Hey, if I wasn’t a quidditch player myself, I would probably laugh too. Here we were, college students in pursuit of careers in fields like international business and molecular genetics, out running around on flightless broomsticks, wearing capes, and voluntarily partaking in a fictional sport described in the Harry Potter books. Yeah, we know we’re asking for it. But that’s just fine with us. Most Potter-enthusiasts and others who choose to act on “fantasy” ideas are not crazy, nor are they immature or socially inept. They just want a piece of the impossible, and are bold enough to make it happen. Much of our generation has made an investment in “fantasy,” whether it is through Harry Potter, Star Wars, or whatever, these are the people that put themselves in a position to become remarkable inventors. As a society, we need to embrace imagination and these ideas instead of sticking up our noses and walking right past what just might be a great innovation.

Whether you were a reader of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling or not, there is no denying the impact that the novels have had on our generation, especially in terms of shaping our imaginations and encouraging innovation. Although written by a British author, most aspects from the first book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to the last, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, appeal to American culture, as demonstrated by the diversity of its millions of readers from across the nation. After Frodo from Lord of the Rings, and before Jamal from Slumdog Millionaire, Harry Potter was the reigning “underdog.” Initially, his story challenged us to be optimistic about our own circumstances. Not many of us could compete in the “woe is me” department with an orphan who was forced to live in a nook under the stairs by his coldhearted relatives. Nevertheless, we could relate to this scraggly adolescent. He wasn’t cool, talented, or significant, but this all changed when he received an invitation to join the magical world of which he was inherently part. Readers quickly became both envious and fascinated by the extraordinary opportunities that came his way.

With just one book, the ideas of J.K. Rowling had expanded the conditions of our realities to include such impossible possibilities like enchanted candies, interactive artwork, and games like quidditch. We got to discover and experience all the excitement just as Harry did.  But as soon as we set down the book, and were forced to go back to the real word, we became more consciously aware of the limits of rationality that bind us.  After giving us a new world of material, these books prompted many of us to want to incorporate our new perspective into our realm of capabilities. There should be nothing stopping us from working with these ideas to create something new. Even by changing our mindsets to look for possibilities instead of closed doors is enough to make way for a future of technology and imagination.

There is no arguing that certain fantastic aspects will never and can never be accurately implemented by our own handiwork. They are often limited by physical or biological science, but this shouldn’t prevent us from exploring the worth of the basics of these ideas. Neither should we let society convince us that it is weird or lame to pursue such “impossible” elements.

There is a certain “nerd” or “geek” stigma associated with this idea of fantasy, which is unsubstantiated considering that all innovation originates from the unattainable and fantastic. What if people had chosen not to follow up on the development of the light bulb or the automobile, just because it was initially thought to be unobtainable? In the past, we have wandered in to this uncharted territory of endless possibilities, to bring back ideas that we could develop in actuality. DaVinci had made sketches of “helicopters” hundreds of years before they were deemed possible to invent. And the Internet was at one time an unfeasible idea before it was a reality. These practical inventions required imagination just like the games and entertainment that are derived from sci-fi, fantasy books, and stories like Harry Potter. Why do we applaud imagination when it is used to create practical things that make our lives more comfortable, but then we poke fun at it when it comes to entertainment?

When we think of games like quidditch, Dungeons and Dragons or Live Action Role Play (LARP), usually, the initial images we think of are of some unglamorous social outcasts, running around without any notion of reality. This is certainly not always the case. Our media culture represents these people in such a way that creates negative stereotypes. In The Simpsons, Comic-book man is depicted as an overweight loser, and in the movie Role Models, the character of Augie (who is into LARP) epitomizes the friendless, misunderstood nerd. These kinds of games and hobbies are not an excuse for us to escape reality for some fanatical world; instead, the point of such games is to add something to the realistic world that wasn’t there before, enabling individuals to be the inventor in their own right. So, we turn to the mythical worlds existing in our imaginations and communicated through literary works like Harry Potter for some inspiration.

The value of fantastic ideas should constantly remind us that we need to redefine our thoughts of reality. Social, scientific, and technological progress would come to a halt if there were no new ideas to challenge the norm. Who knows where this imaginative and innovative practice could lead us? Perhaps someday we will have the knowledge and technology to create real flying broomsticks. And those who once stood on the side lines and mocked “grounded” quidditch players will want throw on a cape and grab a broom.

The Ohio State University

Autumn 2009