What if you could live at Hogwarts?

What if your favorite book became a video game?

We all have a favorite book; a book that we have read more times than we can count. A book where we actually feel a real connection with the characters and world they inhabit. Now imagine that you could enter that world and actually interact with the characters in a way that was authentic and faithful to the story you hold so dear.

When I first heard that ‘Pottermore’ (an online Harry Potter interactive reading experience) was coming out, I was sure that we would finally be seeing a Harry Potter MMORPG (massively online role playing game). I thought I would be competing between the Hogwarts houses and living the greater Harry Potter experience with my friends by my side as I built my very own wizard!

I had envisioned that we all would be playing through the world of Harry Potter in real time. That we would be walking amongst muggles and wizards alike, scouring the streets and cities while hiding our magic, and then learning new spells at any one of the many magical academies in this expansive world. It is a world that we, dedicated readers, want to inhabit; one that we would be happy to pay money to explore. We all want to have a piece of this world that we can call our very own. And an MMORPG would allow this desire to become a reality.

I have spoken to so many people and they all say they want their own wizard or witch at Hogwarts. They want to explore all the nooks and crannies of this magical academy, and who can blame them? The books are set up in a way so the reader experiences someone else progressing through many unique and adventurous situations. You, as the reader, witness second hand, the exploration of magic, quests and adventures.These books read like an epic fantasy video game, and possess a massive unexplained world to explore. The possibilities are nearly endless.

So I ask you, the diehard Harry Potter fan: What would your Harry Potter world look like? What does your ideal Harry Potter video game look like? At what book does your ideal experience take place? In the first several books, the Harry Potter world is comparatively mellow. But in the last set of books, the world is in utter Chaos. At what time would you like to live in the Harry Potter world? What are the most essential building blocks which make the Harry Potter world, a world that you love?

Are there other stories in that you think would fit into a video game formula? Harry Potter is a book that would do well as a MMORPG because it is based around a sense of community. A school where students interact with each other and build relationships through shared experiences. Once a community has been established, people will start meeting other players with varying amounts of understanding about the world, and that’s perfect! No longer will the new player be thrust in an unfamiliar new world, scared and alone. For just like in the books, they would have friends they met on their first train ride to Hogwarts (or whichever school they chose to attend).

In addition, by reading the books, the player would be able to learn more and apply the read experiences into their play style to better succeed at the game. What better way to spark more readership than to use the actual books themselves as the player’s manual? This game, and its integrated play style, would bring more readers of all ages into a new level of immersion with characters that they already love.

Another world that would succeed in an epic video game setting, just like the world of Harry Potter, is the fledgling new Fantasy world called The Numinous Universe. These new books by Apotheosis Studios exemplar everything that loyal fans need to feel capitated and drawn into a Fantasy world that they truly care about. In addition, these books are being written with the intent of building the Numinous Universe into an awe inspiring video game experience. You can download the prologue to the first book, Mindra’s Haven and The Illusive Diamond for free, here.

And so, I ask you, what do you feel would be most important when porting a book over to a game. What things do you feel are essential and how can the Harry Potter franchise meet your highest expectations? Please comment below.