So, you may have already seen this site pop up somewhere on your social newsfeed, or maybe you’re only just hearing about it here for the first time, but the gist of it is this: Hogwarts is Here is basically an online version of Hogwarts. It’s structured like any other online classes you may have taken, complete with weekly lessons, reading assignments (with books provided), and essays/quizzes/research assignments. Which are GRADED.
Now, you might find this ridiculous, and that’s because on the surface, it is. But there’s a little more to it than that… it is, for all intents and purposes, just another MMO. Only this time, instead of running out into a fake dungeon and killing fake creatures for fake loot, you’re taking fake classes and reading fake textbooks for fake grades. But the reason it appeals to me is that I’ve always been big on lore – I spent HOURS reading the history of Azeroth back when I played WoW, and I read all the supplemental books and information for Myst that I could get my hands on. And really, magic systems are a lot of fun to deconstruct – the system used in the Dresden Files strikes me as particularly nifty, and the Harry Potter magic system, while simplistic, lends itself really well to a “game” like this. The supplemental reading assignments are kind of fun in the way they’re presented (with a little bit of made up wizarding history), and the essays are a chance to get a little creative writing done.
And at the end of the day, you’re earning points for your house, and nothing makes something fun like a little friendly competition, eh? Granted, they’re going through some growing pains at the moment while they deal with the influx of traffic they’ve gotten, and they’re currently doing some maintenance on the assignments section, so you can’t hand in any homework yet… but still.
In any case, if this sounds like your particular brand of insanity, look me up and give me an add – I’m easy to find, since I just use my real name wherever I go. :) And have fun, folks!
