From magic to whimsy and everything in between, Hogwarts Legacy has it all. Released on February 10, 2023, Legacy has taken the media by storm. Set about 100 years before the main storyline of the Harry Potter books and movies, you enroll as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Choose your Hogwarts House, ride on a broom, use magic, and fight evil wizards and goblins, all while discovering that you have the rare ability to wield ancient magic.
The main story quests include Hogwarts classes and the Keeper Trials, the latter of which are a series of trials where the main character (AKA you) enters a secret chamber underneath Hogwarts and proves their ability to wield ancient magic. The quests are equally frustrating and mystical.
“I played Hogwarts Legacy, I think, a couple of months after its release, and I think the premise is super good,” says Minyue Xu (‘26). “The world-building is definitely there. Except I feel like Portkey Games definitely fumbled with the plot because it felt too Mary Sue. When you go follow the villainous route and you use the forbidden spells, there’s no consequence of using it in the game. So you’re just a mini Voldemort running around with no repercussions, and everybody at Hogwarts apparently still likes you.”
Overall, Hogwarts Legacy has received high ratings from fans around the world. J.K. Rowling’s magic still lives on. But at what price?
The best-selling author has faced her fair share of controversy, which has made many fans distance themselves from the fandom entirely. In 2018, after news of a person posting transphobic comments was fired from her job, J.K. Rowling posted a series of tweets that were transphobic. She stated things such as, “Dress however you please. Call yourself whatever you like. Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you. Live your best life in peace and security. But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real?” The tweet included the following hashtags: #IStandWithMaya and #ThisIsNotADrill. Rowling has continued this behavior far past 2018 and continues to post transphobic statements online.
To many people’s surprise, Hogwarts Legacy includes a transgender character. Her name is Sirona Ryan, and she is a bartender at the Hog’s Head in Hogsmeade. In one interaction the player has with her, she mentions her transition from male to female. Why would the game include this if J.K. Rowling was against the transgender community?
The Ryan character is not particularly important to the plot, which suggests that her inclusion may have been made solely for trans representation. Trans people don’t want a character who only exists to be trans; they want a complex, developed character who has a personality and purpose and is important to the plot, who also happens to be trans.
Some people think that Sirona’s character insertion might be an attempt at redemption, and a bad one at that. It also seems particularly hypocritical, as the creator of the Harry Potter world is openly transphobic. It is good to show representation; however, this appears to be inserted for the benefit of the company and brand rather than actually to represent the LGBTQ+ community. While this is an awful example of representation, it doesn’t completely ruin the game. There are still many fun aspects, and it is worth playing.
