Why I won’t be playing the new Harry Potter game



Almost all comments about it that have made their way to my social feeds or inboxes have been frenzied attacks on mythological social justice warriors who want to cancel the game, or accusations of a media conspiracy to censor Rowling’s creations, as though riding a hippogriff in a video game is suddenly an inalienable political right that’s come under threat. Frankly I doubt many of these comments come from people earnestly looking forward to playing Hogwarts Legacy; it’s been seized upon by full-time conservative campaigners.

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On the other hand you’ll also find arguments reaching to extrapolate Rowling’s controversial positions by painting the content of the game itself as bigoted; critics have said the game perpetuates anti-Semitic stereotypes through its characterisation of goblins, and that it positions an enslaved race as the bad guys and the player character as a righteous coloniser. Whether that reading turns out to be warranted or not, it’s hardly unique to Rowling’s work as a criticism of fantasy fiction.

Aside from those defending Rowling or overtly dismissing the harm her disseminations cause, the discussion around whether you can be a good ally while also enjoying this video game is playing out in social forums and comment sections all over the internet.

A common argument is any spin on “no ethical consumption under capitalism”, which has become increasingly misused in recent years to justify consuming anything you want. Here it’s meant to imply that the harm done to trans people and others through the support of Wizarding World products is no more than the harm done by purchasing any of the dozens of other new games on the shelves, which is clearly untrue.

Another flawed argument is that anyone should buy the game to “support the developers”, i.e. conscientious objection unfairly punishes the people who worked on the game. I have sympathy for those developers, who would likely have been horrified as Rowling’s behaviour became more firmly anti-trans over the past five years, but their pay is almost certainly not tied to the total dollar amount the game will eventually make through sales.

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All of this obfuscates a relatively clear moral equation. If you believe Rowling’s efforts to promote a harmful view of trans people has a real impact on an already marginalised group, and you accept that her celebrity is almost entirely derived from the media franchise that began with Harry Potter, then support for one strengthens the other.

To sum it up in the parlance of Harry Potter itself, if Rowling were Voldemort, then the various arms of the ongoing Wizarding World franchise would be her personal horcruxes. It’s due only to their presence in popular culture that she has the power to put any statement or argument into newspapers and websites around the world with a mere tweet, spreading disinformation.

Ultimately Rowling’s actions — and my discussions with trans friends, family and other allies — have meant I’ve no longer been prepared to spend money on anything Potter related. And although I enjoyed the books previously and respect the work of people making Wizarding World content today, I’ve found it all very easy to do without. Hogwarts Legacy is no different.

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