out roar are plenty some of which are listed below:
- Lesser playable characters with white skin
- Representations of Native Americans as villains
- Game’s younger character Flora’s se*ualization
- Security concerns
Some people even sent e-mails to the developers. Below is one such by an offended fan:
“Many of the enemies within the game, especially hilichurls, are inspired by indigenous people. This is extremely harmful and demonizes indigenous individuals while disrespecting their culture,”
Here’s another one,
“Characters are also extremely whitewashed, with only two playable characters having darker skin and both of them being sees and sly or villainous and having colourist remarks about them by other characters. This is harmful to any player with darker skin and pushes the idea that darker-skinned individuals are somehow lesser than lighter-skinned peoples.”
Now, take a look at these Twitter threads,
#boycottgenshin It rubs me the wrong way that some of you decided to call out the things that mihoyo had done BECAUSE of inazuma's delay and them wanting to earn more money, you could've done this any other day.
— vivi – BACK (@grahalver) April 6, 2021
https://twitter.com/EM0GOJO/status/1379269870718701568
Have a look at the email template sent to the developer,
https://twitter.com/kaexiaobf/status/1379276271738294272
The critical question is whether fans are disappointed because of racism, which have different meanings for all, or they are angry because they have to pay for content that was originally free. Check out another e-mail on the subject.
“We’ve recently learned that new content in the game including a new storyline and Inuzama maps have been delayed for the sake of your company making more money. For the players that started the game for the storyline and for those who started for any other reason, this is upsetting and decreases morale for wanting to play the game. Character releases have been denied as well, and people do not want to continue to wait to be able to play,”
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Whatever the reason, developer miYoHo is definitely caught up in the huge mess – boycott Genshin Impact. Let’s see how he handles it. Stay tuned for further updates on the situation.
