Why is Game of Thrones so popular? A good question, with an even better answer. Game of Thrones, or GOT for short, is a wildly popular television show based in a medieval world, produced by the channel HBO. Game of Thrones is based on the book series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ by renowned author George R.R Martin.
The show is filled with gore, blood, violence, sex, and overall debauchery, and is entertaining an average of more than 23 million Americans today, and many more people across the globe. People were first entertained by the complicated plots in 2011, and today they are still hooked.
The basic plot is that magic is returning to a kingdom that has had no magic for a very long time. There is a war for control of the magic, and there are lots and lots of characters in this show; many of them who are very power hungry. Some of the most popular characters in early seasons include: Daenerys Targaryen (The Mother of Dragons), Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, and Joffrey Baratheon. There are so many interesting and complex creatures in this series such as dragons, giants and manticores. Dragons and giants are common fantasy creatures, but, for those who don’t know, a manticore is a mythical creature that is similar to a sphinx. A sphinx is an animal with the body of a lion and the head of a human. A manticore adds to this three rows of sharp teeth and sometimes bat-like wings.
We conducted a survey on why our students like Game Of Thrones. The answers included: the magic, the politics, the plot line, being a fan of the books, and the gore, sex, and downright violence. Most of the students answered with gore, sex, and violence as well as the plotline, although the magic came in at a close third. Some students commented saying that they were not allowed to watch Game Of Thrones due to the gore, sex, and violence as mentioned above. A total of thirty-three students participated in our survey.
By Hannah Zolezzi and Jill Miller
The Claw 