An advocate group urges the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government to ban face masks in unauthorized rallies, Oct 3, 2019. Photo:Xinhua

The developer of Shining Nikki on Wednesday told the Global Times it changed the way of mask wearing on its characters' faces to "maintain a healthy and harmonious game environment" after some players used the game to back Hong Kong rioters.

In its latest update over the weekend, characters in the dress-up game have their masks dangling from one ear instead of covering most of the face, media reports said, citing comments from internet users. 

A customer service employee told the Global Times on Wednesday via the game's official Facebook account that the change was aimed at maintaining a healthy and harmonious game environment while protecting the image of game characters. 

Developer of Shining Nikki - Paper Games based in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province - had not responded as of press time.

In April, the traditional Chinese version of the game introduced costumes including a black mask for its characters. When protests broke out in Hong Kong in June, some players in Hong Kong and the island of Taiwan changed their profile photos to add the mask and posted pro-secessionist messages in their account introduction.

But some users complained they were uncomfortable seeing black masks in the gaming environment. 

A netizen named ICH-F posted on China's Twiter-like Sina Weibo that Hong Kong rioters "tarnished" the black mask, making a common fashion choice into a notorious symbol. 

Some mainland players were discontent with the services personnel's ambiguous response, urging the company to strengthen its management to guarantee its game design will not be exploited and used by rioters as a tool to express their political views.  

Rioters in Hong Kong usually wear facial masks to hide their identities when they vandalize public facilities or attack police forces. 

The traditional Chinese version of the game launched on April 10 has attracted players from Hong Kong, Macao and the island of Taiwan. The game also has mainland players. 

In an attempt to help quell months of violence and chaos, Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam invoked emergency powers to enact a law banning face masks at illegal public assemblies on October 4.