Open Letter to J.K. Rowling

By David Rasmussen
29th Jul 07

Sure, I am sure if I sent this letter to her publicist or the book publisher I could get some service, but why do that when I can post it up on the net and show my thoughts to everyone.

Let’s see. What is going on as this goes to the Editor?
The worry over the last Harry Potter book being leaked before it publishes came to become so great that they moved it’s publication to the United States (swearing all those who would publish it to secrecy).
(A swearing that passed on to even librarian who would handle the book prior to it’s release).
Still that didn’t stop every last leak. We do know that someone is going to die (everyone think it’s Harry), we do know that someone tried to pass of illegally copied pages from the book to the Leaky Cauldron fansite only for them to turn it back into the publisher to remain in good graces with them, and we know the book is about to come out this Saturday (July 21st).

One of the other things we know doesn’t have to do with the book as it does with the state of the casting for the 6th movie (“Half Blood Prince”). Emma (Hermione) Watson seems set to fly the coop before the production of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, complaining that she wants to branch out as an actress past the role of Hermione Granger. Sure, go on, ruin the rest of the movies Miss Watson. Do it.

Daniel Radcliffe reversed himself from an earlier statement he made concerning the future of Harry Potter, from stating Harry was going to bite it in Deathly Hallows to his new thought on the red carpet for the premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix swearing Harry was going to live through Deathly Hallows. Make up your mind, Mr. Radcliffe.

Then there was the cheeky hacker who claimed he knew the secrets of the last book which brought out a uneven response from the powers that be.

Ok. Now as I write this it’s Sunday, July 15th (a few days after I watched the movie, writing a review now) and we are almost ready for the release of the final book. So then why the open letter?
Harry Potter is fine enough, I suppose, but maybe Rowling might want to pay attention because there are a few things that could be better. Far far better. Mostly the weak point of the franchise is it’s video game tie-in, which lags severely in the worst way.

Rehab steps for Harry Potter to make it even better.
Rehab Step #1 : Rowling, Heal Thy Video Game Potter!
Let’s get Rowling a PS2 and a Wii! (I have both and I love both… well, my PS2 more than my Wii but I’m beginning to love my Wii too)! Then let’s get her to look at the following games.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (PS2 Version)
To date the only really recommendable Potter game, this fine mix of platforming, freeform gameplay, mini-game rich content along with hours of gameplay and variable gameplay that keeps you going and going (if there was a Potter game that deserves rehabilitation for PSP gameplay it’s this one).
There hasn’t been a Potter game as good to date, though I keep hoping it’d happen.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (PS2)
Yes, the slow decline into darkness and madness begins.
Switching from solo gameplay to team mechanics (which continues in Goblet of Fire to an extent), this is the last game that offers up freeform gameplay (it’s thrown away by the time Goblet of Fire hits). The game is on it’s way downwards, but this is the last hoorah before said spay and neutering of the franchise.
Oh, and it’d be nice if you could enjoy the freeform gameplay of this game without your two companions constantly nagging you to go to sleep. Shut up, Ron! Shut up, Harry! Shut up, Hermione!!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (PS2)
The freeform gameplay vanishes and is replaced by button mashing levels which bores more than entertains. The Harry Potter franchise bleeds away it’s imagination and creativity in buckets as of this game with an unimaginative childish button masher that sucks. Which leads to…

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Wii)
Now that the game has evolved for the next generation it’s time to see just how it evolved by checking out the Wii version of Harry Potter… not here, though, I still have to invest in it’s review.

I should since I reviewed every Harry Potter game to date until now.
Sorcerer’s Stone for the PSOne and GBA.
Chamber of Secrets for the PSOne (though I would like to invest in the PS2 one as well).
Prisoner of Azkaban for the PS2 & GameCube.
Goblet of Fire for the GBA.
I guess it’s time to review Order of the Phoenix for the Wii… maybe the PSP as well if I can find it, which I might not since the hardest ticket in multi-platform games seems to be PSP versions.

But still, putting aside my vow to review again the slowly de-evolving Harry Potter franchise, somebody really needs to lay their healing hands on the Potter game franchise and heal it!
Return us to freeform gameplay! Return us to content rich gameplay! Return us to the fun that was Chamber of Secrets! Return us to good Potter gameplay! Speaking of fun…

Rehab Step #2 : Franchise out Potter Games!
Did you see LEGO Star Wars yet? I know the Potter game-makers want to make a more kid friendly Potter but in doing so it dumbs down the franchise step by step. Sure, I can completely understand the gamemakers wanting to make the game more accessible, but considering the movies are becoming more mature with each release (now presently in the PG-13 realm of releases the last time I checked) it seems abit… off… to market the games to a younger audience when the movies seem to be going in the opposite direction.

This is where a lesson from George Lucas’ gaming franchise could serve Rowling well.
Let’s take ourselves back abit, back to the time of Star Wars Episode III : Revenge of the Sith and it’s two major game releases… SW Episode III the Game and LEGO Star Wars (the pre-trilogy saga).
Sure, like the Potter franchise now the makers of the third Star Wars game could have “dumbed down” the game to make it more accessible to younger players. Instead they took a risk, and geared a game specifically targeted to all audiences by releasing a LEGO-fied Star Wars game just for young players (while keeping the official game more mature in depth).

This was a great decision since, as it turns out, the movie tie-in game sucked and the game meant for kids rocked like nobody’s business and ruled. In fact it ruled so totally a superior sequel (based on the Original Trilogy of Star Wars games) came out and ruled once again (LEGO Star Wars II : The Original Trilogy).

Now it shouldn’t take your average Muggle to put the logic of it all together, but let’s recap.
The gamemakers who make the Harry Potter games wants to reach out to a larger audience.
But the games could stand a dose of mature gameplay as the franchise continues to go darker and darker, to keep the games playing well and not sucking (though they did that with SW Episode III and the game still sucked so maybe it‘s not always a cure-all for gaming woes).
The best way to do this is to make TWO releases. One for younger players (LEGO Harry Potter) and one for more mature players (the regular Harry Potter franchise). That way one of the games (LEGO HP) would at least be a success.

Of course maybe the gamemakers don’t want to do this since, well, if LEGO Star Wars is any indication how much of a stretch of the imagination is it to hook the success of LEGO Star Wars with the potential success of LEGO Harry Potter once it hits… well, let logic speak to you about this one.

Briefly… LEGO Harry Potter if it was imagined and created.
1-The game starts off in Diagon Alley, with the shops and so forth set out in much the same way the set-up was made in LEGO Star Wars (a freeroaming area where all the unlocked Harry Potter LEGOs you opened wander about, where you can enter movie inspired levels with book inspired bonus unlockable levels, including shops to buy LEGO Harry Potter characters, magic/tool upgrades, and maybe costume upgrades).

2-Access to X amount of movies per game, with the ability to carry your data from game to game (along with all the stuff you unlocked in the previous game).
For instance LEGO Harry Potter I would have the first three movies, with LEGO Harry Potter II having the fourth and fifth movie within and a future Harry Potter III holding the last two books with theoretical movie levels of two movies that have yet to be made (which can be modified when the actual movies release along with their related tie-in LEGO Harry Potter games).

3-The ability to build LEGO Harry Potter stuff like you did finding LEGO sets to build Star Wars related stuff in LEGO Star Wars.

There is quite abit of possibility for a LEGO franchised Harry Potter game series.
But that isn’t the end of game related possibilities.

Rehab Step #3 : Take Hogwarts Online!
It worked for Star Wars, it’s working now for LOTR, and will work soon for Star Trek (from what I heard of it). So why not take Harry Potter into the addictive MMORPG setting of online gaming with Harry Potter Online (the world of Harry Potter opened up to Muggles everywhere). Sure, maybe it’s not for kids (we don’t want to make a new “addiction” online for children, oh conservative critics of video games) but more adult fans of the franchise would love an MMORPG world to explore!

With the ability to create your own characters, and then explore the world of Potter (and maybe “convince” the stars of the movies to drop in on the online game once in awhile with custom characters to interact with the players) what self respecting fan of the series would NOT be hyped by a Online Potter-verse?
I’m not into online gaming myself, but I think it’s an idea worth exploring.

Rehab Step #4 : More Potter Print
So far we have Harry Potter the novels… and that’s it.
EXPAND! Get someone (Image seems to be a front runner, but Antarctic would be a great place for a twist on the Potter world, especially if you get the guru of the not so normal school life (Ben Dunn) to pen it) to launch Harry Potter the Comic (or AmeriManga/OELManga)! With the right talent(s), a good home, and plenty of potential readers you could find a great deal of success in Potter in comic form (which can also explore the full depths of the books that the movies didn‘t even come close to touching on).
Speaking of a medium that allows for more exploration of the books…

Rehab Step #5 : More Potter in celluoid
How about a Harry Potter Anime Series! I mean it seems to be doing the trick for lagging franchise Highlander (which just got a fresh shot in the arm of innovation with Highlander the Anime Series) so why not take the series in a whole new direction with Harry Potter the Anime?

This, by the way, may be the other BEST way to revision the Harry Potter franchise as they were originally meant to be (as in from the books) other than a Harry Potter comic book series, since a year’s worth of Anime episodes could more than hold the entire content of a Harry Potter novel and then some (unlike a 2 ½ to 3 hour or so movie which can only hold so much).

It also allows for greater character depth and exploration, and fresh content that even the movies didn’t think of the first time around. What is there NOT to like about a Harry Potter Anime! What!

Rehab Step #6 : Potter-con?
It seems to work with the Star Wars franchise, it having it’s own yearly conventions which happened during the Pre Trilogy movies (and may continue now that they’ve explored the possibilities for the future of the Star Wars franchise post Star Wars Episode III). So, in that context, a Harry Potter specific convention series might do as well for Potter as the Star Wars one did for that franchise.

Too bad it’s too late this year to do it.
Ideally a Potter Con should have happened prior to the release of Order of the Phoenix in theaters, let alone Deathly Hallows in the bookstores. Maybe next year they can get a con together (if the movie franchise holds solid and they indeed release Half Blood Prince in November 2008 as I suspect they will).

Rehab Step #7 : Potter-land?
Uh… of all the things you could have put an official stamp of approval on did it have to be a theme park? There are so many other things that would have served you better (as listed above) and yet you went with a theme park in, of all places, the land of retirees and Cuban exiles… Florida.
Is Florida really that much of a magical place? I guess so since, well, you went Florida.

Rehab Step #8 : Speaking of Games…
Ever think of fostering the Harry Potter card game in terms of interest and creating a tournament specifically geared about the game? Create new booster series, starter decks and Champion Series decks based on the winning decks of past Potter Trading Card Game Tournament players.
It works for Magic the Gathering, so why not Harry Potter?

Rehab Step #9 : More on Games…
Still, don’t dumb down the Harry Potter games more than they already are by even thinking of going the Yu-Gi-Oh route and throwing every conceivable idea (be it good or ill) into the franchise making machine and seeing what sticks.

LEGO Harry Potter. Harry Potter the Collectible Card Game (PSP, NDS & GBA), Harry Potter movie games… oh, and maybe a reimagination of the Harry Potter movie games ala Spider-Man Friend or Foe (Fall 2007) might be worth investing in. Just don’t go overboard with 101 Harry Potter games.

Rehab Step #10 : Listen to ME!!
Well… OK, don’t listen to me. Just, you know, make a good LEGO Harry Potter franchise in my lifetime.
That’d be fun. Don’t you think? If you don’t think that then play LEGO Star Wars and see how much fun LEGO Harry Potter can be.

OK. That’s that. No more me preaching at you.
Now good luck with whatever you decide on… and remember, it’s us fan who made you rich… don’t piss on us again like you did when you ignored the fan Harry Potter websites being attacked by the WB during the early days of the Harry Potter movie franchise. Try to pretend you actually like us enough to speak out for us when we’re abused by the powers that be. Thanks.

-- David Rasmussen 29th Jul 07