I will forgive trans people who play the game despite the harm the author does because the IP has a special place in their hearts. I will disagree with them, but as trans folk, we each have to navigate the transphobia in the world around us on our own terms, and that includes our relationship with this IP.

I won't forgive anyone, cis or trans, who tries to downplay the transphobia of the author and the harm she does and there is zero space in blåhaj zone for folks inclined that way.

Truth be told? As a former fan of the books but a reluctant enjoyer of the universe, I would love to try the game.

But as a trans person, I cannot in good faith give additional attention to anything Harry Potter. Many of the fans may be good people, but the books are problematic, the author is a piece of shit, and anything that gives either of these things more exposure should be shunned. (Sadly, this means the movies are a no-go, even though Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson are gems; I can't remember how Rupert Grint feels.)

Not censored, just shunned. I'm not going to be an asshole to someone who likes HP but is a nice person otherwise. If they ask me my opinion, I'll tell them, but I'll stay away personally from the official content, if not all content (fan content is on a somewhat case-by-case basis, but mostly that too if only just to make staying away easier).

Fuck JK Rowling and everything associated with her

Granted, I never cared for Harry Potter to begin with, and by the time I finally tried to watch it, it didn’t interest me in the slightest

Also have a bad taste in my mouth because my ex “friend”’s wife rubbed it in my face that she’d gotten Hogwarts Legacy to try to get a reaction after seeing the conflict over it online

I don't really care if someone likes Harry Potter and plays the games or watches the movies, I care a lot more if they give Rowling money in the process. Thankfully, there are ways of enjoying books, movies, TV shows and games without giving shitty people money.

Yo ho ho me hearties.

I watched a single 2 hour YouTube video about JK Rowling (well, about Harry Potter, but focused on JK Rowling), so I obviously know everything about her (/s), and in my professional Rowling expert opinion I say:
I don't like her, her books, the games affiliated with her books, or anything else she's associated with.

Also I'm a "actual trans people with sense"™, so my opinion can't be discarded.

Also if that counts I used to be active in a discord server with primarily "actual trans people with sense"™ and talking about the game was literally not allowed because one of the mods was tired of having to tell people why the game is bad.

I'm a cis man. I won't buy anything from HP because of JK's views. I don't really think there's a "stance." You're either ok with what she says or you aren't. And the only way to affect change is with how you spend your money.

Huh. Surprising that the poster thinks this community would defend Joanne and the actions she has taken against our community.

Long and short of it, no. I do not support giving her money under really any circumstances. I used to be a die-hard fan of Harry Potter but I haven't engaged with it in many years and probably never will again. I dont even want to give her intellectual properties my time and attention. I don't begrudge anyone doing so, but if they asked me, "What do you think about me buying the HP game?" I'd tell them how they're supporting someone openly aligned with trans hatred, fascists like Kelly Jay Keen, misogynists, anti-abortion organizations, and homophobic people and anti gay rights organizations. She appropriates the voice of lesbian and queer cis women as a weapon against trans people, despite being a categorically straight woman herself. She's a fascist, not openly, but you're not best friends with fascists supporting fascist causes if you yourself aren't a fascist. She is a threat not just to the rights of trans people but also to gay people and women.

Support of her, her actions, or her statements in any capacity is categorically unacceptable in this community. I won't ban someone for saying they bought the game, but attempting to suggest that she isn't an active threat to the rights of trans people everywhere is unacceptable. This is a supportive community for transfeminine people, and debate/denial of the trans hate movement is bannable here.

[I got a bot to automatically delete all my comments over 1 month old so you can’t see this comment anymore]

Hogwarts Legacy? Wasn't that the game with, like, the plot that was suspiciously similar to blood libel, especially considering how similar goblins are to certain stereotypes and caricatures to begin with? The game where early access players found a horn that looked suspiciously similar to a shofar being described as some sort of annoying goblin instrument? The game where, even setting Rowling aside, several of the staff behind it had some very gross political views? The one where they named the one transfem character "Sirona Ryan" and had her voiced by a cis woman with her voice pitched-down in post to sound more masculine?

I mean, I never played Hogwarts Legacy, so that could all be wrong, but that is nevertheless what I remember people talking about... People have a right to play games even if they have problematic content, sure, but I also have a right to hear "yeah I just had to play the Blood Libel Game because it's just so nostalgic" and think "wtf"

So, as a question, do you agree with giving money in any way to JK Rowling?

Fuck that FART. 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

Do you agree with supporting Harry Potter as a franchise? 🤓

Oh, you mean her British Empire fan-fiction? The one where elves LIKE to be slaves? The one with anti-semite, racist, imperialist, transphobic and fatphobic subtext?

No, lol.

I don't support nazis financially. She is one and it's not even a question anymore.

She explicitly said she considers it endorsement of her beliefs. I’m not going to say people can’t enjoy Harry Potter anymore, but I will say I can’t. I get that it’s part of a lot of people’s childhood. But it’s also absolutely a form of privilege because every time I’m reminded of it I’m reminded that something I loved as a child is funding my oppression very explicitly now. And I trust you less when I see you celebrating it.

But I’m also not one of the good ones. I respect myself and my sisters.

Yeah I boycott all TERFs and encourage my friends to do the same. Just like the chicken place, and the pillow guy, and anyone else who thinks making other people's lives hell is a valid political stance. Don't gove those people money if you don't have to, please. Just pirate it

Apologies for chipping in here, because I'm cis, but I don't feel at all comfortable with playing Hogwarts legacy — Rowling has literally said that she views any success the game may have as an endorsement of her views. My feelings here aren't even necessarily due to a choice to condemn Rowling's stance and behaviour, but also partly a visceral sense of disgust towards that world and the series. I used to love Harry Potter, but I can't anymore. I'm sad about it because I was one of those lonely kids growing up who would fantasise about getting my Hogwarts letter.

My opposition to the game also isn't limited to beef with Rowling's transphobia - over the years I've come to realise how icky the world on the books is, like how Harry becoming a cop after years of suffering under systemic abuse,that's peak neoliberalism. Plus there's all the antisemitic tropes around the goblins. It's just oof and another reason why I'd feel uncomfortable playing the games.

In my almost entirely queer friend group, that's a common viewpoint and when it came out, it was definitely something that would be considered worthy of judgement. For the record, this friend group is approximately 30-40% trans

I expect my post will be controversial. I bought it and played it. I don't regret getting it.

I accepted myself as trans and came out to my wife a couple months ago. Before coming out I was really deep in denial and didn't let myself play as girls in games even though deep down I really wanted to.

Hogwarts Legacy was the first game I played as a female character by choice in a long time. The game was okay, it's been a really long time since I played that genre. Role playing as a girl was really freeing. Sure, I could have chosen countless other games, but it was new enough and unique enough that I actually wanted to play it. I'm pretty picky about games I play now; I have two young kids and a pretty demanding job.

There's trans representation in it. It's very explicit, the barkeep at Hog's Head mentions that most of her former-classmates don't recognize her since she's now a witch instead of a wizard.

It sucks that it supports JK Rowling a tiny bit. I definitely did not want to support her. But I was in a pretty bad mental state when I was playing it and it was a welcomed distraction. It even helped me come to terms with my trans-ness a little bit.

Yah, nah JK has gone right off the deep end like Kanye and musk. Fell for the same shit teenagers on tumbler, twitter and Reddit were falling for 7 years ago.

Honestly, don’t think anyone should be giving her money at this point, but the franchise is kind of bigger than her at this point. I won’t pay for anything that would end up giving a cent to her because I know what she’ll do with it. She’s a dead weight on the community at this point.

I can’t engage with the properties in good conscience anymore. I was never as in to it as some other people were, and if that’s a big part of your online identify and community it’d be hard to break from it. I get why people get defensive about it, but like, maybe they shouldn’t take it personally when people criticize giving money to one of the biggest names funding transphobic rhetoric?

I wouldn't give Rowling money after the shit she has said and posted online. The game may be decent and unoffensive; but she receives royalties from purchases, so I ain't buying it. Although, before it came out and the devs were talking about the story, it hella sounded like you, being a wizard, are helping to put down a rebellion of some fantasy race that is essentially slave labor for the wizards and that also turned me off.

Pirate it if you want but I heard it's pretty boring, minimal gameplay and more of a walking tour of the world that you slowly unlock by more infodump convos. I'm just playing my old stuff and waiting for BG3 to drop a bit more. Oh yeah fuck the Facista.

I have certainly stopped giving her money. I got the game a different way and it was pretty mediocre anyway. It’s a bit ironic that the game was pretty inclusive, blood libel not withstanding.

I certainly don’t begrudge your opinion but there’s nuance in all things. There’s no ethical consumption in capitalism but there’s no reason we can’t call out bigots.

If people want to play Hogwarts Legacy, they should pirate it.

I think there's some justification in seperating shitty people from their work because people enjoy it, but we should enjoy it in a way which doesn't support that person and the cancer they spew.

Also Harry Potter is kinda meh anyway :/

I think the debate is long over. Also, calling trans people sensitive is a very old wailing tactic.

Signed, JK Trolling

Fuck transphobia, fuck transphobes, and fuck people defending either, that's just transphobia with extra steps.

Not a hard stance to have or to uphold.

Fuck no. Pirate that shit.

I was a big fan of the franchise so it hurts but I have stopped supporting her in any way shape or form. My partner put on Fantastic Beasts the other day and I didn't say anything because I didn't feel like getting into it. I won't stop other people because I understand the nostalgia.

I do like HPMOR but it's a fanfic and enjoying that fiction simply does not financially benefit anyone in a monetary relationship with JK Rowling.

Honestly, she's insanely rich already, the main entity that would get money from buying hogwarts legacy is the dev studio and publisher. So for that reason I believe a boycott to be pretty pointless - she's richer than anyone should ever be anyway, and that won't change whether or not people buy whatever else is made with the IP.

I respect anyones decision to not buy it, because fuck jkr, but imo there's also great reasons not to care in spite of her being a terf, and I don't think anyone should be judged for buying it.

I think there's a lot of backlash bc of the few lunatics that went and harrassed people for streaming the game, which of course gets reported on by sensationalist right wing media as "all trans people ever are doxxing everyone who they see play hogwarts legacy" and people believe that horseshit.

As someone who never cared all that much about HP anyway, it's just one more reason to spend my money on something else instead. But if the same studio made hogwarts legacy 2 and it's somehow the greatest game ever made instead of another slightly above average open world rpg, I'd probably buy it.

A lot of things I could buy end up giving some money to rich assholes that I'd rather not give anything to, after all. If anything, someone saying hateful things on twitter seems middle of the field, even if I'm part of the group being targeted.

Yeah, no, I'll never spend money on anything HP ever again. JKR can go and kick rocks.

What I did with my childhood HP books a few years back:

I'll love the people who buy Hogwarts Legacy, but I won't support their lifestyle. 🙃

I can enjoy the art and support my trans friends while cuntpunting a piece of shit.

I certainly don't advocate for giving her money and would support anyone choosing not to. I don't go out of my way to negatively engage anyone who does buy HP franchise things, but I do quietly think less of them for it and snicker behind their back. That's mostly just because I try to avoid confrontation though.

I did, however, play Hogwarts Legacy, enough at least to get a good read on the game. If I can save someone the trouble of playing it themselves, and especially save them from paying money to do so, then it was time... spent. Maybe not well spent, but since I can't get a refund on time and I'm not out a dime anyway, let's just... move on, shall we?

Hogwarts Legacy definitely has it's problematic elements, most of which are more a result of the Harry Potter setting lore. The most egregious I recall is the connection of Goblins and some of the ugliest old stories of Jewish people. I'm of the opinion that Rowling didn't do that intentionally, so much as she's just kind of a shitty writer who didn't actually think about what she was doing at all, but that doesn't excuse it's inclusion in the books, and certainly doesn't excuse the proliferation in the game. That's an ugly mark against the game that shouldn't be overlooked, but when I played I was specifically on a mission to try to evaluate the game on it's own merits, so... moving on.

As it relates to the trans community, I seem to recall the character creation was actually one of the more progressive I'd encountered. The game also didn't do anything to try to enforce a gender identity on the player, beyond making you choose whether you call yourself a Witch or a Wizard, with you choice determining which side of the common room your bed is in. This was entirely unconnected to body type or voice chosen, and it didn't do anything so crass as scold you for which bathrooms you went into. While I suspect that was specifically in an effort to counter some of the ugly things Rowling has said before, I still felt like it was worth recognizing that the creators of the game itself went out of their way to be more open about gender identity than most games.

As far as gameplay goes, it was pretty... okay? Not great, not terrible. It felt generic, a few kinda high points like the free roaming on a broomstick was fun, but countered with the lows of a pretty bland open world that was quickly not worth exploring. The RPG mechanics were functional enough, but not exactly engaging. Mediocre feels like a pretty solid description of the game, if it hadn't been for the setting, and the controversy surrounding the setting, the game itself would have been completely forgotten in no time.

So, what about the setting? I still remember back when I was a child, growing up reading the HP books, it was a more innocent time that allowed the setting to garner some nostalgia credit with me, which Rowling's later actions, and a helping of more mature hindsight, tarnished considerably. So, did the game serve to at least feed that craving for nostalgic old warmth?

Eh, not really. Sure it was kinda neat to explore the castle, there were a couple of locations that were memorable enough that finding them myself was... something, at least. Mostly though, it was just... bland. And not just the locations, but other elements of the setting. The game is set well before any of the books, so the only characters anyone is familiar with would be the ghosts, so that's just boring. The whole world just feels... Dull. Just an example, you can learn the Unforgivable Curses in game, but using them in front of a professor just gets a pathetic little "I'd better not see you doing that again" line, no matter how many times you keep doing it. It's pathetic, and of course never addresses things like why using a fire spell to light someone on fire until they burn to death is fine, but just zapping them with a green death ray isn't. Boring, lifeless, uninspired. But surely, the sorting hat, that most memorable of- Nope nevermind, even that sucks. It asks you a single question akin to "How would you best describe yourself?" And they might as well have color coded the four answers, because it just picks your house based on that alone. If that wasn't lame enough, it even gives you the chance to just change your mind and manually pick your house immediately after.

All in all, I'm sure the most avid fans of the Harry Potter world could find something to like in Hogwarts Legacy. The rest of us, though, have few reasons to try it, and far more reasons to avoid it and it's Author entirely.