The eighth season of Game of Thrones is underway and the Internet is freaking out. But what is it that fascinates us again and again to the mysterious fantasy worlds of the series?
Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones, GAME. OF. THRONES. Season 8! The Start of the eighth Series will probably not be on hardly anyone passed by – even if you look at the Game of Thrones series. Myself included. And it is precisely this fact catches up with me in the morning editorial conference, when the season start and the Hype will be discussed in the series: What the viewers captivated so much of the medieval Saga, what is so Fascinating about Fantasy or Science Fiction at all?
“Actually, this Hype leaves me pretty cold”, I think. Maybe it’s because I’m quite happy to have the Pandora’s box not yet opened. Because the whole series boom went so far past me, although I would certainly be receptive. But this is a step of the subscription to me. Toi toi toi! As if I didn’t already spend enough time on the screen of Smartphone and PC…
And just the choice of the round falls on me. I could accept me but changes the subject. “Of course!”, I hear myself saying.
Read here: Smartphone Addiction: Give yourselves a break!
The filming locations of “Game of Thrones” have become sites of genuine pilgrimage for Fans of the cult series. Here is Dubrovnik in Croatia.
Immerse yourself in the fantasy world
During my Research for this post I realized how consistently I ignored Game of Thrones (GoT) so far. The five “A Song of Ice and Fire”books on which the series is based, are between 1996 and 2011, in the original English version. The film adaptation of the novel series since 2011! What, please?! Although this may seem plausible, if there are already eight seasons. Much more than “Winter is Coming” but – at least for me – to date, not stuck. The more interested in me now – and what is, hopefully, – the mystery of the Fantasy series. Don’t worry: no spoilers.
This is exactly where the Pandora’s box of quite alone – or rather, I fall even into them. Because while I’m trying to get myself of the countless GoT-GIFs, and Memes do not distract, I open a Tab to the other with a variety of scientific publications to Game of Thrones or the fascination of television series in General. The perfect Tapocalypse. But we will confine ourselves at this point prefer to a few insights and key Takeaways.
Fun fact: I even stumbled across a course at the University of Harvard, with the title “The Real Game of Thrones – Culture, Society, and Religion in the Middle Ages,” headed by the German scientist Racha Kirakosian. That might be one measure.
Popular Fantasy Schemes
But the euphoria is not the sole preserve of Game of Thrones, “the Lord of The rings,” “Star Trek,” “Supernatural”, “Avatar”, with a similar enthusiasm wave, to name just a few examples of other successful Fantasy or sci – Fi formats.
In the case of Game of Thrones, the sticking point was an “inner tension between rock-hard realism and Fantasy,” the theory of culture-Professor Jan Söffner of the Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen on lake Constance. It’s all really come always different than you think.
Therefore, the secret to the success of GoT differs a little from “traditional Fantasy”, the result of most popular schemes, such as a detailed world, a quest and companions.
Game of Thrones-recipe
Point one: the Conventional Hollywood Fantasy sequence, usually of myth theory of Joseph Campbell, said Söffner. Means: Young Hero lives in reality; he answered the call from a higher, other reality; he enters there; he has a Mentor who dies, and he lives at the end of both realities. For “Star Wars” it had been formative, for the “Harry Potter” or “the Matrix” also. By GoT, you no longer could make use of this Standard myth is actually so serious. “An era comes to an end.”
Point two: The Fans not to be expected according to Söffner, that everything turns out to be Good. In contrast to traditional Fantasy, you’ll be disappointed constantly. There is only the broken characters, the characters were all broken. A redemption there. Martin destroy all of the usual Fantasy structures. “And he does this within a Fantasy story.” The result is a constant disappointment, but also constant hope.
Point three: The length. “We live in a time of a long story,” said Söffner. While all would say they have no time – but these stories are really long. “It’s not about to let just anything to tell. But in a narrative in to grow – and to win through them, an attitude to life.”
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In the footsteps of Game of Thrones
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In the footsteps of Game of Thrones
The ingredients of a good series
Joachim Friedmann of the International film school (ifs) Cologne said to the series of boom, “movies to act of things, a series of people”. This is a major difference. Thus, a series of operating, it need good characters, and an insoluble Problem, allowing many episodes of conflict.
But it is also a goal of the protagonists is an important component, Tac Romey, who teaches at the University of television and Film Munich (HFF) serial Tell supplemented. “It may be that the Hero or heroine with a certain Person, or President of the United States would like to be.” The audience must be able to understand the goal and it should be aroused a certain amount of empathy. The Antagonist of the hero in the way, is also a classic for this style of serial storytelling.
Tac Romey says that Mystery series are strong again. And while we are experiencing the great stage of the drama series, with its morally ambiguous characters, as observed by the producer and writer at the same time, an opposite development: “There are many who say: I would also like to something more Positive, something not so Brutal, I want to feel good. We just need to go to the phone and be bombarded with issues, where we do nothing. There is a longing to see a little bit of heal the world.”
Click here to read the full post: series boom: where is the phenomenon?
What do the spectators think?
The University of Vienna has made an investigation about the reasons of the popularity of the GoT series from a media sociological perspective. A total of 817 people from the German-speaking area were interviewed, had seen at least five episodes of the series. The result: intrigue and unpredictable events in addition to the entertainment aspect of decisive, Game of Thrones. Equally fascinating Fantasy elements, and the medieval Setting. In addition, it was found that the Interaction of various content-related aspects such as plot, Setting, and characters, in conjunction with social aspects, to the popularity of the TV season spreads Game of Thrones.
Not only escape from reality
But only with escapism or flight from reality, the enthusiasm in the world of fantasy can’t describe it. Because often the Fantasy will have to do spectacle with us, writes Gerald Poscheschnik, a psychologist at the University of Innsbruck, in “Game of Thrones – TV series as the articulation of socially-unconscious fantasies”. TV series can also carry the “socio-political fantasies”. “At first glance, this fantasy Orgy of Sex, blood, violence, dragons and back-goers, only few points of contact and Parallels to the personal and social life, of an average, contemporary audience”, so Poscheschnik.
For the psychologist, the three areas in GoT (game of thrones, The North and Essos) and the storylines, the playing on these sites embody the unconscious, that shapes our society today. Around the world in conflict, increasing uncertainty and a divergence between the companies.
Comparisons with real threats such as climate change are here, because its risk has long been ignored and excluded.
But the hope is embodied on a good turn, to a solution of the conflict and averting the danger. In times of fear and crisis of hope appears again, and is also used to us over Bad years to collect and to comfort – this is also a Form of self-deception, similar to the extrusion.
Something “very Large”
Cultural theory-Professor Söffner holds Game of Thrones for “something very Big”, you know in 100 years (or not). Ouch. Although the series does not have the Dimension and especially the characters of Star Wars, so George Lucas have influenced several generations of children. But it is much more complex and larger wound than, for example, Tolkien’s “The Lord of the rings”. The crucial question is whether, as American author George R. R. Martin will lead the Story further and if the TV series could keep your level until the end.
Whether I give the series a Chance? The previously Missed to catch up, it means according to Bing clock for two days, 17 hours and 32 minutes of pure series marathon.