Hogwarts Legacy Will Allow For Transgender Characters

[thebobmaster]

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

As the article says, anonymous developers for the game have stated that players will be able to individually select gender, voice, and witch/wizard classification. While this is becoming more commonplace in current games with customization, I find it particularly apt in this case, given how J.K. Rowling has come under fire for transphobic statements...and books. Including the ability to have transgender characters seems to show that this game truly is not under any sort of creative direction of J.K. Rowling's, which is quite interesting.

ETA: Link is for the article, but seems to have some protection against the preview that is normal for posted article links. However, the article is by Jason Schreier, which I feel lends a certain credibility to the report.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Whadya reckon, damage control? Not to say that makes this a bad thing, but I wonder if it would have been deemed necessary if they'd not been associated with people going off the deep end.

 

[thebobmaster]

It very well could be damage control, between the J.K. Rowling conspiracies and the fact that one of the developers apparently has a history of supporting Gamergate. Personally, however, I don't care if it's damage control. Anything that leads to more transgender representation is a plus in my book, and I'm especially for this thumbing its nose at J.K. Rowling thinking she should be the final word in what is and is not fit for the Potterverse.

 

[laggyteabag]

This is hilarious.

I wonder how J.K feels about this?

Big thumbs up to the dev team for this.

 

[CriticalGaming]

That's kind of funny. Like a way of showing people that they bought the IP for the game and can do whatever they want with it so fuck Rowling. Stupid lady having opinions that people don't like.

Question.....isn't everyone in Hogwarts young? Like 8-15 years old young? Maybe making children trans is still kind of a bad idea. Meh, it's a video game whatever. Shrug.

 

[Gyrobot]

Good, let the alt right shitheads cry about it more.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

It's difficult to say exactly how much harm she has caused the trans community, especially in Britain: transphobic attacks have risen a lot lately alongside the government eroding rights with eyes already on yet more erosion. So while this won't fix anything, the middle-finger resistance is at least appreciated and hopefully contributes towards further sense of solidarity?

 

[happyninja42]

That's kind of funny. Like a way of showing people that they bought the IP for the game and can do whatever they want with it so fuck Rowling. Stupid lady having opinions that people don't like.

Question.....isn't everyone in Hogwarts young? Like 8-15 years old young? Maybe making children trans is still kind of a bad idea. Meh, it's a video game whatever. Shrug.

It's a setting that lets them do body swapping with polyjuice potions (potentially the other gender I might add), potentially get possessed by a lich demon, crushed by ogres/trolls, have their souls devoured by wraiths used as security guards, get struck by lightning while playing a high speed flying game in a lightning storm, and plummet to the ground at terminal velocity, without any safety equipment as standard for such a thing. Torture, mind invasion, mind wiping, mind control (love potions), murder, ethnic cleansing and superiority of the bloodlines, and a plethora of incredibly horrible things.

The idea that a kid can decide if they identify as girl or boy seems pretty minor. Especially when body alterations are so common place, they are used in daily medicine and casual wand incantations (that whole boneless arm and then regrowing it thing) all the time.

So yeah, I couldn't really give a shit about "oh and you can also choose to be trans girl/boy as you choose, we don't care."

 

[CriticalGaming]

It's a setting that lets them do body swapping with polyjuice potions (potentially the other gender I might add), potentially get possessed by a lich demon, crushed by ogres/trolls, have their souls devoured by wraiths used as security guards, get struck by lightning while playing a high speed flying game in a lightning storm, and plummet to the ground at terminal velocity, without any safety equipment as standard for such a thing. Torture, mind invasion, mind wiping, mind control (love potions), murder, ethnic cleansing and superiority of the bloodlines, and a plethora of incredibly horrible things.

The idea that a kid can decide if they identify as girl or boy seems pretty minor. Especially when body alterations are so common place, they are used in daily medicine and casual wand incantations (that whole boneless arm and then regrowing it thing) all the time.

So yeah, I couldn't really give a shit about "oh and you can also choose to be trans girl/boy as you choose, we don't care."

Yeah, I suppose. It's fine really. And frankly customizable avatars are pretty irrelevant in terms of features. It's not like you'll be able to customize cocks...at least i hope not. Otherwise character features are pretty interchangable, long hair, short hair....umm...I dunno pronouns maybe?

Come to think of it, what can you customize on children characters to really signify transgenderism? Like how are they doing this if the kids of Hogwarts are should basically be void of sexually identifying features?

 

[happyninja42]

Yeah, I suppose. It's fine really. And frankly customizable avatars are pretty irrelevant in terms of features. It's not like you'll be able to customize cocks...at least i hope not. Otherwise character features are pretty interchangable, long hair, short hair....umm...I dunno pronouns maybe?

I would assume they will do what most games do with a variable gender for the protagonist, they just give you a title (Inquisitor)or use your fixed name (Shepherd for example) whenever anyone is talking to you. That way they only need to do one recording of any voice tracks. If the game is text based, I suspect it's pretty easy to have a word database you can alter and it will just plug those in where appropriate, assuming they don't just use the Shepherd model and never use gendered pronouns in the first place.

Come to think of it, what can you customize on children characters to really signify transgenderism? Like how are they doing this if the kids of Hogwarts are should basically be void of sexually identifying features?

I have no idea, as most sexual traits would breach child pornography laws, I suspect, if they let you actually fiddle with them. I would assume it will be allowing you to have whatever stock gender body type, but mix in other features, like the hair styles for girls, and the outfits for boys, or whatever. So, you can have a "male" body model from the list, but dress them up in dresses and makeup. I'm assuming they will gate various cosmetic designs behind gender walls, like what a lot of games did back in the day, but given how more games are now just making all the cosmetic details just...there, for anyone to use any way they wish, it might not even be that big of a deal.

It could just be an official declaration of intent, to try and keep the fans of HP who don't like JKR's stance, from not playing the game. Because I have seen some people boycotting the franchise (even people who REALLY love it) due to JK's statements.

I mean I don't plan on playing it, mainly because I've never been a huge HP fan anyway, so it's not a huge draw for me. But I'm fine with the game having the option. It's not mandatory, so it's hardly an impact to anyone else's experience with the game.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Still not buying it because I don't give a shit about Harry Potter (I hear or even read the word 'muggle' and I just fucking cringe), but this is nice for LGBTQ fans who have felt like shit for having warm childhood feelings over something made by someone who denies them their rights as human beings. Though I'm sure this is only the smallest of consolations.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Can't argue with good PR.

 

[CriticalGaming]

It could just be an official declaration of intent, to try and keep the fans of HP who don't like JKR's stance, from not playing the game. Because I have seen some people boycotting the franchise (even people who REALLY love it) due to JK's statements.

This is probably likely.

A quick look on Twitter to Jim Sterling and Laura Kate Dale and they are still just calling the game Biggoted and refuse to accept that the devs are trying to help. Which I think is just as bias as they claim Rowling to be. Which I've always felt is kind of counter-productive to the pursuit of acceptance.

 

[meiam]

Come to think of it, what can you customize on children characters to really signify transgenderism? Like how are they doing this if the kids of Hogwarts are should basically be void of sexually identifying features?

This is just them decoupling body avatar and character acknowledge sex. I'd guess the game start, you can pick your character gender then you go to body customization and can just pick male or female avatar and that's it. Young children have different body shape even before breast and such develop. Maybe the game is over multiple years so character body mature, but that seems like a lot of trouble from dev point of view so I doubt they'll do that.

 

[CriticalGaming]

This is just them decoupling body avatar and character acknowledge sex. I'd guess the game start, you can pick your character gender then you go to body customization and can just pick male or female avatar and that's it. Young children have different body shape even before breast and such develop. Maybe the game is over multiple years so character body mature, but that seems like a lot of trouble from dev point of view so I doubt they'll do that.

But isn't that just picking a boy or girl avatar then? You could do that anyway. Unless it merely unlocks the pronouns in which the player is referred. But again....isn't that just gender selection. Trans-women use she/her so how would that be different that just picking the female avatar? Especially if there aren't further inappropriate customizations.

 

[happyninja42]

This is probably likely.

A quick look on Twitter to Jim Sterling and Laura Kate Dale and they are still just calling the game Biggoted and refuse to accept that the devs are trying to help. Which I think is just as bias as they claim Rowling to be. Which I've always felt is kind of counter-productive to the pursuit of acceptance.

*shrugs* I'm a cis white male in my 40s, so I'm not going to try and assume how valid the gesture looks from the trans side of things. I mean it's not like companies aren't known for making token gestures to try and maintain profit margins, all the while still behaving in a shitty manner everywhere else. So it could ring hollow to trans people that they added a trans patch to the game, and expect everything to be ok. The gesture might not be genuine. If it included an official statement, flat out saying "Fuck JKR, that obnoxious TERF *****." that would be one thing, and more substantial I would say. Pretty sure they didn't do that though.

 

[CriticalGaming]

The gesture might not be genuine. If it included an official statement, flat out saying "Fuck JKR, that obnoxious TERF *****." that would be one thing, and more substantial I would say. Pretty sure they didn't do that though.

nor would they because that would be even worse. Trading one bigotry for another, not to mention shooting the creator of your property with insults.

I mean it's not like companies aren't known for making token gestures to try and maintain profit margins, all the while still behaving in a shitty manner everywhere else. So it could ring hollow to trans people that they added a trans patch to the game, and expect everything to be ok.

Right but if the trans community is going to clamor for representation, then get made because the gesture isn't good enough, they kind of make it difficult for companies to justify trying to include them. If you offer a dog a treat and you get bitten, then you are not likely to try an offer a treat again are you.

So why not be happy that they tried, offer critiques (RESPECTFULLY) about how that attempt might be improved in the future? That way your representation will not only continue but also get better. Instead they lash out and talk shit and through hateful words around as insults. It doesn't make any sense.

 

[happyninja42]

nor would they because that would be even worse. Trading one bigotry for another, not to mention shooting the creator of your property with insults.

Yes, calling out a bigot for being a bigot, is bigoted behavior....sure.

Right but if the trans community is going to clamor for representation, then get made because the gesture isn't good enough, they kind of make it difficult for companies to justify trying to include them. If you offer a dog a treat and you get bitten, then you are not likely to try an offer a treat again are you.

....ok so to continue your human/dog analogy, which is frankly a terrible one. Perhaps the person giving the dog a treat, should realize that this dog, has been living in a terrible environment, and is very defensive and reactionary, due to previous interactions with said treat givers, who then abused them. So maybe they shouldn't just toss them a treat and assume they will get a lap dog that wags their tail and licks their face, and that maybe they should try more substantive rehabilitation, rather than treat giving. And realize that it will probably take a LOT of work and effort, to get any semblance of genuine reaction from the dog.

 

[CriticalGaming]

Yes, calling out a bigot for being a bigot, is bigoted behavior....sure.

Yeah the Last of Us 2 was like this wasn't it? Cycle of hate leads to only to misery or something along those lines? One side of this fence has to take the higher road or nothing will change.

Perhaps the person giving the dog a treat, should realize that this dog, has been living in a terrible environment, and is very defensive and reactionary, due to previous interactions with said treat givers, who then abused them. So maybe they shouldn't just toss them a treat and assume they will get a lap dog that wags their tail and licks their face, and that maybe they should try more substantive rehabilitation, rather than treat giving. And realize that it will probably take a LOT of work and effort, to get any semblance of genuine reaction from the dog.

Okay what about a better example then. You said yourself the animal one is terrible so let's try something else.

Say you have a child that wants a action figure, so you get them an action figure, only to have them smack the action figure away and yall because it isn't the right action figure. You ask what action figure they want and they say "an action figure", okay you get them a different action figure, they hate the second one and call you an asshole.

Is that one better?

Because that's what I see. I never see fair critique of inclusions that fall short, I only ever see comment about how X-represenation is awful because it perpetrates one thing or another. Which really isn't helpful if you are trying to improve how things are represented. That's all I'm trying to say.

 

[thebobmaster]

Yeah, I suppose. It's fine really. And frankly customizable avatars are pretty irrelevant in terms of features. It's not like you'll be able to customize cocks...at least i hope not. Otherwise character features are pretty interchangable, long hair, short hair....umm...I dunno pronouns maybe?

Come to think of it, what can you customize on children characters to really signify transgenderism? Like how are they doing this if the kids of Hogwarts are should basically be void of sexually identifying features?

From what I gathered from the article, character customization will fall into 3 categories: masculine/feminine features, masculine/feminine voice, and identifying as a witch/wizard. The game will allow you to mix and match, allowing you to, say, play as a character with feminine features, but a masculine voice and identifying as a wizard.