Hogwarts Legacy: Its not just a JK problem
Hogwarts Legacy (HL) launched this week on all major platforms, and across all media the controversy had been brewing ever since it was originally announced. Those who wish to boycott the game, including myself, due to it being associated with JK Rowling have repeatedly pointed to Rowling’s comments that any continued purchasing and engagement with the Wizarding World (WW) reinforce her world view and societal commentary about trans folk. On the flipside, many folk have argued that as Rowling had no involvement in the game and she had already been paid for the rights, it is only the developers and publishers that benefit from future sales. Wherein lies the central issue, as if you promote the WW through commercial products you are vicariously buying into Rowling’s world view and social commentary.
Beside the fact that HL fudges even the tokenistic trans character added to the game, the whole conversation about the launch and Rowling’s meta anti-trans rhetoric have been conflated to the point that it is difficult to separate the two. If you agree with her you are likely going to champion the game, if you oppose her exclusionary perspective then you likely will either boycott it or actively spread spoilers. You load up Steam or read any game related website and it is front and centre. You cannot escape it, and the best you can do is gamely skip past it and continue with your life. The simple act of engagement adds ballast to Rowling’s notion that to even comment on anything Harry Potter or WW related is to give her oxygen and potential vicarious income.
Yet, we still need to discuss this, because this is not simply a JK problem. Corporate executives at publishers and media companies clearly see that the WW increases the bottom line, and until it does not they will continue to produce WW and Harry Potter related content. In turn, fattening Rowling’s bank account. JK Rowling uses her platform to explicitly exclude trans folk, mis-represent non-white cultures, and generally spend as much time researching ideas as it does to finish her morning latte. I am not saying she is a hack, but at least Dan Brown could string a cohesive plot together in 200 pages. Indulging her ideas and creative output reinforces Rowling’s belief that she is right, that her ideas and opinions matter, and that the crusade she is waging against trans women is somehow laudable.
Media companies have provided Rowling with a large platform to spread her message, and people have flocked to follow her because it chimes with their world view. Instead of actually advocating for change and progressive policies, all her work and social commentary is reactionary and reinforces stereotypical ideas of place and identity. This is not just a JK problem because the media is enabling her, profiting from her ideas, and platforming hostility towards minority wrapped up in concern for the weaker sex. Buying Hogwarts Legacy is an act of passive agreement with this world view, a conscious decision to tacitly agree with Rowling’s ideas. If her bank account is the horcrux that gives her vitality and power, then the only way to strike back is to refuse to engage, refuse to platform, and a refuse to spend.
If you choose to play the game then that is your conscious decision, and if you have trans and ethnic minority folk in your lives then you will have to square that away with yourself. What media you consume says as much about you as it does the content creators, and while you are under no obligation to divulge what media you consume, if you engage with it you are engaging with both the obvious and sub-conscious messages within. No content exists in a vacuum, it was created with a purpose in mind, and Rowling’s work explicitly relates back to her societal commentary. You cannot escape it when you engage with the Wizarding World. Hogwarts Legacy thus become all of our problem as long as studio continue to put money into her pocket, which in turn fuels Rowling’s convictions and dogma. There is only one way to avoid this, and that is to not engage with it in the first place.
