NetEase, Blizzard’s publisher in China, has a rewards program which allows players to accumulate points to spend on digital rewards for its games. Recently, it unveiled a new way players could earn points: reporting illicit behavior in World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and other Blizzard titles.
Last year, NetEase released its rewards program, which gives players 1 point for every 1 yuan–approximately 16 cents–spent on Blizzard games and products. With this new system, players can also receive points if they report a player for illicit activity, such as botting, hacking, or toxic behavior, provided that report leads to account action.
Each Chinese Blizzard account has a badge associated with how many successful reports of illegal accounts that player makes. At certain milestones, these badges will upgrade into new designs and styles, which other players can see. These upgrades will also come with a bounty of NetEase Battle.net points, which can be exchanged for exclusive rewards. The rewards themselves rotate regularly, but often include Hearthstone card packs, Heroes of the Storm skins, and exclusive cosmetics only available through the World of Warcraft TCG, like the Big Battle Bear or the Dark Portal Hearthstone toy.
NetEase also rolled out a new account freeze option alongside this recent update. This feature allows players to freeze or unfreeze their account when it is at risk, or when they are taking a hiatus from playing the games and wish for an extra layer of security.
Though this rewards system is exclusive to NetEase’s Battle.net in China, some players wish it were otherwise. Earning points for spending money on subscriptions and game services, which could be then double-dipped for additional select cosmetics and exclusive, hard-to-get items, would be a welcome addition to the Blizzard cash shop. Additionally, the idea of an incentive to report illicit behavior, and thus create a better community, is also one many players think could have a positive impact on the toxic communities of games like World of Warcraft.
That said, there is a certain trepidation behind such a system, considering how well-known China is for censorship in gaming. There are echoes of the problematic Social Credit System, and the implications of it go deeper than simply cultivating a positive gaming community. In addition, such a system could also lead spam reports to try and farm points, which could waste game developers’ time. Needless to say, it is therefore unlikely Blizzard will replicate the system outside of China.
Source: Wowhead
