Courtesy MagiQuest
Despite the fact that the Harry Potter books and movies took the world by storm, there has yet to be a successful foray into the world of fantasy gaming. Until now.
Harry Potter features many of the same elements that are common to fantasy games, including cooperation with peers, magical conflict, supernatural foes, and the ability to become more powerful over time. In the past, role-playing games traditionally focused on a college-age and older demographic. Harry Potter expands the fantasy realm to younger players as well as female players, both highly profitable audiences. The problem is that while role-playing games could easily be adapted to mimic the setting, they didn't cater specifically to the audience. Enter MagiQuest.
MagiQuest is a live action role-playing game where the participant serves as the main character. Players, called Magi in the game, use an infrared-emitting wand to complete quests, adventures, interact with objects, find gold, and duel. The wand "remembers" the player's progress with each visit. The objective of MagiQuest is to build and gain power by obtaining magic runes. These runes are awarded for completing certain tasks, using the infrared wand to activate targets marked with a stylised Q.
There are five different clans (with parallels to Dungeons & Dragons classes) in MagiQuest: Majestic (cleric), Shadow (rogue), Trixter (the bard), Warrior (fighter), Woodsy (druid). The players interact with both digital and live-action characters. Those characters draw parallels to Harry Potter, from the Dumbledore-doppelganger known as Questmaster to Z'nort, who bears a strong resemblance to Dobby.
The first MagiQuest opened in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at noon on June 15, 2005. Additional MagiQuest locations have subsequently opened in or have been announced for East Hanover, New Jersey, and in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Additional facilities include those located within Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park resorts in Concord, North Carolina, Grand Mound, Washington, Grapevine, Texas, Kansas City, Kansas, Mason, Ohio, Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania, Traverse City, Michigan, Williamsburg, Virginia, and Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. In Japan, locations include the Tokyo Dome and Lagunasia parks.
Although MagiQuest might not be quite the Harry Potter role-playing game gamers have been waiting for, its interactive experience and live action role-play are uniquely suited for its family-friendly audience.
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