Streamers respond after Twitch harrasment for playing Hogwarts Legacy

[Specter]

Okay, so before I start, some qualifiers/and context:

 

 

-JKR is TERF trash. Point, blank, period. This thread is NOT meant to, by proxy, give any defense or leeway to this immutable fact. Nor is it meant to provide any sympathy for TERFs. 

-Girlfriend Review (GFR) is basically a very wholesome (and somewhat politically progressive) channel (especially relatively) in the gaming community. The viewer base is also left-leaning. 

-The central premise is that Shelby reviews - as a backseat gamer -  what games are like as her boyfriend, Matt, plays them. They've grown to be quite a nice and popular channel.

-Previously, they caught a LOT of heat for adoring The Last of Us II - a game that was hated by the GP (but acclaimed unanimously by critics) largely for bigoted reasons, namely the presence of a buff female character/antagonist, Abby. 

(Don't watch these if you plan on watching TLoU Season 2 on HBO, since the plot will be lifted from here apparently)

 

 

 

This saga concluded in this absolute MESS:
 

 


-The recently released Hogwarts Legacy is doing well, both critically (85 on MC) and commercially.

 With that out of the way, 

 

https://gamerant.com/hogwarts-legacy-girlfriend-reviews-twitch-video-clip/

 

Quote

While J.K. Rowling had nothing to do with Hogwarts Legacy's development, there are those who still think the game should be boycotted as a means to protest her transphobic views. Some have gone as far as to say that buying Hogwarts Legacy is the same as outright supporting Rowling's transphobia. Understandably, this has caused a lot of drama online, with lines being drawn between those who want to play Hogwarts Legacy and those who think the game should be boycotted. 
... 
Considering this, it's no surprise that Twitch streamers have been streaming the game, but some of those streamers have been subject to harassment from angry viewers in their Twitch chat. This includes Shelby of Girlfriend Reviews, who was brought to tears because of the continued harassment from her Twitch chat.
...
The two were streaming Hogwarts Legacy together on Twitch, but the chat quickly became toxic, with people berating the streamers by calling them bigots for playing the game and fighting with other viewers. According to Reddit user Bittucharya, who uploaded a clip of the incident, Girlfriend Reviews changed the chat to sub-only when the hate comments started, but then people started subscribing just to continue the harassment. Eventually, Shelby had to step away from the stream entirely.

Some clips, they sound stressedT

 

https://m.twitch.tv/girlfriendreviews/clip/BrightGeniusStapleTriHard-8sWw0qwCU8jWnC0t

https://m.twitch.tv/girlfriendreviews/clip/BeautifulDependableMilkLitFam-SiUZoGcIc0ODZ0u_

https://m.twitch.tv/girlfriendreviews/clip/BrightGloriousWebStinkyCheese-i2pgNA1LIwj9IoBr

https://m.twitch.tv/clip/AffluentDepressedToadEagleEye-UC7QxsWVuGHtlvh-

 

For additional context, several (read: all) major reviewers and publications have, in different shades, "addressed" the controversy, with most choosing to say "we're just doing our jobs as critics" essentially. 

 

I feel bad for them but then people are using this incident to push all sorts of narratives and sneak in even more transphobia...

 

Update:

 

Their response is up. 

 

 

Edited February 18, 2023 by Phantom
Fixed Formatting.

[Yog]

This controversy is definitely one of the books in Gaming…

[RunUpDoneUp]

Such an odd hill for useless internet commenters to die on. All this behavior does is literally drive engagement which the source would not have if you didn't cause dissent in the first place and turns everyone who would've been partial about the message into just plain ignoring you for the better.

[Walk_Away21]

The irony of sending death threats in the name of equality

[EtherealCat]

surprising given what twitch chat is usually like

[scenekiller]

8 minutes ago, Walk_Away21 said:

The irony of sending death threats in the name of equality

This  literally just as bad as the people they're against

[Tylerbv]

JK is gross, but how do people sending death threats and constantly berating people who are doing no harm feel like they’re morally better?

 

Also them being mad enough to pay to sub to the streamer just to continue harassing them is both counterproductive and textbook mental illness  

[JonginBey]

[Guest]

First the gaming community was full of transphobia, now the gaming community is throwing around death threats to combat a TERF?

 

This **** be like goldilocks and the three bears, the first porridge too hot, the second porridge too cold, there's a very clear middle ground these people are overlooking 

[Illuminati]

The solution here seems pretty obvious to me, they could preface every stream by reminding their audience of their views on JK Rowling and that they aren't supporting her. If their audience is boycotting this game and isn't happy with them playing it despite the disclaimer - switch to something the audience wants to pay for.

I mean that's kinda what Twitch is all about anyway, playing popular games and catering to the audiences.

[Luckitty]

sjws are so annoying... 

[TaggedGalaxy]

Why are they watching the stream if they are boycotting the game

[LustSpell]

This is idiotic. JK Rowling is an insufferable, worthless, TERF psychopath but you cannot harass people for playing something their paid for with their own money. It's like going into someone's house you don't know, complaining about how you don't like meal they're making for dinner  Harassment and death threats over a GAME is not the slay people think it is. People even made a ******* site to see who's streaming the game on Twitch so you can go send hate/block/harass. It's pure stupidity

[Europe]

This is just shock marketing for the game. It will only make it more talked about and popular.

[Bussea]

imagine being this insufferable 

[MasterExpose]

I know they feel attacked as trans and all the JK stuff. But it's a damn game just using her ideas and this behavior only makes the masses dislike minorities even more. So they are not doing themselves a favor altho I'm sure most of them aren't even trans and another part just using this as excuse to hate 

[Communion]

This is just... bad business. 

 

If you get paid to play video games for a living, and have an audience that pays you that is avers to the content related to a specific public figure, why review content related to that figure?

 

I don't mean to sound unsympathetic but.. you're playing video games online while people watch you. You're not working in coal mines. Just pick a different game. 

[Katamari]

yeah this isnt going to do anything. dont attack regular folks who just want to play the  game 

 

not them sending death threats too

[Katamari]

33 minutes ago, Communion said:

This is just... bad business. 

 

If you get paid to play video games for a living, and have an audience that pays you that is avers to the content related to a specific public figure, why review content related to that figure?

 

I don't mean to sound unsympathetic but.. you're playing video games online while people watch you. You're not working in coal mines. Just pick a different game. 

doesnt seem like it was their audience that got irate. after they made donos sub only there were ppl still donating while sending hate and death threats 

[TaggedGalaxy]

34 minutes ago, Communion said:

This is just... bad business. 

 

If you get paid to play video games for a living, and have an audience that pays you that is avers to the content related to a specific public figure, why review content related to that figure?

 

I don't mean to sound unsympathetic but.. you're playing video games online while people watch you. You're not working in coal mines. Just pick a different game. 

It’s their channel and they are free to play anything they want. In fact the people who watch their channel are free to skip any videos about this game or any streams, no one is forcing them to watch let alone harass them

[Communion]

Just now, TaggedGalaxy said:

It’s their channel and they are free to play anything they want.

Almost like building a business around your personality and online parasocial relationships has its drawbacks!

[VOSS]

I would love if these terminally online leftists would put their energy into something other than these ideological purity tests about playing a Harry Potter video game. Sadly it seems they can’t help themselves.

[Specter]

5 hours ago, Communion said:

online parasocial relationships

? 

 

Which parasocial relationships/types did they center? Because they're not one of them. 

[Communion]

Just now, Phantom said:

? 

 

Which parasocial relationships/types did they center? Because they're not one of them. 

The entire concept of 'personalities' as brands is what a parasocial relationship is.

 

If someone is watching someone play video games because they like their personality, the exchange being held is the parasocial relationship. The entertainment a "personality" gives you and your connection to it.

 

Do these people have unique, specific technical knowledge? Do they have industry-based expertise that their audience goes to for? If not, and it's cause they like their personalities, that's my point. And I'm not demonizing that. It's largely harmless, but I also need people who make money this way to be honest.

 

This is my view for all claims of 'cancel culture' and the like. There's no such thing and it's about understanding one's audience. I think, for online creators, Laci Greene is the most clear example. If you cultivate a following based on personality, and part of your personality and how it's perceived is based on signifiers related to political views, then of course you're at fault when your audience feels betrayed. 

 

You mentioned the people in the OP they have largely "progressive politics". That wouldn't have been noticeable enough unless they made it a point to signify that they hold such views. Why would people who give the perception of being progressive then knowingly do something that would obviously upset much of their progressive audience? I just think there needs to be more responsibility for when people knowingly do things.

 

No one's breaking into their home destroying their personal copy of a video game to never enjoy off camera. They simply made a bad marketing decision that clearly is having negative business implications.

[Price of Fame]

this seems like a great way to win allies in particularly dire times for trans people.