Hogwarts Legacy: On The Question Of J. K. Rowling
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Unfortunately for Warner Bros. and Avalanche Software, they chose to announce a Harry Potter game at the worst possible time. As beloved as the books and author, J. K. Rowling, once were, Rowling's has become a deeply unpopular figure on account of some reprehensible things that she has said and written recently (and a new book in which she seems to have doubled down on *it all*), and the entire property has become tainted as a result.
But does that mean that you *should* not play the game? It has been a debate that has raging in the past few days. Does playing the game mean that you support Rowling - monetarily, or ethically?
It's a question that cuts right to the core of how we "read", understand, interpret and think about the arts, so I've done this video to overview some of the different angles.
Note: While I do believe that you can play, analyse, and discuss a game without supporting it (as I explain in the video), I personally have little interest in doing so with Hogwarts Legacy in particular. So I've used a lot of B-roll footage rather than anything from the game. Just in case you're wondering why none of the footage is from the game :-).
Do let us know your own thoughts in the comments!
#HogwartsLegacy #GamesAsArt #JKRowling