The game has been subject to controversy regarding the anti-trans remarks made by the Wizarding World franchise’s creator, Harry Potter series author JK Rowling. Much of the discourse has centred on tensions and expression around gender. Some have praised the sweeping expanses of Hogwarts castle and its surrounds, and others have criticised its stagnant loot-collection mechanics. The controversial and keenly anticipated open-world role-playing game Hogwarts Legacy was released a week ago, and reviews have been mixed. It originally appeared in The Conversation on February 15.
This is an article by Dr Prema Arasu, from the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Western Australia, who completed a PhD exploring how gender is addressed in the world-building of fantasy novels.