in case people weren't aware, BDS has called for a boycott of microsoft gaming products:
Cancel your Xbox Game Pass subscription.
Boycott Candy Crush, Minecraft and Call of Duty – flagship videogame franchises owned by Microsoft.
Boycott all Microsoft Gaming products, including Xbox-branded consoles, headsets, accessories and all games published by Microsoft-owned publishing labels (such as Xbox Game Studios, Activision, Bethesda and Blizzard).
more info on the boycott and microsoft's collaboration with israel from bds' own website. microsoft is directly partnered with the israeli military, providing cloud services and ai technologies that actively contribute to the genocide of palestinians.
bethesda and blizzard are specifically named, but other companies under xbox game studios include mojang and obsidian entertainment - i'm highlighting obsidian here because (afaik) i haven't seen anyone bring them up specifically. i don't mean this in a condemnatory way, i'm an enjoyer of obsidian games myself, i just want to make sure people are aware.
For those who already own the games or the console, the organizers said, the ideal move would be to stop playing, but the primary ask from organizers is to help deprive Microsoft of revenue. Therefore, players can be compliant with the boycott by avoiding future purchases of games or consoles and by avoiding transactions inside the games.
a cultural boycott has not been called for, but there's no avoiding the fact that fandom is effectively free word-of-mouth advertising. i am not here to tell you what to do or act as your moral arbiter, all i can do is give you information and ask you to be conscientious. please refrain from making any new purchases or from encouraging other people to buy games/products that provide revenue to microsoft - consider donating to a gazan mutual aid fund, such as a campaign run by the sameer project instead
