Recently, an obsession with the virtual game Pottermore has sprung up on college campuses around the nation. The game is based on the beloved Harry Potter book series. Players get to navigate through Harry’s wizarding world, completing quests, casting spells and battling enemies. The game is cheesy; it’s pretty much as nerdy as you can get before you reach Dungeons and Dragons.
For most of us, Harry Potter has been a major part of our childhood. Reading the books was a part of our learning to read experience, and we anxiously awaited the midnight premiers of each new movie. When the final film came out last summer, it was painful for many of us to know that our Harry Potter experience was over. It was almost a symbolic passing of our childhood.
How can we object to something that will bring us back to our childhood? Those who are against the game are not true Harry Potter fans. Anyone who loves Harry Potter would enjoy living vicariously through him in his virtual world.
Players get to experience Harry’s life first-hand, by going through each chapter of the books online. Possibly the best thing the site has to offer is insights from J.K. Rowling herself. For example, she explains Privet Drive is a reference to the “privet bush” a plant that grows in suburban areas. The game takes you through each chapter, reminding you of the little details that go along with the story we know and love.
Exploring Pottermore is almost like reading the books over again, except this time there is more: more information, more pictures, more sound effects and ways to insert yourself into the story. It’s a Harry Potter super fan’s proverbial wet dream. No matter how corny the game is, I’ll take anything that will bring me back to the world of Harry Potter.
Some think the game is a waste of time, that college students are a bit too old to be playing computer games or the Harry Potter legacy is best left with the movies and books. I would agree if it were any other series. But this is Harry Potter we’re talking about, arguably the most beloved fictional character of our generation.
