Why the Internet Is so Furious About ‘Hogwarts Legacy’
Harry Potter and the wizarding world he lives in hasn’t been particularly well served by video games since the first novel came out in 1997, but this week, with the release of the open-world role-playing game Hogwarts Legacy , that should have changed. . After several months of successful pre-orders, today, February 7, the AAA-class game was released. controversy in the real world. Question: Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling’s views on transgender people.
JK Rowling, TERF and Twitter
Author J.K. Rowling, known for her hugely successful fantasy novels, may seem like an unlikely candidate for cultural controversy, but over the past five years or so, the author has increasingly come under fire for her opinions on transgender issues. tweets , her 2020 novel Restless Blood , which features a cisgender serial killer who disguises herself as a woman to lure victims, and especially this essay aimed at trans activism .
Critics branded Rowling a “TERF” or “radical pro-exclusion feminist”, and her views drew significant backlash, including a rebuke from GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis , who said, “It’s very disappointing that J.K. Rowling is with such a platform.” , such an influence, and because she was so close and dear to the queer community in her fantasy writing, that she turned her back on the trans and LGBT community.”
Even the stars of the Harry Potter films distanced themselves from Rowling’s views: Daniel Radcliffe , Rupert Grint and Emma Watson offered the option “I don’t agree with what Rowling says”.
“Trans people are who they say they are and they deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they are not who they say they are,” Watson tweeted . “I want my trans followers to know that I and many other people around the world see you, respect and love you for who you are.”
Rowling’s participation in Hogwarts Legacy
After a controversy, Hogwarts Legacy publisher Warner Bros. Games has made every effort to clarify its relationship with Rowling. The company claims that Rowling was not directly involved in the creation of Hogwarts Legacy. From the Legacy FAQ :
“J. K. Rowling was not involved in the creation of the game, but as the creator of the Wizarding World and one of the world’s greatest storytellers, her outstanding writing is at the heart of all projects in the Wizarding World. This is not a new story from J.K. Rowling, however we have worked closely with her team in all aspects of the game to ensure that it remains in line with fans’ expectations.”
Whether she directly created the game or not, Rowling owns the Harry Potter intellectual property and will certainly benefit from the success of Hogwarts Legacy . users flag the game as a ” psychological horror” and Twitch’s attempt to convince gamers to donate money to the transgender charity Mermaids instead of buying the game, which raised over $5,000 . It’s impossible to quantify, but many gamers have publicly stated that they plan to boycott the game by simply not buying it.
Is the content of Hogwarts Legacy problematic?
At first glance , Hogwarts Legacy doesn’t seem transphobic. The game’s character creation allows players to create transgender mages instead of choosing between a “wizard” and a witch, and it features, for the first time in the Potter universe, Sirona Ryan, an NPC who suggests they are transgender. As you might expect, this nod towards inclusion was met with accusations that the character was only included as a sign that “the trans community is waving instead of listening”, as well as criticism from the opposite side of the issue, where some described the effort as “virtue signalling”.
The complexity of the Harry Potter fandom
The controversy surrounding Rowling’s views has left many Harry Potter fans facing a difficult question: Is the repulsive-looking artist devaluing their art? Many longtime fans have reacted to Rowling’s views by refusing to support the official “wizard world” in favor of fan-made creations or abandoning it entirely; others follow a finer line.
“As a fandom, we’ve been looking forward to this game since before it was announced,” Asher Chelder, a transgender Potter fan who is part of the social media team at fansite MuggleNet, told Sky News . “I have found a lot of solace in the show and that is something I can’t get rid of. It’s part of who I am.”