An Obsession of Ice and Fire

If you say you don't recognize this logo, you're lying. HBO took over the world with the fantasy sensation that is Game of Thrones. It's become the most pirated television show and among the most watched, even by those who wouldn't call themselves fantasy fans or, let's face it, "nerds."

Why is it so popular?

It's based on the Song of Ice and Fire series - Game of Thrones is the name of the first novel - by George R.R. Martin, a five-volume (and slowly counting) saga that rivals even the longest series in scope. It's bloody and unforgiving and fits nicely into a category of fantasy called "grimdark." Loosely translated to normal-people-speak, grimdark fantasy means everything sucks and everyone dies. Sound familiar?

Everything does suck and everyone does die.

Grimdark appeals to our generation for the same reasons we flock to dystopic or post-apocalyptic stories like The Hunger Games or The Walking Dead. While it's not a new concept, it certainly has taken hold with the younger generation: we have an obsession with negative change. Our lives, especially in the US, are on some kind of pedestal. We've got virtually everything we need and many things we want, so that, for some reason, makes us wonder at other peoples' suffering.

Why do people enjoy horror movies? Slasher movies? It's the same reason. (In a non-rhetorical way, though, why does anyone enjoy Saw? Eughh.)

Martin's magic storytelling power comes through character building. He presents us with a full cast of lovable and hatable characters, all of whom we immediately connect with and get attached to. Then he tortures and kills them brutally. And we eat it up.

Not only are the characters deep, troubled and brutalized, their actions speak to our own world. The political world of Game of Thrones is practically more outrageous and rich than ours, although Renaissance France could give it a run for it's money. Stranger than fiction, but I digress.

Although the first novel was published over 18 years ago, Martin's series didn't gain nearly the momentum and following it has since the show began in 2010. Obviously, that's because television has a greater realistic reach than books. It takes a certain kind of person to sit down and read thousands of pages rather than watch it all play out on screen.

But it also has something to do with the way we can immerse ourselves into the world. One of Martin's particular strengths is his worldbuilding. He created a rich history for his world and knows details that really have no bearing on the actual story, but he knows Westeros and Essos deeply. With Martin as a producer on the show, it's truly a way to see into his head and glimpse what he believes this intense world looks like. And we desperately want to see a world that is not our own.