Party Chat - Our Stance On Hogwarts Legacy, DCU Films, Animorphs Love

This decision by MinnMax isn’t going to hurt the devs though. The game is getting plenty of sales and coverage. It’d not about hurting JK Rowling, so much as it is sending a message to those she does hurt to say that there are people who see the pain and harm she causes in them and that we’re standing with them. That we can not consume a piece of entertainment in order to say, in however small a way, that trans lives and rights do matter to us. That their lives and rights matter MORE than a piece of media that will make me feel nostalgic for a few hours, or that just covering will get them a few thousand more clicks or likes. Obviously I’m speaking more for myself than MinnMax at this point, but I imagine there’s people on the crew that feel similar.

Jared R

Its' perfectly fine to not want to cover the game. But that should old also mean that you don't even comment on it, either positively, negatively, directly, or indirectly. Here's the issue with having this stance on Hogwarts Legacy. By reacting to it by intentionally talking about the good parts of LGBT, you still bring attention to it. Better to just not even comment on it, positively or negatively, than to draw attention to it by even having a stance in the first place. Also, just because one wants to play a game does not mean that they do or do not support someone's views. Like it or not we all, either knowingly or not, do business with people or companies that don't share the same values as us. If everyone only ever did business or bought things from creators they fully agreed with, the world would not function. And that's not even mentioning the employees who are actively hurt by the campaign to not buy the game. Though credit for not talking about not covering publicly.

Wolverine101

It doesn't make me feel any different about you guys as an outlet, still love the content and think you're all great and will continue supporting. I just think it's a misguided effort by the gaming community to treat Hogwarts legacy in such a way. I respect the decision and definitely understand everyone making their own personal decision of whether or not to purchase it, but it seems strange to pretend it doesn't exist amongst the sea of other things connected to problematic people and corporations. As some earlier comments were saying, it will have a much bigger impact on the developers than the awful transphobe/xenophobe JK Rowling. This isn't gonna put a dent in her bank account or help her not be so terrible. I hope stories like Harry Potter that are loved by so many different types of people can grow beyond their original, problematic creators and see new, more inclusive voices chart a new path for the universe in a way that can again make a positive impact in people's lives

Nate Marshall

Ben kind of addressed you point here on the podcast...if you can point to the CEOs for Activision/Blizzard that are going out of their way on Twitter to actively attack the LGBTQ community and promote racism, you will be onto something. But the fact is that JK Rowling goes out of her way to be a monster. I have no clue if I am going to engage with Hogwarts Legacy yet but it doesn't take much insight to see why the whole thing is messy and why choosing silence is an admirable position.

Robert Haass

thanks for making this call re: Hogwarts Legacy - bumping my pledge for the month to hopefully make up for a person or two canceling on you for it.

Ray Aldiar

Been following y’all since forever and made the Patreon jump because of this. Thanks for doing what y’all do 💕

Proud of you guys!

Conner McCabe

I agree. Feels like it's just a bandwagon move at this point compared to the other issues mentioned. It's a shame because whether you're interested in playing the game or not, its release and the discourse surrounding it is one of the most interesting stories in gaming in some time.

Andrew Burnes

Super disappointed about Hogwarts Legacy

Brandonnnnn

Rowling is at this point boosting fascists on Twitter like Catturd. It's not a few tweets and the show has a healthy patreon following they're fine

Ethan Poe

As funny as some of the Tweets highlighting the jankfest that is terfcastle the game you're making the right decision plus this month has a ton of great looking games that don't financially benefit a miserable human being.

Ethan Poe

Very disappointed in this.

Nathan Paxton

I respect this decision and I appreciate it. I do think I will play Hogwarts Legacy, but I have hemmed and hawed on it, and I respect any outlet that is choosing not to cover it. Whether in music, sports, other games, etc, there are a lot of creators and people who don't deserve our material support, but it can be hard to make an impact as a single consumer (yes, defeatist I know). Outlets like MinnMax and others can be much more visible in their stance, and I think it's important that they take advantage of that and do what feels right to them.

sayteehee

I’m THRILLED you aren’t covering Hogwarts Legacy. I’ve considering lowering my Patreon tier because I don’t really have time to take advantage of the benefits. I am staying at the tier I am solely because you aren’t covering Hogwarts Legacy. Thank you.

PoorFrisco

I really don't understand the stance on Hogwarts Legacy. I get it, JK Rowling has said some really rough stuff. And she will make money off of this game. But at the same time, how is this worse than buying/talking about any game from Activision/Blizzard or any of the other dozens of companies that have men heading them with rampant sexual abuse allegations? At the end of the day, I know it's a sensitive subject, and I respect Minmmax and the individuals there if they choose not to play it. It just sucks that one of the biggest games of the year is going to have this kind of tarnish because of someone who had absolutely zero input on the game itself.

Mason Cowell

Really bummed and disappointed by the choice to sidestep touching on Hogwarts Legacy on the main podcast. :(

Vii