Wednesday, November 20, 2019

From Warcraft to Atlas

Nakamura's excellent chapter reminded me of this very thorough investigation into the fascinating playspace of Atlas, a pirate-themed MMO. The article details how Atlas becomes a battleground for a proxy war between China and the US; players enact nationalism by forming factions based around their national pride. Chinese players are characterized with dehumanizing language that compares them to insects, on account of their coordination and seemingly endless numbers. The racism here goes even beyond what Nakamura catalogues, as Chinese corpses are displayed on desert islands as trophies, and ships set out to sea with "MAGA" emblazoned on their sails.

https://www.polygon.com/2019/3/5/18238599/atlas-ark-survival-evolved-early-access-pvp

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