Current Events > Is it ethical to buy/play Hogwarts Legacy?

(+) Yeah! (+)

For me, it's a no considering how even acknowledging Harry Potter or even playing it like this is giving Rowling more power to push her viewpoints onto people and fund hateful groups. And it helps that people on various social media sites are disowning anyone who plans to buy the game, regardless if it's long friendships or even family members or lovers.

I want to see this boards opinions, though.

There's no ethical consuption in capitalism, allegedly, so don't fret too much if you end up liking the game.

Yes absolutely.

This Harry Potter boycott is really dumb tbh.

StrongAsKong posted...

Yes absolutely.

Remember when you said you refused to believe that Amazon treat workers poorly because then you'd feel bad about shopping at Amazon?

I'm trans myself and I dislike the stuff J.K. Rowling has bene doing, especially the anti-Trans stuff but if the game is good I may give it a shot.

I can never get why people harass others over that here and even try to destroy relationships over it or even attempt to dox people in extreme cases. That's not how one sends a message.

Yawn

You're giving money to a woman who will spend it on transphobia at a time in which trans genocide has become fashionable in the US and UK. There being no ethical consumption under capitalism doesn't give you carte blanche to not care, because some consumption is less ethical than others.

Also you're literally putting down a rebellion by the anti-Semitic tropes species, IIRC.

Id report this for flaming since it isnt really an attempt at nuance conversation. but rather seeing the world burn. Nothing wrong with the game itself. Whole problem is JK Rowling and how she might have/already has benefitted economically from the game.

Just play it...or dont.

ElatedVenusaur posted...

You're giving money to a woman who will spend it on transphobia at a time in which trans genocide has become fashionable in the US and UK. There being no ethical consumption under capitalism doesn't give you carte blanche to not care, because some consumption is less ethical than others.

Also you're literally putting down a rebellion by the anti-Semitic tropes species, IIRC.

You're hurting your cause with this, jsyk.

Up until this point, everyone has told me that you have to separate the art from the artist. That you can still like the song even if the singer is a jerk. (There was even a Growing Pains episode about it.)

You can hate Bill Cosby but still enjoy the Cosby Show. You can hate Woody Allen but still watch his movies. You can hate Jimi Hendrixs drug use but still listen to his music.

Im not sure I ever bought into that, but that was the argument. Now you guys are saying thats not true? If you find the artist objectionable then the art is trash?

FAQ-Checker posted...

Up until this point, everyone has told me that you have to separate the art from the artist. That you can still like the song even if the singer is a jerk. (There was even a Growing Pains episode about it.)

You can hate Bill Cosby but still enjoy the Cosby Show. You can hate Woody Allen but still watch his movies. You can hate Jimi Hendrixs drug use but still listen to his music.

Im not sure I ever bought into that, but that was the argument. Now you guys are saying thats not true? If you find the artist objectionable then the art is trash?

Separation of art and artist is a myth. In fact, what you consume defines what kind of person you truly are.

https://twitter.com/TheOnlyZanny/status/1616046757330456579

Ultimately I think it's just a video game, but only the individual can really make that choice. Vote with your wallet if you feel that strongly about it, but don't be "that guy" about it.

I remember years ago some religious people were boycotting Pepsi (or Coke?) Because they supported gay marriage or some shit. I thought that was silly, but people have their reasons. In a land where everything can be considered unethical pick what you feel strongly about.

RKO_OrtonBoi posted...

Separation of art and artist is a myth. In fact, what you consume defines what kind of person you truly are.

So if you watch the Cosby Show then youre supporting rape? Is that your argument?

A game with wizard appropriation by Muggle devs? Clearly unethical.

I, as a trans person, am going to play it on stream. I'm going to make a trans character in game, and enjoy the hell out of it.

Cause I enjoy the Harry Potter universe, but fuck Rowling personally.

(also as to the "Durrr, you're just giving her money!" that people will reply with, at most she gets like... a couple bucks per game sold? I'm thinking more about supporting the developers, who made it a point to include the ability to make trans and nonbinary characters BECAUSE Rowling is a raging TERF)

FAQ-Checker posted...

You can hate Bill Cosby but still enjoy the Cosby Show.

I dunno about you, but I feel like being lectured about life from a wholesome, kind, and friendly dad who was drugging and raping people in real life does sully the message a bit and make the show less enjoyable, yes.

UnicornRaline posted...

I, as a trans person, am going to play it on stream. I'm going to make a trans character in game, and enjoy the hell out of it.

Cause I enjoy the Harry Potter universe, but fuck Rowling personally.

(also as to the "Durrr, you're just giving her money!" that people will reply with, at most she gets like... a couple bucks per game sold? I'm thinking more about supporting the developers, who made it a point to include the ability to make trans and nonbinary characters BECAUSE Rowling is a raging TERF)

Sometimes a sacrifice has to be made. If I was a game developer and I was forced to work on a game made by a hateful individual, I would gladly be fired and/or starve for the game to flop.

RKO_OrtonBoi posted...

Sometimes a sacrifice has to be made. If I was a game developer and I was forced to work on a game made by a hateful individual, I would gladly be fired and/or starve for the game to flop.

Good for you, but the actual developers actually have pride in their work.

Yes, but I wont since Ive never been into Harry Potter.

For the record, JK Rowling has enough money to be as transphobic and support as many transphobic causes as she wants. Whether this game sells or not isn't going to impact her. Especially since she put no actual funding into it so has nothing to lose.

Who it will impact is the people who put blood, sweat, and tears into making the game who aren't already richer than God and will be unlikely to be hired again if a major game they're involved with flops. I doubt it will flop, but if the boycott went through like people want it to it certainly would.

RKO_OrtonBoi posted...

If I was a game developer and I was forced to work on a game made by a hateful individual, I would gladly be fired and/or starve for the game to flop.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/3/8/AADAKwAAEIcC.jpg

lol, good to see CE siding with the good guys for once

Don't go buy a ticket from Universal Studios to visit the new Super Mario World attraction because there's a high likely chance JK Rowling is getting royalty money from it...

At the end of the day, there is no ethical consumption under capitalism but that doesn't mean you can't stick up for what you believe in. Pick and choose your fights, just make sure you don't drag others into it by shaming and guilting them.

how many topics about this can we milk out?

Buying this video game is not a moral issue and anybody who says that it is, is living in clown world.

Is it unethical to have bad taste in entertainment? Yes.

I already own all 7 books and Ive eaten at chick fil a so my hands are soaked in blood and my soul is steeped in sin. Another video game wont make things worse

Imagine thinking every act of consumption is unethical lol

Donate money to pro-trans groups to balance out whatever she ends up making from you buying the game.

I won't buy it or play it

Slaya4 posted...

Ultimately I think it's just a video game, but only the individual can really make that choice. Vote with your wallet if you feel that strongly about it, but don't be "that guy" about it.

I remember years ago some religious people were boycotting Pepsi (or Coke?) Because they supported gay marriage or some shit. I thought that was silly, but people have their reasons. In a land where everything can be considered unethical pick what you feel strongly about.

Not even remotely the same thing. Republicans were boycotting Coke, as well as other major companies, that went on record saying that they don't support the new voting laws that Republicans pushed through in Georgia. They started calling those companies "woke" for "attempting to eradicate the US Constitution." It was one of the stupidest things I've ever seen.

Meanwhile, people are boycotting Hogwarts Legacy, because they don't want to support JK Rowling in any way. But for the most part, people have made that choice for themselves and leave everyone else alone. Only a small, but vocal, minority of people are verbally attacking the people that want to play this game.

We're talking about 2 different things. What I'm talking about was a decade ago. Also wasn't a Republican thing, it was a religious thing.

Art is only art when context matters. If it has nothing to say or does not tell you anything about the artist it is just vapid. One can enjoy something even if it's not art, but "love the art, hate the artist" is just an attempt at justifying why you are allowed to call what you like art despite being unwilling to actually accept the message and point of what you are experiencing.

Questionmarktarius posted...

There's no ethical consuption in capitalism

But yes, that. ^

WrestlinFan posted...

You're hurting your cause with this, jsyk.

To be fair, no one actually wants to listen to Baroness Nicholson, a close friend of Rowling and someone with actual power. Doubly so because Nicholson has a bit of a Trump Syndrome and cannot filter anything she says, so despite having real power you could get some moderations under your belt by posting what she says here.

Remember the simple times? When we all hated Harry Potter because it was devil worship?

ellis123 posted...

Art is only art when context matters. If it has nothing to say or does not tell you anything about the artist it is just vapid. One can enjoy something even if it's not art, but "love the art, hate the artist" is just an attempt at justifying why you are allowed to call what you like art despite being unwilling to actually accept the message and point of what you are experiencing.

People use it separating art from the artist as a blanket statement when it only really works in certain cases.

If it came out that Stephen King beats his wife, it has very little to do with the enjoyment of The Stand, outside of whether or not it's ethical to financially support him.

However, if someone writes a story about a sympathetic slave owner in a fantasy that's considered art because people think it's satire or supposed to make a great point about society, or just well written. It becomes a beloved story, people have fond memories of it, but then it comes out that the author is just a racist who supports slavery, it becomes an entirely different story and no longer possible to separate the art from the artist.

Yes. If you want to blame the fraction of a cent your sale probably contributes to Rowlings pockets as evil, then you condemn yourself to be labeled as a horrible piece of shit for everything else you do in society. Like with vegans, living a vegan lifestyle and advocating for others to do so is fine and reasonable. Telling people they are horrible for not being vegans makes you a smarmy asshole everyone hates.

Literally everything you buy puts money and power into the hands of a mega rich person that funds every racist, anti-lgbt, anti-environment, anti-working class, etc agenda out there.

ArchNemo posted...

People use it separating art from the artist as a blanket statement when it only really works in certain cases.

If it came out that Stephen King beats his wife, it has very little to do with the enjoyment of The Stand, outside of whether or not it's ethical to financially support him. But if he's already got your $15 and you wanna reread it, you can probably separate the art from the artist.

However, if someone writes a story about a sympathetic slave owner in a fantasy world that's considered art because people think it's satire or supposed to make a greater point about society, or just well written. It becomes a beloved story, people have fond memories of it, but then it comes out that the author is just a racist who supports slavery, it becomes an entirely different story and no longer possible to separate the art from the artist.

True. Someone's experiences in some locales of their life do not necessarily translate into all factors of their life. If Rowling, say, wrote a book about her love of ice cream (or whatever) it really wouldn't have that level of bleed-over from her being a TERF. Context still matters, but that particular facet of her life isn't the same as the one where she is a vile pig. That said you still end up in a position where her life experiences matter. Because she is rich and white, and has always had the latter something like ice cream is still biased around her experiences in life. Thus even in something completely unrelated like ice cream there is still always the potential to have the experiences in her life still showing up that caused her to become a TERF. People are extremely multi-faceted, but your life experiences *are* you and they are all connected in some way.

Anyone saying no is trolling

It is unethical to buy it

gmanthebest posted...

Anyone saying no is trolling

Ratchetrockon posted...

It is unethical to buy it

Case in point.

Idk don't give a shit

Nah. People have been asking for this game for literal decades now. If it like came out in 2010 nobody would blink an eye but now fans and the devs are expected to stop being fans bc JK became a Twitter troll.

It's just bad logic.

But the "boycott" is mostly nonexistent and a form of theater anyways so w/e.

The only time it would be a problem is if one's logic behind buying it is "I just want to upset people I don't like".

If you would've been interested in the game regardless of the controversy, or if you only heard about it due to the controversy but are now genuinely interested in the game itself, that's fine. Those who say otherwise just get off on feeling like they have power to tell other people what they can and can't do, and... well, what do we usually call people like that, again?

Its a video game, no one cares and your purchase or lack thereof has no real impact to yours or anyone elses life outside of its effect on you bank account.

So do what you want

It's always baffling that people think anyone seriously wants or needs their approval regarding the media they consume.

Let's say we actually came to a general consensus that buying this game is unethical. What does that actually do to stop anyone from buying it? I don't know about anyone else here, but I sure as hell don't live to appease CE.