On a controversial thing...
Let's start with the obvious...
Nostalgia is a bitch-ass endemic that affects us all.
I start this musing up in this fashion due to the fact that drop-slamming Miss Rowling's name these days has as much impact as saying shit on television. So, let me say it again.
Nostalgia. It's a bitch.
Listen – you've heard it all before. Supporting J.K. Rowling, whether as a fan or as a paying customer, according to her, only fuels her goals. I know that you may not personally support her toxic trans-exclusionary views. Buying new media with her “Wizarding World” brand stamped on it does hurt though. I know that many of you can't feel this pain. And to me, I understand. It literally is a privileged thing.
Many of my friends are playing Hogwarts Legacy, a game with so much controversy behind it, I don't know where to begin. But I do know I can loop back around to my previous statements on Nostalgia. It's a bitch. Especially in recent light now that we all know the type of person Miss Rowling is. (Yes, even though I think she's a bitter old hag, I shall be decent and use an honorific. If you wish to do the same to me, it's Mys. Corvera. Not Mx. Corvera.) You're always going to be brought in by the things you love and adore and wish to return to as adults. And I understand that too. The call of the past is always going to be stronger.
My friends, if you are reading this. I can't stop you from playing. I'll sit here and turn the other cheek. However, in addition to this, I shall strive to play games that I know respect you as my friends as well. If you ever encounter me enjoying media that discomforts you, let me know. Show me how it hurts and I will cease. Because, fuck nostalgia.
Even if HL wasn't a Harry Potter Game...
I still wouldn't play it. In 1985, the world was given a gift in the form of Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar, an open world RPG created by Origin Systems, development led by Richard “Lord British” Garriott. The game was novel – a go anywhere, do everything however you want, with the goal of ascending the binds that make you mortal and being an avatar of all that is good in the world. From there, the Ultima series introduced nuance. In Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny, Lord British brought in the concept of Legalism, a noted heretical view in which one ABSOLUTELY MUST follow a set of religious doctrine as if it were law. It was here that the Avatar became more of a nuanced good and continued to grow as such through Ultima VI: The False Prophet.
“Now Jaida,” You begin to ask. “Why are you bringing up your favorite era of Ultima games? I mean, sure, we know you're a member of the UDIC,” (Airship Dragon, btw) “but what does this have to do with Hogwarts Legacy?”
Well... everything. Over time, Karma Systems have gotten so deep, it got to the point that franchises such as Fable and Mass Effect began not just rewarding the player for evil or Renegade actions, but also having consequences for such.
However, in HL, there is no coded wrong or right. Which means that there is, by default, a lack of nuance. If you can go around casting Avada Kedavra at your fellow classmates in front of a Professor, they don't give a shit. And if I recall my lore correctly, this would be absolutely taboo, especially since the Unforgivable Curses act was passed not more than two centuries before the game takes place. By allowing your character to do anything and everything, the charm of the world comes crumbling down around.
Then, there's the tale. The goblins in the universe are equated to being akin to Communists and those of the Jewish faith all in one package. And with the player actively trying to stop the rebellion, this does make the story a bit controversial with it's depiction of such people in real life.
Listen, Portkey Games, you tried. Your game may be a breathtaking spectacle, but I have my reasons I can't play it. You lack nuance and you make your staff look reality-divorced, which, seeing as the story was probably approved by Miss Rowling, means you probably are.
Jaida Corvera Follow this blog (@jcorvera@jdcain.me) with any activitypub based fediverse account. Follow me here