The game Hogwarts Legacy is a big topic on Twitch. Due to statements by the author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, some people on Twitter and Twitch are calling for a boycott of the game. In the Twitch stream of “Girlfriend Reviews”, the situation escalates: the streamer faces the criticism, she seems distraught. In the discussion about the incident, major Twitch streamers like Asmongold and xQc use very harsh words against the critics.
This was the situation beforehand:
- “Girlfriend Reviews” is a couple that streams together. The idea is “He is an experienced gamer – she gives her assessment on it.”
- The couple is active on Twitch and YouTube. Videos like “I forced my girlfriend to play old lousy games” or “Should your boyfriend play God Of War?” are published.
- On February 6, the couple announced they would show Hogwarts Legacy on Twitch (via twitter). They said: they did not buy the game, received a code, and would pass on the money that comes in through donations. The money would go to the Trevor Project, a crisis hotline for LGBTQ youth.
Twitch streamer cannot handle the criticism, withdraws
This was the incident: During the stream of Hogwarts Legacy, there was a lot of protest in the Twitch chat against the stream. The streamer apparently saw it as a hopeless situation:
- There were people who came in and supported her
- Other people came into the chat and said: “I am gay and it is not enough that you want to donate the money”
Ultimately, the streamer says there is no way to handle the game properly. Her boyfriend defends her: she did not program the game, she is just showing it.
While the streamer is telling this, she already sounds upset.
Later her boyfriend says: he is only in the second battle and every time he looks into the chat, it burdens him.
The girlfriend sounds already noticeably upset, saying she needs a break, withdrawing.
The boyfriend says: “You did it.” The toxicity in the chat has apparently caused the streamer to give up.
Much criticism of streams, even a “blacklist” existed
What kind of protest is this? Since March 2022, resistance against Hogwarts Legacy has been forming. The reason for the protest is the author J.K. Rowling, who is sharply criticized for statements on transgender issues.
Thus, some are calling for a boycott of the game so that J.K. Rowling does not earn money from it. Because with the money raised, she would support anti-trans organizations.
In protest, Hogwarts Legacy has already been marked on Steam with tags like “transphobe” or “antisemitic”.
Now that the release is getting closer, the discussion arose about who shows the game on Twitch and who doesn’t.
In the meantime, even a “list” of streamers who show Hogwarts Legacy circulated. The site was apparently intended to “brand” streamers who broke the boycott call and showed the game. The site has since disappeared from the web (via dexerto).
Also, Twitch streamers who have decided not to show Hogwarts Legacy are being criticized. For example, the German streamer Kalle Koschinsky says he was insulted and attacked in comments after he clearly positioned himself against Hogwarts Legacy. This threw him off track (via twitter). Other people even received death wishes and threats.
Asmongold reacts sharply to boycott call ‘You are just NPCs’
This is how the criticism from major streamers is commented on: In Germany, the discussion about Hogwarts Legacy and that it is wrong to show the game has affected the major Twitch streamer “Gronkh”, who reacted understandingly to the criticism against him, tried to mediate and admitted he misspoke.
The biggest Twitch streamers in the USA are now reacting completely differently to the tense situation:
The MMO streamer Asmongold places personal freedom above all else. He has zero understanding that someone wants to dictate to another what they can show on Twitch:
I don’t know what is going on with people on the internet who think that anyone has to listen to them just because they have a problem. No one cares about your opinion. You are just a name on a screen. You are just NPCs.
Asmongold urges streamers to ignore such people and not invest emotional energy in them or justify themselves. People need to be banned, and anyone who interferes needs to be thrown out as well.
xQc reacts with harsh flames to the criticism
The world’s largest streamer for Hogwarts Legacy, xQc, reacts even more intensely. In response to the criticism that the Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling benefits from the success of the game and could promote transphobic purposes, he says:
“People finance all sorts of nasty stories with their purchases. Everything you can imagine, okay? And now they want to make people feel bad for buying a video game?”
He then becomes very drastic. Let’s put it a bit milder:
People can visit him where the sun doesn’t shine. They are “fucking liberal Andys” – what the hell is that all about?
This is what lies behind it: There is a huge difference in recognizing how Gronkh deals with the situation, who asked for understanding, tried to penetrate the issue and find a solution, and how US streamers react.
Asmongold and xQc, both major streamers, have a completely different approach to the criticism of streams about games. They react with complete incomprehension, refusing to let these issues be imposed on them and sliding into vulgarity.
Especially xQc, who is also considered “not brand-safe” because of his passion for gambling, doesn’t seem at all troubled by the topic.
xQc is by far the largest streamer for Hogwarts Legacy: He has already been watched for 1.9 million hours – that is more than 3 times what the number 2 on Twitch has gathered in hours.
