Hogwarts Legacy - Harry Potter open world action RPG prequel set in the late 1800s

[rusty_shackleford]

Where is the evidence that reading non-challenging books is "honing your mental aptitude"?

How challenging a book is depends on your level of literacy and mental development. And if one's current level is reached through reading YA stuff, then continuing reading that sort of stuff helps in maintaining it. Same shit as with training your body in the gym - if you stop going (and in lack of other sources of similar physical activity), then you'll lose those gains whether they were meager or not.

Could you guys start listing your favorite YA subgenre so I know what to target?

 

[InD_ImaginE]

I get the feeling you seem to be OK with the idea that your kid is performing average. "Eh, as long as he isn't watching tiktok, just read some garbage I don't care."

I get the feeling from you. So long they are not reading YA trash they could be a moron for all I care. Just kick him out the house and ask him to play catch!

Your are completely missing the point. Reading, even when it is trash (initially), helps children build attention span required for further learning through reading. At it's core as entertainment reading might not be different than say, watching movies, playing video games, playing catch, etc. But each of those activities build one thing or another to the child. For reading, it builds the ability to have good attention span and actually trying to sit down and understand what's in writing. Sports build physical health, team work, competitive spirits. And so on and so forth. Then as a parent you guide those initial development into more productive venues, e.g. curtailing books your kids read, participating in their physical activities. And so on and so forth.

 

[Lambach]

Is it?
I assume the people who use tumblr read a lot of YA literature.

People who use Tumblr also play a lot of modern Bioware games. Is your Tumblr account also "rusty_shackleford" or something else?

 

[rusty_shackleford]

helps children build attention span

[citation needed]

For reading, it builds the ability to have good attention span

[citation needed]

You guys sure are making a lot of assumptions. "Long attention span" isn't the first thing that comes to my mind when thinking of teenagers who read Twilight.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Is it?
I assume the people who use tumblr read a lot of YA literature.

People who use Tumblr also play a lot of modern Bioware games. Is your Tumblr account also "rusty_shackleford" or something else?

Good point, they're about the same level as YA literature.
Yet for whatever reason, people are convinced that all reading is good because... reading good! Even if the child isn't being challenged in the least.
Therefore, playing Mass Effect must be good. Because reading good, and RPGs have reading.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

This debate reminds me of how famous mathematicians and such used to be very athletic. If only Alan Turing spent less time being a star athlete and more time reading crap books he'd have been smarter, I suppose?

 

[Lambach]

I can't speak for the other guys, but I never thought of literature as something that serves exclusively to challenge or elevate you in some way. Some of it is just entertainment. And in that category, for the younger demographic, the Harry Potter saga is the best thing around. It's about as good as a modern fairytale can get.

And it's not impossible that it can get a kid interested in reading, which will later drive the kid towards more serious literature. Nobody started with "Finnegan's Wake" at the age of 9.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

I can't speak for the other guys, but I never thought of literature as something that serves exclusively to challenge or elevate you in some way. Some of it is just entertainment. And in that category, for the younger demographic, the Harry Potter saga is the best thing around. It's about as good as a modern fairytale can get.

And it's not impossible that it can get a kid interested in reading, which will later drive the kid towards more serious literature. Nobody started with "Finnegan's Wake" at the age of 9.

The entire argument is about whether there's merit in "young adults" reading YA literature. Not children.

(there's not)

 

[Lambach]

The entire argument is about whether there's merit in "young adults" reading YA literature. Not children.

(there's not)

There's merit in it if the YA's other choice of entertainment is browsing TikTok or something. Yeah, reading "The Half-Blood Prince" may not be particularly mentally stimulating, but at least it doesn't actively rape and slaughter neurons.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

The entire argument is about whether there's merit in "young adults" reading YA literature. Not children.

(there's not)

There's merit in it if the YA's other choice of entertainment is browsing TikTok or something. Yeah, reading "The Half-Blood Prince" may not be particularly mentally stimulating, but at least it doesn't actively rape and slaughter neurons.

Lock them in a room with a commodore 64 and some goldbox games.

 

[Hace El Oso]

I read the books as they came out. I’ve always had a strong impression that, generally, they promote moral and physical bravery, loyalty and fidelity, healthy and natural relations between men and women, healthy family relations, how to deal with death and loss, the list goes on. I like that Harry does not have what are now ever-present stupid, corrosive anti-hero moments where he ponders or has to resist betraying his principles or comrades. “Morally grey!”

But looking at the kind of people who became the stereotypical ‘fans’ of the series just goes to show that what you get from a book or anything else really depends on what you bring to the table as a person.

 

[Faarbaute]

I hated YA literature as a kid. I'm convinced that the entire premise is based on the fundamental misunderstanding that kids want other kids to relate to in their stories. Spoiler: They don't. Only the narcissistic middle class friends of mine who were completely preoccupied with themselves read and liked these stories.

 

[Lambach]

But looking at the kind of people who became the stereotypical ‘fans’ of the series just goes to show that what you get from a book or anything else really depends on what you bring to the table as a person.

Well ultimately, at its core, it's still about a fight for equality and diversity against a Magic Hitler, so it's very much in tune with modern sensibilities.

The opposing side wasn't even given some rational motivation for what they're doing. I don't remember that it was ever stated that diluting wizard blood makes wizards lose power over generations or something like that, which would give the Magic Nazis a practical and perhaps even a rational reason behind why they want a Pure Blood society. Instead, they fight for a Pure Blood society just because.

 

[Zombra]

rusty_shackleford - settle down. People have always self-selected what they read, and according to the link you yourself posted, YA literature has been around since the dawn of the 1800s. Your implication that a lot of people being dumb is a recent thing, and it was so much better in the good old days, is laughable on its face. Dumb people reading age-inappropriate schlock has been around forever, certainly much longer than you've been alive. Smart kids are still disdainful of YA books, and subpar adults still like them, and it was really, really not different decades ago. I was there. This is an old man yells at cloud type of argument. You can do better.

 

[Sarathiour]

Pulp were a thing before YA, and there are not particularly more intellectually stimulating. I read a lot of YA during my teenager's year and until my early twenty, because it was a decent way to improve my English.
It's just a rather lowbrow form of entertainment, but if you gave rusty the opportunity, he would also rant against manga, franco-belgian comics or anything that differs slightly from his lifestyle really.

 

[wwsd]

funny how codex knows names of the houses and what they do. i've lost bits of respect for this place i didn't know i even had left...

I assume that the Codex is a pretty millennial crowd, so most of us would stand out if we didn't read HP or at least watch the movies as kids. People can edgelord all they want but I bet most of us grew up with Harry Potter, Star Wars prequels, and the LotR movies. It's not a bad thing (better than growing up now) but of course that leaves memories and influences people's tastes in entertainment.

Personally now I'd only watch the movies in marathon with a girl, assuming that I get my wand polished at the end of every movie, but a game like this is interesting because the setting has potential.

 

[Modron]

I had a teacher who assigned the first harry potter book to us in middle school and didn't get why everyone was so hyped as 2 out 3 protagonists were completely devoid of character and had very little agency. Pulled the Count of Monte Cristo off his bookshelf so I suppose I can forgive him for that momentary lapse of taste.

 

[S.torch]

It's just a rather lowbrow form of entertainment

Dividing what you read between "lowbrow" and "highbrow" is already very stupid on itself.

 

[Harthwain]

How challenging a book is depends on your level of literacy and mental development.

It also depends on the author. A LOT. It is easier to read a book (or any written material) when it is not boring/tedious/monotonus.

I remember skimming through half of that one book when I was at school, because of how boring it was. And I was the kind of guy who got an award for how many school library books he read (I was a big bookworm) and I did read literally everything else my school made us read as part of our education.

Pulp were a thing before YA, and there are not particularly more intellectually stimulating. I read a lot of YA during my teenager's year and until my early twenty, because it was a decent way to improve my English. It's just a rather lowbrow form of entertainment, but if you gave rusty the opportunity, he would also rant against manga, franco-belgian comics or anything that differs slightly from his lifestyle really.

I am of the opinion that reading anything is better than reading nothing. It is also easier to make people gain interest in reading something else. It ain't guaranteed to work, certainly, but it is better than dropping a brick on someone, because someone else think this is "true literature" or something. It is more likely than not cause the reader to shun reading altogether, rather than convince him to read more or similar stuff. After all, 0 multiplied X times is still going to give you a big, fat 0.

 

[Taurist]

I think non-Britons dont really understand very much about the "school fiction" genre so conversations about these books always get a bit muddled.
Complaining about how its illogical one school house would be filled with dickheads and bullies in a school story is like complaining how its illogical that someone would have a street gunfight in a western. This is very well trod material. Thousands of these books exist.
Rowling was writing in a tradition. She didnt actually invent very much. Hell even fantasy school stories like The Worst Witch already existed. She did hjowever do it very well, and I think the first 4 books are very good actually.

 

[notpl]

since it's better for someone to at least read YA of their own volition rather than to not recreationally read at all.

is it?

For some teens it might help with memory span and perhaps with expanding their vocabulary depending on how limited it is, but otherwise it's a recreational activity akin to any other. Shitty entertainment is shitty entertainment regardless of format, so ultimately someone is no better or worse for reading some shitty YA stuff than they'd be for watching some shitty TV stuff.

But you yourself seemed to imply it was better than other recreational activities, which is my entire issue with it. It's cheap entertainment masquerading as education.

Reading anything whatsoever improves your ability to read, fundamentally. Have you ever heard a coworker or some other not-super-educated adult try to read aloud? The literacy level among most adults these days is catastrophic. It's good to encourage kids to progress onto more difficult literature when they're ready for it, but I'll take a society where everyone's literacy level is a 3/10 over 1/10 any day.

 

[Hammer Of The Heretics]

Too many adults weren't taught to read. Instead they were taught to guess words and told that was reading. It's no wonder they do as little of it as possible.

 

[Harthwain]

I think non-Britons dont really understand very much about the "school fiction" genre so conversations about these books always get a bit muddled.
Complaining about how its illogical one school house would be filled with dickheads and bullies in a school story is like complaining how its illogical that someone would have a street gunfight in a western. This is very well trod material. Thousands of these books exist.

It makes sense for how houses are organized in Hogwarts due to how the world is presented - there were 4 founders and you have a magic hat to scan people's mind to send them to a house that best matches their abilities/desires. It's hard to question, because "it's magic" can explain it without going into details.

However, it is also true than in the continental Europe you will find dickheads and bullies everywhere, not strictly in a very specific class. If anything, you could make it so that dickheads and bullies are from another school (where you need a lot of money to get in). Or that they form an unofficial group within the school. This is how "school fiction" can operate and feel much closer to reality (which is important when you don't have magic and you need to fit within the conventional school education system of the Normal World™). Movies did exactly that, back when I was watching them, as well as comics.

 

[BlizzardStockholmSyndrome]

I think non-Britons dont really understand very much about the "school fiction" genre so conversations about these books always get a bit muddled.
Complaining about how its illogical one school house would be filled with dickheads and bullies in a school story is like complaining how its illogical that someone would have a street gunfight in a western. This is very well trod material. Thousands of these books exist.

It makes sense for how houses are organized in Hogwarts due to how the world is presented - there were 4 founders and you have a magic hat to scan people's mind to send them to a house that best matches their abilities/desires. It's hard to question, because "it's magic" can explain it without going into details.

However, it is also true than in the continental Europe you will find dickheads and bullies everywhere, not strictly in a very specific class. If anything, you could make it so that dickheads and bullies are from another school (where you need a lot of money to get in). Or that they form an unofficial group within the school. This is how "school fiction" can operate and feel much closer to reality (which is important when you don't have magic and you need to fit within the conventional school education system of the Normal World™). Movies did exactly that, back when I was watching them, as well as comics.

After reading what you posted, now I want to play River City Ransom but set in the Harry Potter universe....I want to wear a magic pompadour, get my nakama and curbstop the preppies at the Elven High School for disrespecting our turf.

 

[Readher]

since it's better for someone to at least read YA of their own volition rather than to not recreationally read at all.

is it?

For some teens it might help with memory span and perhaps with expanding their vocabulary depending on how limited it is, but otherwise it's a recreational activity akin to any other. Shitty entertainment is shitty entertainment regardless of format, so ultimately someone is no better or worse for reading some shitty YA stuff than they'd be for watching some shitty TV stuff.

But you yourself seemed to imply it was better than other recreational activities, which is my entire issue with it. It's cheap entertainment masquerading as education.

Reading anything whatsoever improves your ability to read, fundamentally. Have you ever heard a coworker or some other not-super-educated adult try to read aloud? The literacy level among most adults these days is catastrophic. It's good to encourage kids to progress onto more difficult literature when they're ready for it, but I'll take a society where everyone's literacy level is a 3/10 over 1/10 any day.

It improves writing as well. You can easily tell retards who never held a book in their life when they confuse "their" with "they're" and "could've" with "could of" simply because their pronunciation is very similar. It's literally impossible for someone who reads books to regularly make mistakes like that. It's also why it's usually native speakers who make those kinds of mistakes most often, since they learned the language mostly by ear.