Hogwarts Legacy and… I think we’re exaggerating

Hogwarts Legacy is a new first-person action role-playing game set in the magical universe of Harry Potter. The game was developed by Avalanche Software and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.

In Hogwarts Legacy, we will play as a young wizard student attending Hogwarts during the 19th century. We will have the freedom to choose the magic arts we want to study and how we interact with other students and professors. The game also offers the opportunity to create our own custom character, choosing its appearance and personality.

The game has sparked several controversies that have attracted the attention of fans and the press.

I would approach the first controversy, concerning the character editor, from two perspectives. The first is the historical era and the second is biology. I am quite sure that a student enrolled at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1800 did not have the medical-scientific means to transition from one sex to another. Someone might object that in a world of wizards, with magic you can do anything. But no, otherwise instead of flying on a broomstick they would do it on a futuristic gravitational motorcycle and instead of traveling on a magical train they would use technologically advanced dimensional portals. The historical setting that is decided to use is very important for historical consistency and for the player’s/reader’s/spectator’s immersion, and must be respected.

From the biological point of view, it is assumed that the character editor is capable of representing what physically is our alter ego and, starting from the certainty that every human being is born as a man or woman, with the same certainty, a respectful editor should bring our character to life based on the same parameters used by nature. This is also a question of scientific consistency. As for the allegedly trans-exclusive and transphobic statements by Rowling, I don’t know how many of those who commented on them actually read them, but I did. For anyone interested like me in understanding the writer’s full thought, they can find her official statements by clicking here, I assure you that you will not find any transphobia in her words.

Hogwarts Legacy is generating debates and discussions online. Its inclusive nature and the interpretation given by some is causing a rift between fans and enthusiasts of the series.

On one hand, there are those who consider the game to be exclusive because it earns money for Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who has recently been criticized for her positions on social and political issues. These people believe that the plot and world of Hogwarts Legacy were built to monetize the popularity of the Harry Potter series, at the expense of fans and enthusiasts.

On the other hand, there are those who consider the game to be too inclusive and “woke“ because characters do not have a defined sexual gender and the magic school is populated by characters of different ethnicities. These people believe that the game does not respect the original history of the series, as it is set at the end of the 19th century, a historical period when diversity was not well accepted. In addition, these criticisms accuse the game of being “too much in favor towards the LGBTQ+ community”.

Despite these criticisms, there are also those who have pre-ordered the game out of spite, to show their opposition to those who call for a boycott of the game. However, some of these are now discovering that the game does not reflect their ideas and political positions.