I haven't seen anyone say this yet, so I'm going to.
I am heartbroken about Hogwarts Legacy.
I am devastated that a project that should have been the game of the decade is a glitchy mess about crushing a slave uprising.
I have seen screenshots, and I think it's awful that there were clearly plenty of people putting genuine love and care into this open world full of gorgeous art and unique characters, only to have it be ruined by the other factors.
I think it's total bullshit that we can't buy the game without giving money to anti-trans groups with JKR as a middleman.
And I think it is deeply hurtful that we can't enjoy the nostalgia of Harry Potter without constantly being reminded of our constant oppression and the way it's so normalized in society to put the rights of the marginalized aside so that we can enjoy a video game or book series.
I know it's been a long time since we learned how awful JKR is. I know it seems like everyone have chosen a side and moved on.
If you're still hurting, it's okay. I am too. That world was an enormous part of my childhood, and reading the books gave me a place to escape. When I was being bullied for my Judaism, I imagined going to Hogwarts where I could be respected no matter who I was. When I was lying in my bed at night crying, wishing I was born a boy, I imagined going to a magic world where I could have slept in a boy's bunk and asked the wizard nurse if she could make me a boy. To have that world now coupled with so much oppression and pain is not something that can be taken lightly. For some of us, it may never stop hurting, and I want you to know that's okay.
Don't buy the game. Don't pirate the game. Don't support people who stream the game. But if you find yourself wishing that you could join in on the fun, or looking at the screenshots longingly, it's okay. You're not a bad person or betraying your community if you're still hurting from this. Just be kind to yourself and let yourself feel the emotions that you're going to feel.
