It’s almost impossible to find anyone who hasn’t heard of Harry Potter.
In fact, his adventures continue to be popular even today.
But how’d that happen?
Well, the Harry Potter series wasn’t an ordinary story.
And it’s time we learned how this global phenomenon changed the world…
Continue reading to discover:
- How Harry Potter influenced real-world sports.
- Why reading books suddenly became cool again.
- Why fan fiction has a lot of its roots in the Harry Potter series.
- 7 mind-blowing ways how the Harry Potter books and movies changed the world.
- And so much more…
7 ways how Harry Potter changed the world
#1: Quidditch became real
“Wait, isn’t Quidditch a fictional sport?”
Well, you’re right.
And the idea of flying on broomsticks and scoring points was a childhood dream for many fans.
But while the game may have its roots in fiction…
It’s actually a real sport now.
In fact, you can watch actual college leagues compete in their very own Quidditch world cup.
And it’s a must-watch for any Harry Potter fan that’s never seen a game in their life:
“But magic doesn’t exist. How do teams fly on broomsticks then?”
Of course, there’s no easy way around the magical aspect.
So we won’t be seeing any Cedric Diggory levels of flying just yet.
As a result, there are a bunch of technical changes to make Quidditch possible in the real world.
But did any of these modifications take away from the fun?
No, of course not.
And you’ll be shocked at how much skill it takes to play at a competitive level.
So if you meet anyone who doesn’t believe Harry Potter changed the world…
Ask them if they know of any other popular fiction that brought a sport to real life.
#2: The word muggle’s now part of the dictionary
Diehard fans know a lot about the Harry Potter series.
In fact, some can even tell you every spell that Sirius Black used in the movies.
But if there’s 1 word that most people know.
That spot definitely goes to “muggle”. Or a person without any magical powers.
Plus, it’s got a lot of mix-ups too like muggle-born.
Which meant a wizard or witch born to parents who couldn’t use magic.
But here’s the craziest part.
The word muggle was added to the Oxford English Dictionary back in 2002.
“Yet everyone’s born without magical powers. What’s the word supposed to mean then?”
Of course, it doesn’t mean the same thing in the real world.
Instead, muggle refers to someone who isn’t skillful at a particular activity.
So while fans have used it to call people who don’t like Harry Potter.
Or sometimes even for those who haven’t read the books.
There’s a real meaning behind it now.
So you could get away with using the word in a Scrabble game.
And it’s 1 of the amazing ways the series has made an impact on the world.
What other works of fiction can boast the fact they added something to the dictionary?
#3: Launched fanfiction into the spotlight
Although the main story’s great…
A lot of people can’t get enough of fan fiction as well.
And if you’re wondering about what-if scenarios…
You’ll find countless fanfic pieces online.
For example, if you wanted to know what Harry’s life would be like if he ended up with Cho Chang.
All it takes is 1 Google search to find the exact forum you needed.
But back when Harry Potter didn’t exist yet…
Fanfiction was simply a niche.
So if you didn’t like how things played out…
Or had something else in mind for the story…
Well, you were pretty much left to your own imagination.
But when Harry Potter was published…
Fans went crazy and couldn’t get enough of the story.
So they ended up writing stuff themselves and sharing it online.
As a result, everything just spread like wildfire.
And that’s how fan fiction became more accessible.
What’s more, the rabbit hole goes even deeper.
You might be familiar with the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. An urban fantasy novel filled with mystery, twists, and turns.
Did you know she actually started out her writing career as a fanfic author?
Well, she wrote the famous The Draco Trilogy.
And that speaks volumes about how impactful the Harry Potter series has been.
#4: It made geek culture more mainstream
Geeks didn’t have the best time back in the day.
And if you were pretty open about your love for reading.
You weren’t just treated like an outcast…
Some people were even victims of bullying.
And research shows that can have serious long-term effects on someone’s health.
Like anxiety and even poor academic performance.
But what does this have to do with Harry Potter, you ask?
Well, the books and movies weren’t simply popular.
It had everybody talking about them when they first came out.
As a result, it shot geek culture into the mainstream.
In fact, people who weren’t reading became the odd ones out of the crowd.
And with more fans linking up to meet each other.
Many other geeks came out of hiding and embraced the change.
So if you’re ever wondering how typical geek hobbies slowly became more normal in the eyes of the public.
You can thank the Harry Potter series for breaking that glass ceiling…
And showing everyone that there’s so much you can learn and explore if you pick up a book.
#5: Reintroduced reading to a generation of kids and adults
Before Harry Potter was published…
Children’s literature wasn’t doing too well.
Sales were falling fast, and it seemed like nothing could fix it.
Well, that was until Harry Potter showed up and sent the reading world into a frenzy.
In fact, it wasn’t just the Harry Potter books…
The love for reading shot up for other novels too.
And the children’s literature market has only been on a rise since then.
On top of that, people always assumed that kids didn’t like longer books.
But if there’s something you should know about the Harry Potter franchise…
Well, the last 4 novels were hardly short.
In fact, most of these titles went past 700 pages each.
Yet did it stop kids from reading them?
No, of course not.
It simply meant more of the wizarding world that they could explore.
As a result, other authors took notice and made books even longer.
So Harry Potter’s the reason behind a generation wanting to read and discover more.
And while it may have started with adventures in the wizarding world…
A younger crowd started diving deep into longer works of fiction.
#6: Sparked a flame in the fantasy genre
The wizarding world’s a beautiful place.
And any fan would jump at the opportunity to visit Hogwarts.
But Harry Potter’s impact didn’t just stop at its community.
It left its mark on the entire fantasy genre.
Of course, I’m not saying that it’s 1 of the founding pillars.
The Harry Potter series isn’t that old.
But there was a time when people didn’t take too kindly to wizardry and witchcraft.
And since Harry Potter explored magic and mythical beasts.
Some people argued that it was a demonic influence on children.
In fact, the books remained in the top most banned novels back in 1999.
But did that stop Harry Potter’s reign?
No, of course not.
Fans loved the books dearly.
And it only made people want to read and learn about the wizarding world even more.
So just like how video games got a bad reputation at first.
Harry Potter received the same treatment.
But the way it fought back and opened up people’s minds was unlike any other.
And that flame it carried made fantasy novels more accessible.
#7: A lasting impact on Hollywood
Reading can be a lot of fun.
Plus, a study shows it can even help with mental health problems too.
And a lot of fans will agree that the Harry Potter series helped them during tough times.
But it wasn’t the books alone that gave Harry Potter all its popularity.
We have the movies to thank for that.
And if there’s something you should know about those films…
They did extremely well.
For example, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone earned almost $1 billion.
And all the other movies did just as well, if not better, at the worldwide box office.
So as the films attracted more people.
It also converted many of its viewers into readers too.
But the biggest impact of it all?
Well, it’s actually the effect Harry Potter had on Hollywood.
It’s 1 of the most successful movie franchises in history.
And while we have other Young Adult novels trying to reach the same acclaim.
Like Twilight, The Maze Runner, and The Hunger Games.
None of them have reached Harry Potter’s level.
And Hollywood’s still searching for that next Young Adult novel to hit the movies.
Because we’ve yet to see a book series become a global phenomenon like Harry Potter again.