Introduction

Discrimination is the unjust treatment of individuals based on characteristics, but in practice, it can be hard to recognize. This is because discrimination often derives from wrongly assuming someone's norm is a universal norm and that their worldview is or ought to be the default. 

As a game company, how we communicate with players or portray characters directly impacts the success of a game and NetEase's brand value. While no country is free from bias, it is our job to make players feel welcomed and respected, wherever they come from.

Many countries around the world take discrimination very seriously.

• In Brazil, it is serious a crime to discriminate or demonstrate prejudice against another person; racial insults can lead to an arrest. 

• In the United States, it is illegal to discriminate against another person.

• In the European Union, discrimination based on sex, ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation is prohibited.

But more than this, there is a huge demand among players for characters that represent them. The challenge is how we recognize and prevent discrimination before it becomes an issue and, in turn, make games that players can enjoy.

Even though comments or jokes about a person's background/skin tone may be common in China, audiences abroad are very sensitive to it. Content that may be considered harmless to Chinese audiences may be extremely offensive in other countries, given their cultural and historical context.

• Brazil: Chinese shop owner arrested in Rio de Janeiro for saying "女人皮肤不合格" to a job applicant

• Brazil: Retired F1 Champion Nelson Piquet fined $950.000 for using a racial slur against F1 driver Lewis Hamilton