Right now, a new front in the endless culture war is opening up with Hogwarts Legacy. Some outlets are playing the game with little thought to author J.K. Rowling’s transphobia, others are not playing it at all, and some are exploring it while donating to charities. The “Girlfriend Reviews” channel chose the last option, but, for some, playing the game was still a step too far. That’s when the threats began to emerge.
For those unaware, the channel has been around for the past few years on YouTube and features the perspective of a woman (Shelby) commenting on the games her boyfriend (Matt) plays as a backseat gamer. Several of their videos have attracted attention from gaming personalities like Ken Levine and Neil Druckman, and yesterday Shelby announced the above on Twitter. While detractors have mostly been civil as of this story’s filing, things took an ugly turn mid-stream. Matt referred to people who came in for the first time to be critics as “fu**ing weirdos” while Shelby spoke critically of Rowling minutes into their broadcast. However, this was not enough to deter critics, and at one point Shelby had to take a break while Matt blasted those who remained.
Matt and Shelby indicated toward the end of their initial seven hours of playing they will continue. Shelby said in the footage they felt a desire and responsibility to review the game, and wanted to put something positive back into the discussion around Hogwarts Legacy. Shelby and Matt also said people who feel uncomfortable are always welcome, and even aggressive people can return if they are kind. For one person on Reddit, the extremism to those playing a game about child wizards is just as bad as regular bigots.
When they will stream in the future, and whether the couple, which is normally very wholesome, will make a video about it remains to be seen. For now, if you want to look at their earlier controversy with The Last of Us: Part II, you can do so at this link here. There is also a site from Twitter user Sam Gibbs that appears to be developed to track down people who have streamed the game. While controversy around Hogwarts Legacy has showed no signs of slowing down yet, we looked at whether the game traffics in antisemitic tropes, just like the novels and films have been accused of doing in the past. You can find our analysis of this issue here.
