Hogwarts Legacy Video Game and JKR

[BootsAndRoots]

A strange topic for this Mumsnet forum, but an appropriate one.

On Thursday Sony unveiled more details on a Harry Potter game called Hogwarts Legacy that will be released on PlayStation et al.

As you would expect video game websites have covered the news, but the majority of them have stated that JK Rowling is transphobic, and some have published long accompanying TRA articles. It would almost as if the whole industry has to report on the subject in a very particular way.

www.gamespot.com/articles/jk-rowlings-anti-transgender-stance-and-hogwarts-legacy/1100-6501632/
www.ign.com/articles/how-harry-potter-fans-are-coping-with-jk-rowling

Video games should be removed from all of this political talk, but it seems to me that video games journalism is probably seen as a key battleground for the activists. It wouldn't surprise me if some lobbying groups have stipulated how these subjects should be covered and have to give a platform to TRAs who push a very deliberate agenda on a predominantly young audience.

If you're on twitter and see a particularly toxic trans activist there's a good chance you'll see "gamer" or something related in their bio. You're also likely to see anime. Those who are motivated to deny material reality are drawn to both video games and anime. For this reason I think that video games is going to be a bastion of trans activism for the foreseeable future.

For trans activism, gaming and anime will often cross over with furries. You can make your own conclusion about that.

Which came first? Or do they come from a common root?

The article is written by a transwoman, and it is rather typical. Lots of stuff about JKR being "anti-trans" and "most vulnerable, marginalized etc" and nothing about anything JKR's actually said.

This transwoman has made a video called "sex in star wars" which I am not going going to click on.

There are a lot of transwomen in tech. Comes with the territory really.

Which came first? Or do they come from a common root?

Reality denial, escapism, fantasy, would be the common root. Gender ideology and transactivism would be the expression. Quite a comfortable bedfellow with gaming, avatars, false personas in general.

Yes, I just wondered whether something like the Style Guide by Trans Journalists is something many media organisations have adopted.

I understand that many of the articles are written by guest trans authors, not a trans member of staff, so are the organisations being compelled to have trans person write a special article for them?

It’s written by Jessie Gender a trans YouTuber so no surprise there. Jessie has been fixated on JKR for sometime and most online work seems to have very little to do with gaming and more to do with accusations that everyone is transphobic and raising money for various surgeries. Just as an aside a recent article about Lia Thomas highlighted Lia’s interest in video gaming and anime.

It probably is just about money. The core aim of games companies is to sell as much as possible.

It looks like a very good game and I think many of the JKR 'haters' are really, really going to want to play it.

I think they're preempting the inevitable twitter reaction whilst also providing reasons why online activists can feel righteous and still fork out 70 quid on this game. By the time the game is released they'll have got it out of their system and will trot off down to GAME or wherever to buy it.

One justification I've seen is that we have to separate art from artist and another is that games developers are allies and they should be able to earn money so really the game is about them and not JKR.

I predict this game will sell very well.

I think it's about a dominant culture in a closed world where deviation from the beliefs that everyone is expected to hold would mean social death for the players and loss of employment for those who make a living from gaming. I get the impression that gaming journalism is even more precarious than journalism in general.

Add to that, many they would struggle to find meaning outside of that culture.

@nauticant This would make an interesting psychology study because yes, anime and cartoons featuring very prominently on the profiles of such people well into adulthood is definitely a feature. So is a strong interest in the cyber world and gaming.

Right how shell I put this, I worked in the games industry and most of those who run these large companies have a particular view of whom the audience for the product are.

it is not a particularly nice view but it is a consistent one, that the customer is either a child (predominantly male) or a sad sack incel sat in his mums basement.

as such they will do what they think is the right thing to cater to that market of people they frankly wouldnt piss on if they were on fire.

so they will support misogyny, sexism etc even if they themselves think its abhorrent because they think its those types who are into that sort of thing that pay their wages.

I suppose it could be described as a self fulfilling prophecy.

@nauticant

If you're on twitter and see a particularly toxic trans activist there's a good chance you'll see "gamer" or something related in their bio. You're also likely to see anime. Those who are motivated to deny material reality are drawn to both video games and anime. For this reason I think that video games is going to be a bastion of trans activism for the foreseeable future.

For trans activism, gaming and anime will often cross over with furries. You can make your own conclusion about that.

Which came first? Or do they come from a common root?

I love anime and games and I use anime avatars.

yet here I am perfectly grounded as are all my mates on the gaming forums I use (they keep very quite about all the TRAs stuff going on in the world outside of private messages tho).

Would you say that in their social media identities, toxic trans activists don't often show an affinity towards gaming and/or anime?

Please anime out.

I love anime and I'm also grounded.

Anime is a huge medium it covers the mundane to the fantastical.

It's like saying you like watching soaps or dramas.

@nauticant

Would you say that in their social media identities, toxic trans activists don't often show an affinity towards gaming and/or anime?

Well alot of them have a great affinity to twitter, maybe that's one to be careful of,anyone who uses twitter.

My BF watched some popular YouTube gamer review the trailer last night. Apparently he called out JKR, said something wanky like, "First of all, I'm not a fan of the original author, and if you're not either I definitely implore you to feel free to skip this section. I definitely want you to be acknowledged."

But every comment was against him. Every single one openly supported JKR and condemned this YouTuber. And bearing in mind this guy has a huge following.

This movement is growing more passé by the day.

@nauticant

Would you say that in their social media identities, toxic trans activists don't often show an affinity towards gaming and/or anime?

I would say hiding behind avatars is nothing new, I do so myself and it is an anime one, because it changes the insults you get, if you show your face as a woman in a comments section you will get insulted for your looks/sex.

now if they hide behind anime ones is debatable, yes they do hide because even they know for the most part that a picture of 40 something middle aged overweight man in a purple wig is not going to do them any favours in their crusade. but I have seen very few that actually have anime avatars. anime style yes to the untrained eye but not actually anime or manga characters.

they are probably just attracted to them because they are brightly coloured I have seen a few Hatsune Miku she isnt a anime character she is a mascot for vocaloid software and many generic DeviantArt style things.

and in terms of the anime look brightly coloured mad hair etc not all anime look like that by any means go and watch anything made before the 2000s, the hair came in when anime became more computer made to easily recognise different characters because the faces are all the same, still plenty of anime that dont do it.

as for gaming if you spend most of your time at home what else are you going to do? and most people upto the age of 50 game, anyone who started in the 1980s is most likely still a gamer and research by sony showed that the customer demographic is getting older, with each new playstation the age of the main user increases the currant average age of a gamer is 25-35 showing that they have grown up with it and thats expected to continue. this is why sony themselves have predicted the end of playstation as gaming changes to phones for the younger generation who grew up with them and prefer that type of gaming.

there's currently over 20 million gamers in the UK so the idea that they are all TRAs is laughable what your doing is looking for confirmation bias, your ignoring all the PS5 owning beer swelling football loving lad types, normal average joes etc and focusing on the small TRA element, I suspect because you neither watch anime or play games so its another "strange" activity you can pin your confirmation bias on to build a stereotypical image of one in your head.

people do that over a lot of things, including women of course.

Well alot of them have a great affinity to twitter, maybe that's one to be careful of,anyone who uses twitter.

agreed but I think 90% of them on there are MRAs enjoying themselves playing with the new armour they can hide behind to spit bile at women rather then actual trans people, the numbers just dont add up.

and before anyone says allies, what does that even mean? motivation is individual, a lot of these so called allies would never date a trans, thus proving they are either just white knighting or misogynists or normally a mix of both to serve themselves.

@VenezuelaChant

My BF watched some popular YouTube gamer review the trailer last night. Apparently he called out JKR, said something wanky like, "First of all, I'm not a fan of the original author, and if you're not either I definitely implore you to feel free to skip this section. I definitely want you to be acknowledged."

But every comment was against him. Every single one openly supported JKR and condemned this YouTuber. And bearing in mind this guy has a huge following.

This movement is growing more passé by the day.

HP games are shit, the only people playing them would be fans so I am not surprised.

I have spotter this on "the gamer"

A few articles this week about how to enjoy Harry Potter whilst respecting your trans friends. Then how she is all nasty and toxic

Then a big feature on the new game!

I mean if you are going to have a principle then stick to it and refuse to review the game. Either its literal violence or it's not.

Also now articles are saying the game is racist due to using the goblins as characters. (Same trans author)

https://www.thegamer.com/hogwarts-legacy-harry-potter-plot-anti-semitic-goblins-villains/?utmsource=TG-FB-P&utmmmedium=Social-Distribution&utmcampaign=TG-FB-P&fbclid=IwAR3K6eIBmtFCctkIr7mNgAX0ulKMjhGW02zOBjQOmdcgztwfymI0jipd21g

Only follow this up if you really want to know, but “Gamergate” was an early precursor of what has now shifted to TRA activism. (Spoiler: it’s not actually about gaming, or vulnerable teenage girls with body dismorphia; it’s really always been about massive misogyny).

I suspect because you neither watch anime or play games so its another "strange" activity you can pin your confirmation bias on to build a stereotypical image of one in your head.

Since I do play games, that comment firstly shows your prejudice, and secondly shows you resort to an insulting response when you perceive someone holding a different view to you.

You're being defensive because you don't like the fact that your culture contains some quite horrible sub-cultures, I get that.

The right-wing misogyny of Gamergate is still going strong; one of episodes from Louis Theroux's Forbidden America covered the connection between gaming and the America First movement. If anything I would argue that the popularity of gaming among trans people is inspired or morfed from Feminist Frequency which Gamergate riled against.

So a number of video game websites are refusing to publish articles on the game (it would appear that they have succumbed to the activists' demands).

I did post a comment on one of those articles stating that "women have periods". The comment was deleted because it broke community guidelines.

@nauticant

I suspect because you neither watch anime or play games so its another "strange" activity you can pin your confirmation bias on to build a stereotypical image of one in your head.

Since I do play games, that comment firstly shows your prejudice, and secondly shows you resort to an insulting response when you perceive someone holding a different view to you.

You're being defensive because you don't like the fact that your culture contains some quite horrible sub-cultures, I get that.

Its not a culture its a hobby and I am sure theres plenty of TRAs who watch Marvel films etc instead.

@BootsAndRoots

So a number of video game websites are refusing to publish articles on the game (it would appear that they have succumbed to the activists' demands).

I did post a comment on one of those articles stating that "women have periods". The comment was deleted because it broke community guidelines.

call them gynaphobic