cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/28202261
The international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement are calling on people to cancel Game Pass subscriptions, avoid Microsoft-owned video game properties such as Minecraft and Call Of Duty, and boycott all Microsoft Gaming and Xbox-branded products in protest at the company’s reported business connections with the Israeli military.
The call follows allegations this January about the Israeli military’s usage of Microsoft’s Azure cloud technology and artificial intelligence products in the course of its bombardment and invasion of Gaza.
According to a joint investigation between the Guardian, Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, with additional reporting from Drop Site News, Microsoft have “deepened” their relationship with Israel’s defence establishment since 7th October 2023, when several Palestinian militant groups struck across the border and massacred over a thousand people. Israel responded to the attack by mounting a ground offensive and airstrikes that have destroyed much of Gaza and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
a question to parents/guardians of kids playing Minecraft or other Microsoft games:
if they uninstall the Microsoft version of Minecraft and switch to a pirated launcher, does that respect the BDS demands? also, does playing it on Linux Mint from the Software Manager benefit Microsoft in any way?
I’m aware of similar media boycotts such as SAG/AFTRA telling people not to promote targeted media projects publicly. Ofc, BDS is a different organization but I’m hoping someone could clarify if not promoting Minecraft while still playing is sufficient? I’m not personally invested in continuing to play, but would like to find ways to inspire my young relative to consume consciously.
The most important thing in boycotts is not giving them (more) money, and not promoting their goods/services. You can’t get your money back from already bought things, so you can use or buy used stuff from other person.
Regarding Minecraft, the most effective is to avoid all its subscriptions and new purchases. But there are more actions, like not promoting and not playing. It is more about what you can do at the moment. Usually, listening and sharing the bad things done by the company helps you decide what can you do rn.