It is essential that you reckon with the antisemitism of Hogwarts Legacy. It is essential that you reckon with the fact that whether or not you believe yourself to be antisemitic, or the purchasing of the game to be antisemitic, the game itself is comprised of so many antisemitic dogwhistles that it is the literal plot. If you are unfamiliar with the historical use of these goblin-like antisemitic caricatures and the real world affects of such portrayals, I sincerely wish you take the time to familiarize yourself. If you are unaware of which specific tropes the game is using, I beg you to familiarize yourself. If you are aware of the use of goblin cabals, blood libel, explicit references to the real world 1612 Fettmilch rebellion and following pogrom, of the use of a shofar as one of the goblin artifacts, and you still choose to support this game and this franchise, know that this is not accidental. Troy Leavitt, the previous lead developer of the game is an active alt-right YouTuber who is very vocal about his antisemitic, misogynist, and racist beliefs. Despite his resignation due to family matters and pushback over his channel, he was still integral to game development. He was not asked to leave by WB. WB has stated that they had no problem with his channel. This is not to say that Leavitt is the sole cause of the beliefs that permeate the entirety of this game. In fact, it is to say the opposite. This is to say that this game was created by a development team that has proven itself willing or desireous of giving these beliefs a platform. This game is not an accident. Its hate is not a coincidence.
I understand that the Harry Potter franchise holds a special place in your heart for a lot of you. However, you are responsible for challenging your personal comfort when it comes at the expense of harm to others. This game is a piece of propaganda. This franchise has long since abandoned any ability or intent to redeem itself from the harm and hate that it continuously spews. You are not a child anymore. To claim ignorance or to disregard these facts as not having an affect on you or the real world is willful and has consequences. Reckon with that. Do not hide behind escapism as an excuse to be an idle participant in the world you live in, to be an active participant in fostering fear and violence towards others. You have responsibility here. You wanted a better, more magical world. Choose to be better in this one.
