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Quidditch -- a videogame wishlist from Harry Potter fans

The game of Quidditch, as described in the Harry Potter books, is a natural for an action videogame. If you have ideas you'd like to add to this wishlist, please send them to me at seltzer@seltzerbooks.com. And if you know of anyone involved in developing videogames who might be interested in doing one based on Quidditch, please let me know and please point that person to this page. Thank you. Tim Seltzer

Reader reactions/suggestions


Choice of games among the Hogwarts houses or the World League.

Choice of single game or league play (an entire season).

Up to four players -- either all on the same team vs. the computer, or some on one side and some on the other.

Players get to choose their role on the team (as described in detail in the Harry Potter books).

The Hogwarts League just includes Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff.

The World League includes dozens of teams, and lots more games than the Hogwarts League. Also, players in this league are stronger and have enough money to get the best brooms.

For Hogwarts games, for half the season, have an "anything goes" option, that makes it so you can use spells and also can do anything physical (like hitting other players deliberately). (Not for World League games.)

Human players can choose how to use their non-play time, for instance: body-building/exercising, practicing flying, practicing Quidditch maneuvers, studying spells, doing work to earn money, etc. Over time you build your own unique profile of strengths, which stays with you throughout a season and perhaps from season to season.

For the rest of your team, you can choose the characters you want and their various strengths, but there is an upper limit on the total of these strengths. You need to carefully choose and balance so you have the right combination to give you good chances to win.

For non-human characters on the opposing team, the computer generates the various strengths randomly, but with the same upper limit on the total of these strengths.

Have different models of brooms with different capabilites for sale at different prices. Players need to earn money to buy better brooms.

Players and brooms can be injured, impairing their performance in that particular game.

If you have multiple human players, the players can/should get together before the game and work out their plans.

Non-human players chatter as the game goes on -- either with voice or text -- encouraging teammates and insulting oppponents and commenting on the way the game is progressing.

Hold brawls before games, in different settings, like in classrooms, where you are the same character as in the game and you fight with fists and anything you can pick up and you and other players can get hurt, which changes how you can play the game.

Enable talking. For instance, each player could have four standard messages that he can choose (and that he can change/customize before a game starts). For instance, "help!" "how to go!" "what an idiot!" "you need practice, lots of practice". For instance you squeeze the trigger and hit an arrow on your controller to designate which of your four messages to either display or hear with simulated voice. The computer players can also say things, randomly, but appropriate for the situation, like Malfoy saying, "Help me, I can't shake these Muggle-bloods and their bludgers."


Reader reactions/suggestions

From: Danny F Rivera <stony801@juno.com> Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2000 13:35:12 -0700

I think you should add weather like snow, rain, wind, and fog that would drop the players' performance and make it harder to control their brooms. It also would be nice if they could fall off their brooms. I think the ideas so far are great and as long as you keep around the book, the game is going to be one best I will ever play and i'm really looking forward to it.

From: Matthew Hall <arpie@sympatico.ca> Date: Jan. 1, 2001

I think you should put the points for the Hogwarts House Cup. Points should come from performences such as doing well in class, being good sports and playing well at Quidditch. Plus losing points for fights and rude comments in the school when teachers find out ( but teachers do not find out all the time ).


Electronic Arts has bought the rights to develop videogames based on the Harry Potter series (details). Does anyone know how to contact their developers in England to point them to this wishlist page? Please let me know. Tim Seltzer bluedemonoffire@gmail.com

Check the Harry Potter newsgroup at alt.fan.harry-potter


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