#BoycottGenshinImpact Trends Over Alleged Racism & Other Controversies
Free-to-play gacha game Genshin Impact faces controversy after an email alleges the game has racist or otherwise insensitive content. Genshin Impact made its mark as one of the more surprising breakout titles of 2020. Similar in aesthetic to Breath of the Wild, the game features an extensive and growing roster of characters that players can switch between. How players obtain these characters is through the use of gacha mechanics, essentially loot boxes. While it is possible to get all characters without using real-world money, doing so requires a ton of grinding.
The Chinese-made game has already had its fair share of controversy since releasing. Players discovered that the game censors mentions of Taiwan and Hong Kong in compliance with Chinese law late last year. Other players have decided to denounce the game as well due to the gacha mechanics in the game. Despite all of its problems, Genshin Impact earned $1 billion in the first six months of release.
A thread by Twitter user @kaexiaobf (who has since gone private) details an email template to highlight several controversial issues with the game. The template accuses the Hilichurls of being inspired by Native Americans and indigenous people, whitewashing characters, pedophilic NPCs, intentionally bad account security, and withholding content to obtain more money. A video of the Hilichurl in development with what appears to be Native Americans dancing in the background has circulated the thread since the initial posting. The whitewashing claim comes from only two playable characters in the game having dark skin. Xinyan is mentioned explicitly, with players citing her skin tone is lighter in-game than on her banner. Additionally, her character appears as a villain to others due to her always looking angry, a stereotype of Black people.
Claims that some NPCs in the game are pedophiles come from one adult character stating they wish to marry Flora, a young girl who is a merchant in the game. Another NPC says they are the fan club leader of another character who also appears underaged. However, not all fans felt the same, with many hijacking the thread with naysaying or perverse comments on their favorite character. Some wanted to talk about the lousy gacha rates, or that developer miHoYo will not take responsibility for hacked accounts. Text from the ToS agreement read:
"6) WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL NOT ENCOUNTER CONTENT THAT YOU CONSIDER OFFENSIVE OR OTHERWISE INAPPROPRIATE, AND WE ACCEPT NO LIABILITY FOR ANY FAILURE TO REMOVE (OR DELAY IN REMOVING) ANY SUCH CONTENT. YOU MAY, HOWEVER, MAKE COMPLAINTS BY ACCESSING TO OUR SUPPORT SERVICE.
You shall be responsible for keeping your Account secure and confidential (including but not limited to usernames; passwords or other related account information). Also, you acknowledge that you shall be responsible for any and all behaviors performed and identified on or through your Account; whether or notauthorized by you."
Typically, developers will adhere to the problems brought forth by the public with their game; however, it may not be the case with Genshin Impact. Several players posted screenshots of the terms of use that players sign to play the game, which state that miHoYo is not responsible for the actions of a player's account if it's hacked or the offensive content in the game. It will be interesting to see if the company responds to the allegations or ignores them altogether. As of this writing, the developer has not issued a statement about the allegations.
Genshin Impact is available for download on PC, PS4, PS5, iOS, and Android.