Pottermore
When i was in the third grade, my teacher, Mrs. Quass, began reading a book aloud to us, one chapter at t time. The book was not very well known at the time, but a bit more than a year later, it exploded into an unprecedented phenomena. I'm a Harry Potter fan, pretty much nothing short of fanatical. I've devoured the books multiple times each, until the characters did not contain any more secrets, and tried to love the movies as they tore apart the masterpieces that the books were. Thus, when I heard of Pottermore, I was ecstatic. I was really disappointed when I wasn't able to be part of beta testing, but now, it is open to the public, and I signed up right away.
I've been using Pottermore for a good few hours, and it's very easy to pick up. So, I've compiled this quick review of how I feel about it.
Like I mentioned, one of the best things about it is how quick you catch on...once you get in. First, you have to sign up, and then wait for an email. When you get the email, you have to activate the account, followed by some more waiting. My total waiting time was about 48 hours. This waiting around was particularly annoying. On top of that, the site has another particularly annoying safety feature: It chooses your username (I definitely would not have chosen StarSnitch27476 if I didn't have to.). Presumably, this is to protect the minors using the site, but it is unpleasant for those of us who don't have to worry about such things.
So, once you're in, you get access to the first Harry Potter book. You get to pick a wand, and shop for school supplies, and get sorted into a house. You go through, chapter by chapter, to a little scene or 'moment' where you can click things. This gets boring because once you click on something once, that's it. Because of this, you quickly run out of chocolate frog cards, money, and books to find. This makes the whole game very closed-ended, which I think will ultimately lose my interest after a while.
There are of course a few things to do independent of the book. You can have wizard duels with either random other people or friends of yours, and you can brew potions, you can also leave comments on a discussion board, although it is difficult to have a real 'chat', yet another safety feature for the whole family. In fact, you can't chat with anyone directly, including people who you have added as friends. As well, as I noted above, there is only so much money to be found, and potions cost money, so I think my affinity for making potions will soon drive me bankrupt.
In the good stuff about Pottermore pile, there are little boxes that pop up from time to time, each with extra information that didn't make it into the books. i really enjoyed this, because I think that's what drew me to Pottermore. It was the idea that the books didn't really have to end. There was more that wasn't revealed, and now it can be. That's really special to me. I grew up with Harry Potter, and it was a big part of my life for years and years, and I felt a real sense of loss when it was over, so I can't really understate just how special it is to me.
All said and done, it's interesting. It's a neat website to play around with. Is it fun? Yes. Is it safe? Yes. Is it going to hold my attention indefinitely? Doubtful. The website is still in beta testing, and so far on Harry Potter and the (Sorcerors/Philosophers) Stone is available for exploring, with promises that Chamber of Secrets is coming soon, so it does have potential to get better. Definitely check it out, but I'd keep your standards somewhat muted.
I've been using Pottermore for a good few hours, and it's very easy to pick up. So, I've compiled this quick review of how I feel about it.
Like I mentioned, one of the best things about it is how quick you catch on...once you get in. First, you have to sign up, and then wait for an email. When you get the email, you have to activate the account, followed by some more waiting. My total waiting time was about 48 hours. This waiting around was particularly annoying. On top of that, the site has another particularly annoying safety feature: It chooses your username (I definitely would not have chosen StarSnitch27476 if I didn't have to.). Presumably, this is to protect the minors using the site, but it is unpleasant for those of us who don't have to worry about such things.
So, once you're in, you get access to the first Harry Potter book. You get to pick a wand, and shop for school supplies, and get sorted into a house. You go through, chapter by chapter, to a little scene or 'moment' where you can click things. This gets boring because once you click on something once, that's it. Because of this, you quickly run out of chocolate frog cards, money, and books to find. This makes the whole game very closed-ended, which I think will ultimately lose my interest after a while.
There are of course a few things to do independent of the book. You can have wizard duels with either random other people or friends of yours, and you can brew potions, you can also leave comments on a discussion board, although it is difficult to have a real 'chat', yet another safety feature for the whole family. In fact, you can't chat with anyone directly, including people who you have added as friends. As well, as I noted above, there is only so much money to be found, and potions cost money, so I think my affinity for making potions will soon drive me bankrupt.
In the good stuff about Pottermore pile, there are little boxes that pop up from time to time, each with extra information that didn't make it into the books. i really enjoyed this, because I think that's what drew me to Pottermore. It was the idea that the books didn't really have to end. There was more that wasn't revealed, and now it can be. That's really special to me. I grew up with Harry Potter, and it was a big part of my life for years and years, and I felt a real sense of loss when it was over, so I can't really understate just how special it is to me.
All said and done, it's interesting. It's a neat website to play around with. Is it fun? Yes. Is it safe? Yes. Is it going to hold my attention indefinitely? Doubtful. The website is still in beta testing, and so far on Harry Potter and the (Sorcerors/Philosophers) Stone is available for exploring, with promises that Chamber of Secrets is coming soon, so it does have potential to get better. Definitely check it out, but I'd keep your standards somewhat muted.