Charity speedrunning event Games Done Quick has announced that Hogwarts Legacy and other games in the Harry Potter series cannot be used for any Games Done Quick events.
The company say that the games included on their list of prohibited games “have content, views, or an origin that we have deemed unsuitable for our stream”. Other games on the list include God of War (2005), Frog Fractions, and the Five Nights at Freddy’s series.
Their website states that the game’s inclusion is subject to further review in the future.
Games Done Quick have not released a statement explaining why the game is banned, however, Hogwarts Legacy has attracted controversy. During the game’s early development, its lead designer Troy Leavitt stepped down after videos he made defending Gamergate and dismissing sexual harassment cases were criticised.
There were calls for a complete boycott of the game due to previous comments that J.K Rowling has made about transgender people. While Rowling was not involved in the game’s creation, she will receive royalties. Writing for GamesHub, Percy Ranson argues that not only does buying the game directly support these royalty checks, it also widens the franchise’s audience, and could lead to “more people being exposed to Rowling’s hateful beliefs, and potentially adopting it themselves.”
The game has also been criticised as it includes a goblin rebellion, and some argue that the goblins are based on antisemitic stereotypes of Jewish people.
Games Done Quick first started fundraising events in 2010 and they run events in January as well as the summer months. The company has an average of 3000 people at their events and they have raised over $34 million for various charities, which include Doctors Without Borders and the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
Words by Ellen Leslie
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