The first time I heard the phrase “you don’t know where your money goes,” I was still studying at university. I slowly developed an understanding of how your money winds up in multiple places after you buy something throughout my early adult years. So, when the Hogwarts Legacy controversy was having similar conversations about about profit distribution, my brain instantly went kaput. Mostly because it made a video game a symbol of how bad capitalism is, and nobody wants to be reminded on how the real world works.
To this day, I haven’t purchased Hogwarts Legacy. The argument that somewhat “won me” to not get my hands on the title was that the Wizarding World franchise was still in its “early capitalism stage,” and we need to stop funding J.K. Rowling’s wallet due to her views on trans people. It should be a simple decision… but TikTok made things very complicated.
All over my FYP, it became an ongoing debate on why you should and should not buy the game.”
“Buy the game because you love the Wizarding World and J.K. Rowling wasn’t involved.”
“Buy the game as long as you’re not doing it out of spite towards the trans community.”
“Buy this game because it’s easy to target gamers than Universal Studios, Warner Bros. or Funko.”
“Don’t buy this game because it has an antisemitic narrative.”
“Don’t buy this game because J.K. Rowing is a transphobe.”
“Don’t buy this game because you’re funding Rowling’s wallet to pay legislators to make bills to remove trans rights.”
The more I scroll down this social media rabbit hole and hear that the main reason this game shouldn’t be bought is due to capitalism, it gets mentally exhausting learning and remembering all that information. Can’t a gamer buy a game for the sake of having fun? Nope, because apparently, now that you’re older, you need to be reminded how the system works.
For some reason, the conversation about Hogwarts Legacy in relation to capitalism becomes more complicated than “workers in sweatshops”. Before Hogwarts Legacy was released, one of the main arguments is that “you need to support the developers,” only to be reminded that “they’ve already been paid.”
So where does the money in Hogwarts Legacy go to? Apparently, multiple people.
First of all, it goes toward J.K. Rowling, no doubt about that. After all, it uses the Wizarding World IP so Rowling was paid the licensing rights and is more likely to receive some sort of cut. Also, part of that money goes back to the publisher, Warner Bros. Interactive. After all, they need to earn a profit for releasing a title that took years to develop. That one is straightforward and it makes sense.
Then there is an added layer to the Rowling argument — that she allegedly funds politicians known for their anti-trans and LGBT+ views. So, boycotters would argue that if you buy this game, you’re funding anti-trans policies to be passed, especially in the UK.
The first known incident where this is the case was back in 2022 when Rowling asked her followers to help raise funds for UK Barrister and LGB Alliance co-founder Allison Bailey. Trans people and allies argued that what Rowling is doing is raising money for someone known to criticize trans people and hurt the LGBT+ community. The fundraiser managed to reach its goal of £550,000.
This meant that Rowling made it publicly known that she was using her wealth from the Harry Potter IP to fund politicians who may harm trans rights. After it was reported by The Guardian back in mid-January 2023 that UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak blocked Scotland’s gender recognition legislation, it made sense why people would want this game to fail; buying it may have real-world implications.
This should have been easy to understand and a straightforward argument… until you hear what the other side has to say.
Those in support of Hogwarts Legacy recently asked the boycotters “why are you attacking a video game instead of Universal Studios or The LEGO Company.” Because in case you haven’t noticed, Rowling also receives a cut in different companies that have ties to the Harry Potter IP.
If that’s the case, should I cancel my Netflix subscription or stop buying LEGO because she receives a cut from those companies? Did my family accidentally fund the pockets of Rowling during a holiday because of the Harry Potter attraction?
We were convinced that the Harry Potter IP is still in its “early capitalism stage,” and that it’s one person running the show. Harry Potter isn’t Nestle and the food industry where they have control of everything we eat. Or the tech industry who pretty much has a choke hold on how we communicate. It’s one lady who has harmful views. But due to the controversy and ongoing debate, it’s now “J.K. Rowling and the different companies she has ties to.”
The Hogwarts Legacy controversy has gone to a point where allies are accusing gamers as “transphobes and antisemites,” and those on the other side calling boycotters “lazy” and “targeting gamers for validation.” Due to this, plus having to listen to every lecture on how capitalism works on TikTok, it no longer promoted the game as either fun or controversial. It ended up becoming an example of how bad capitalism is.
Video games are meant to be about escapism. People want to escape real-life problems through gaming and entertainment. But if we’re just going to be reminded of how capitalism works due to a video game and how bad it has gone, is the game worth playing at all?