Just 3 years back we started to witness more and more young people ambling around determinedly with their heads glued to their phones. More and more were flocking to public places and making friends beyond the safety of the basement. Pokémon Go had taken over their lives. It was like an apocalypse. Only that the zombies were innocuous teens and tweens armed with “virtual armor”, out to catch “Virtual Pokémon”.
But this time, it’s going to be even more legen-wait for it-dary, for the Pokémon Go creator Niantic Labs’ newest augmented reality game centers on the Harry Potter universe. Well, I for one, have already registered for the game like million others. With Harry Potter: Wizards Unite out to be released on Friday, June 21, I can’t seem to check my phone every few minutes to see if the game has magically installed itself!
Hear me out potterheads. An event called the “Calamity” has chucked in artifacts, creatures, and people from the Wizarding World into the petty world of muggles, and they’re all in jeopardy of being discovered by the non-mags. That’d be a serious violation of the Statute of Secrecy, the biggest one since Newt Scamander accidently let loose his magical creatures. so, as a member of the Wizarding World, it falls upon us to collect all the magic junk (“Foundables”) and keep it away from the prying eyes of normies.
Oh wait, what about my job! I have bills to pay. As much as I would love to be out and about all the time, helping the wizarding world thrive, my boss would rather have me pinned to my seat. Then I need to do grocery as well, a woman’s gotta eat! I can’t live without showering and in my pjs all day too. Ah, no worries. I have been at it since Nintendo made the announcement, and I have worked out the perfect solution to do my part for the Wizarding world while also making good on my muggle commitments by staying productive:
Mornings
Since I have been thinking of taking early-morning jaunts for a long time, this might just be the time. Why not take a different route every day, depending on where you are likely to catch a Foundable? Besides, Oh, and while you are at it, why not listen to a podcast or an audiobook along the way to help you with work related tasks. This has made it way easier to work a walking ritual into my day while swiping spells with one hand. If there are any in-game landmarks like fortresses in the vicinity of where you live or work, try carving out a walking route and doing the same.
Lunch Time
If you work someplace that sees optimal weather conditions, try eating your lunch at a local park or outdoor venue instead of being cooped up inside while all the action is outside. Since I have already teamed up with the biggest potter heads at work, we are already planning to gather around during lunch time and complete raid-like challenges in “fortresses”. I have chosen a rather varied team. This would give us a greater range of spells and not to mention, some professions do better against certain enemies. This was a breeze, since even at work, I have chosen a rather diversified team to leverage the unique abilities of each member.
Evening
I have already saved like 10 different routes from work; one for each initial crazy day. Who knows what each has in store for me? Rumor has it that the wizarding world equivalent of PokeStops are Inns, where you can recharge Spell Energy that you need to cast complex spells. Once you visit an Inn, you have to wait five minutes before you can visit it again and claim its rewards. So, I was thinking of making a list of all the stores that appear as “inns” and plan my day-to-day grocery shopping from them. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
two birds with one stone.
Bedtime
Done and dusted for the day, worn out and exhausted; but oh wait, I need to be more prepared for tomorrow. Just like I fix my lunch and wardrobe for the next day, I need to do some wizarding world tasks as well. Even though I will keep collecting ingredients for brewing potions while walking around in Wizards Unite or receive them as rewards for collecting Foundables, they take their time brewing. Who knows which potion I will need the next day, so I will concoct one in advance and let it brew through the night!
Mischief managed! I can sleep peacefully today.
