On city streets, Hong Kong protestors clash with police officers from mainland China. But this isn’t Hong Kong — it’s Los Santos, in Grand Theft Auto V Online.

This month, Rockstar Games released The Diamond Casino Heist expansion, adding new playable games, cars, and clothing options. Players in Hong Kong soon noticed that those clothing options allowed them to recreate the go-to “Hong Kong protestor” outfit — black clothes, hard hat, gas mask.

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What followed next was an exquisite virtual happening. Players from mainland China showed up in force, dressed as riot police and wielding water cannons. In the end, China’s water police overwhelmed Hong Kong’s protestors with sheer numbers.









This isn’t even the first time video games have become an unlikely outlet for Hong Kong’s political tension — one Hong Kong-developed simulator allows players to take on the role of a protestor. Meanwhile, a Chinese developer released a game which allowed players to beat up protestors.

Cover Image: LIHKG