Game:

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020)

Duration: 5:00

110,627 views

4,501

The Chinese government has "banned" Animal Crossing: New Horizons by making it more difficult to import the game from neighbouring Hong Kong, where the game is officially on sale. This came after a series of in-game protests calling for full Hong Kong independence which China is taking very seriously.

Regardless of whether they agree with the government or not (some do, some don't), Chinese citizens are frustrated at being unable to get hold of Animal Crossing. It's especially annoying to discover that locally-sold Nintendo Switch consoles are region locked, and unable to play New Horizons even if gamers can get hold of a cartridge.

The solution: Macho Man! An internet meme that may or may not be a reference to Doom Guy and Isabelle, this secret code is being used online to buy and sell copies of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. While the Chinese government very carefully monitors and censors the internet, it's impossible to completely stop Nintendo fans from buying and selling games on the "grey" market (ie, they're not illegal, but they're also not officially sanctioned for sale in the country).

This is a fascinating example of how the internet makes all international relations so much more difficult. To those few Chinese residents who are watching this through circuitous means, we say, thank you.

To all those who are watching this in a country where YouTube and Animal Crossing are not banned, we also thank you for watching. No matter where you are, we appreciate your eyeball and ear hole time.

Edit: After this video was finished but before it was published, Peta staged an in-game protest against fishing. It seems that using Animal Crossing as a protest ground is a phenomenon that's spreading, and regardless of what you think of the Chinese government or Hong Kong liberation or Peta or fish, you've got to admit - that's fascinating!

Lots of love,
BretonStripes (http://twitter.com/bretonstriped) and Kotor (http://twitter.com/kotorcomics)

Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nintendo-china-idUSKBN22M01G
https://amp.abacusnews.com/games/animal-crossings-new-name-china-macho-man-picking-tree-branches/article/3080905
https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/108976079
https://s.weibo.com/weibo?q=%23%E9%9B%86%E5%90%88%E5%95%A6%E5%8A%A8%E7%89%A9%E6%A3%AE%E5%8F%8B%E4%BC%9A%23
https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/Eye-field
https://medium.com/berkman-klein-center/the-chinese-language-as-a-weapon-how-chinas-netizens-fight-censorship-8389516ed1a6

Other Statistics