The Controversy Surrounding Harry Potter and Hogwarts Legacy
For Harry Potter fans worldwide, Hogwarts Legacy is a dream come true at last.
If you haven’t heard of it, Hogwarts Legacy is an upcoming game that is going to be released on the 10th of February — or 7th, if you pre-order it.
Giving players the option to purchase it weeks before its official launch has turned the game into a best seller already, dominating the charts on both the PlayStation store and Steam.
As the days go by, positive comments show just how much excitement is building up.
Waited 20 years for my Hogwarts letter to arrive. I knew it would come eventually.
This has been my dream game since I was six years old. I can’t wait to sneak around the school at night, fly around the grounds, battle spiders in the forest, drink at The Three Broomsticks and just hang out at Hogwarts. This has been the first game in a long, long, long time, where I feel like a kid waking up on Christmas morning with the anticipation I have for it. Please, please, please be good!
I'd honestly forgotten how magical and exciting the Harry Potter universe could make me feel. This looks like everything 12 year-old me could have dreamed of and more. I'm so ready for this.
For other people though, there is nothing positive about any of this.
If you weren’t aware of J.K. Rowling’s statements, you can read all about them here.
Now, whether you agree with Rowling’s controversial opinions or not, Hogwarts Legacy and the Harry Potter universe as a whole are not defined by them.
In September 2020, Warner Bros. Games confirmed that Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is not involved in Hogwarts Legacy following the controversy surrounding her statements against the transgender community. "J.K. Rowling is not directly involved in the creation of the game, however, her extraordinary body of writing is the foundation of all projects in the Wizarding World. This is not a new story from J.K. Rowling," the studio's Frequently Asked Questions page answered.
Think about everyone else who’s involved. The cast members who have dedicated the majority of their lives to this franchise —most of whom have voiced an opposing stance against J.K. Rowling’s comments and showed their support—, the developers of this new game, all the children who were marked and inspired by the Wizarding World, and anyone who still shares a deep love for the books and the lore. None of them should have to suffer as a consequence of what the original creator has begun to think about genders and the world.
I think we should make a distinction between art and who the creator is or who they end up becoming as a person.
Good or bad, it’s impossible for art or a piece of work, for something that’s made at a certain point in time, to fully embody its creator’s ever-changing thoughts, feelings, opinions, ideas, and so on. It just cannot keep up.
Amazing, which is a song I like, has nothing to do with the views Kanye West has on the world today.
Does liking his songs mean that I agree with what he has to say? Absolutely not. I can disagree with everything Kanye has ever said about history or politics and still like his music.
While his wild takes will affect and hurt the way I see his work from now on, it’s much harder to overwrite the past. What I mean by that is that creative work, in general, takes a different form for every single one of us. Rooted within our memories are certain feelings, places, and people, and it is these things we attach to them that make them unique.
Let’s say we have a married couple. Their anniversary song is the song they first danced to, or perhaps it was playing in the café where they first met each other. They now play it every year at home, which brings them closer together as love sparks fly around their living room. It takes them all the way back to that special day in time. Will that song have the same meaning for you? Very unlikely, despite you hearing the same lyrics as them.
Let’s take a look at another example. Think of someone who used to listen to the same song every day on their way to school. When they listen to it now, they relive bright, unforgettable moments from their youth. They’re surrounded by their friends’ laughter and the smell of freshly baked sandwiches in the back of the school bus. Kids chewing bubble gum. Children having fun and getting along, going through life the way they know best. They remember their mom kissing them before walking out the front door and the cold breeze of the early mornings. If you were to listen to the song, would it bring all these vivid pictures to mind? Again, very unlikely, because our memories are tailored by our unique experiences and circumstances.
I could write an example for any of the Harry Potter books or movies too, but you get the gist of it. Besides, my friend has already volunteered to do this — and trust me, she is the biggest Harry Potter fan I know:
“I was 7 years old when my father took me to watch the first Harry Potter movie back in 2001. I fell in love with it straight away. After the movie was over, I begged my dad to buy me the books and “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone” was the first book I read entirely by myself. I remember impatiently waiting for the other ones to come out and eagerly standing in line at the library when they did. I used to read them in class while hiding under the desk because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next.
The movies I know by heart, but I still watch them every winter because it’s the marathon I can never get enough of. They portray the magical world where I escaped real life when it wasn’t very kind to me. It’s the place that taught me the real meaning of friendship, the importance of family, and that good will always triumph over evil.”
In conclusion, I believe we should dissociate what someone has created from who they are right now or who they end up being in the future.
On top of that, you’re the only one who can decide which parts of someone you wish to learn from or include into your life. You take away the pieces you want. There’s no such thing as “it’s either all or nothing”.
You choose what content you consume, as well as the meaning you give to it. Appreciate things for what they represent for you, for the value they bring to you, and look no further than that.
Stop trying to rob people of their joy. Stop trying to rob people of being able to relive a wonderful and significant part of their childhood. Stop trying to connect dots that aren’t even there just so you can start a war.
Let people be happy.
☔ Here, have this umbrella for a rainy day. If you would like to support me, please share my story with your friends and loved ones.