Many members of the GamingCircleJerk subreddit have shown support for mod GrizzlyPeak72’s initial post, in both joking and serious ways, which is unsurprising as the group often mocks the closed-minded anti-gay, anti-women, anti-trans views that unfortunately still proliferate in gaming communities. GrizzlyPeak72, who posted the initial “unjerk,” said more than 1,000 transphobes have been banned from the subreddit since their post last week. There are also plenty of people who have said they still plan to play the game after pirating it. And even some in the Harry Potter subreddit have expressed concerns about the game, both because of its content and the creator’s views.

But ultimately this is well-trod ground, as grief over Rowling’s worldview stretches back to the original books themselves. There has long been criticism of the series’ stereotypical portrayals of non-white characters (when they exist at all), its messy allegories for racial and social injustice, and its arguably racist and antisemitic depictions of house elves and goblins.

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In the Harry Potter canon, the goblins repeatedly rebel because they face discrimination. Unfortunately for would-be defenders of Hogwarts Legacy, the plot description for the open-world action RPG game as we know it so far involves your character quelling a goblin rebellion that is aligned with dark wizards, which raises the possibility that you’ll effectively be filling the role of a magical cop, keeping down those who are fighting for a more just and equitable society. It’s also concerning that the former lead designer of Hogwarts Legacy was an alt-right Gamergate troll.

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Combined, the entire Harry Potter franchise is being reexamined as people reckon with the idea that maybe one of their childhood favorites isn’t as great as they remember and struggle to determine whether they can separate the art from the artist, especially one who continues to profit handsomely from said art.

Hogwarts Legacy tells players, “Your legacy is what you make of it.” That’s probably the best thing to keep in mind when weighing whether or not to pick up the game.

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