The Twitch streamer and YouTuber Erik “Gronkh” Range will address the game “Hogwart’s Legacy” in his professional capacity. The action RPG takes place in the Harry Potter universe and will be released on February 10 for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and later for the Nintendo Switch. For months, there has been a debate about whether it can be played and shown or whether it should be boycotted due to the statements of the author J.K. Rowling. Gronkh has decided not to engage in this discussion. This earns him a spot in the German Twitter trends.
Gronkh appeared in a Twitch stream, which apparently was a while ago. There, the 45-year-old shared his views on “Hogwarts Legacy” and how he deals with it.
Even though the stream is older, a clip from it was only recently cut and shared on Twitter, where it has sparked such intense reactions that the hashtag “Gronkh” trended on German Twitter on the morning of February 2.
What exactly did Gronkh say? In the circulating Twitch clip, Gronkh says:
[I received an email where someone] listed arguments not against J.K. Rowling, but for [her – and there is a whole list of points about what she supposedly said … And it’s … I just don’t care. Can I be indifferent? Am I a bad person if I don’t care about J.K. Rowling? Does she have to play a role in my life? Is this important to me? And please don’t send me emails about it.
How does Gronkh want to deal with the game? From the same Twitch stream by Gronkh, there is another clip in which Gronkh says he will not boycott “Hogwarts Legacy,” but will play and show it.
He wants to use all donations that come in during the streams to support certain organizations. That is much more goal-oriented.
The author of Harry Potter becomes a controversial figure online
Why is this topic so sensitive? The author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, has repeatedly commented on transgender issues since 2019:
- As a victim of domestic violence, she said many transgender people are vulnerable and deserve protection, but it is still unsafe to allow any man into women’s locker rooms or bathrooms just because he feels like a woman or believes he is one.
- She said if she had been born later, she might have considered gender reassignment to escape the disadvantages associated with being a woman.
- She accused transgender activists of trying to undermine “woman” as a biological and political class.
These views have brought her sharp criticism from parts of the transgender community. She is described as a “radical transphobic feminist.”
In an essay from June 2020, Rowling laid out her position (via jkrowling): She states, among other things, that she receives a lot of support for her views but is severely insulted when she expresses a nuanced opinion on the topic. She is portrayed as transphobic. Many women, according to her view, are now afraid of “trans activists.”
In the months following her essay, her statements on Twitter became increasingly provocative.
GameStar has dealt extensively with the topic: “Why do some want to boycott Hogwarts Legacy?”
In March 2022, Hogwarts Legacy was already critically discussed
In March 2022, an article by Jessie Earl appeared on the GameSpot website, which addressed J.K. Rowling’s “anti-transgender” stance.
In the article, the author concluded that she cannot support Hogwarts Legacy. If you buy the game, you are supporting J.K. Rowling. However, the author declined to call for a boycott of Hogwarts Legacy, as that would only draw more attention to the author.
In Germany, the discussion was pushed forward by the Twitch streamer Shurjoka, who called for a boycott of Hogwarts Legacy on Twitter in response to the English article:
Now that the release of the game is approaching, the topic is being discussed again on Twitter and has become much sharper in tone.
Some Twitter users consider Gronkh’s statement to be “transphobic” and “disgusting”
How is Gronkh’s statement received? Gronkh’s statement has been sharply criticized by some Twitter users.
It is said:
- Gronkh behaves transphobically by saying he doesn’t care. His commitment to wanting to donate the money does not outweigh this. That is not a form of indulgence. (twitter)
- Others say: Gronkh, thanks to his privileges as a “non-trans man,” simply looks away. (twitter)
- Gronkh has a “damn responsibility” and this attitude is simply “disgusting” (twitter)
However, it is noticeable that all these tweets signaling rejection of Gronkh receive relatively little support on Twitter. The tweets have 45 or 64 likes.
Major Twitch streamers defend Gronkh
Many Twitter users, including influential Twitch streamers, defend Gronkh, whose posts receive significantly more likes.
- Tanzverbot says the debate only shows that some people are trying to elevate themselves and attack others (twitter).
- Rewinside says let Gronkh be, he has his childhood (via twitter).
- The WoW legend Uncle Barlow says it is not about justice, but about self-promotion (twitter).
Above all, YouTuber Dennis Werth speaks out in detail in favor of Gronkh and his character. He has known Gronkh for 13 years, he is open-minded, stands up for positivity, and is involved in such an important project as Friendly Fire (twitter).
Many tweets from influencers receive four-digit like numbers and much support.
Even critics say: It is absurd to call Gronkh transphobic
What do the critical influencers say? The Twitch streamer Shurjoka takes a critical stance on the issue of Hogwarts Legacy (twitter) and speaks out in favor of a boycott of Hogwarts Legacy. However, she cannot agree with some of the criticism of Gronkh.
She says it is absurd to accuse Gronkh of being transphobic. However, she finds it understandable that affected individuals from the bubble are disappointed. The statements are also difficult for her to comprehend.
Shurjoka emphasizes that the criticism of Gronkh does not come from any haters but from parts of the own community or colleagues who are disappointed.
Is this a shitstorm against Gronkh? No, it doesn’t look like it. The overwhelming majority of comments support the Twitch streamer in his view.
Gronkh says: He receives threats – Announces Twitch stream
Update February 3, 9:09 AM: In a tweet on Thursday evening, Grokh announced a stream for Friday, February 3, in which he wants to talk a little quietly.
He has taken a two-day break from social media and during that time deleted threats and insults from his inbox.
Update 8:07 PM: We will report here on the stream by Gronkh on MeinMMO.
Twitch: 42,000 see what Gronkh has to say about the shitstorm surrounding “Hogwarts Legacy”
