Game of Thrones is so overrated

Nexus6

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Came across a post on Rant Lifestyle by Willis Patenaude about why he hates Game of Thrones, and felt moved to paraphrase it here. Couldn't have said it better myself. He nailed all the things that have troubled me for some time about this show:

1) Books overrated too - Verbose, long-winded, boring, and forget remembering characters -- they’ll either be killed or won’t return for another 500 pages after you've been introduced to 100 more.

2) It's Dungeons and Dragons on Steroids - It’s all violence, rape and Guantanamo Bay torture that people preach against in real life, but find titillating when they play it on HBO. Martin can’t decide who he hates/likes more, the men raping the women or the women who prostitute themselves for the men.

3) It's not really fantasy - You can’t just messily throw in a few dragons and have some undead walking snow people and call your garbage an epic fantasy. This stuff is like a bad allegory of the modern world at best or an insightful examination into how Martin views society at worst, which means he really hates you.

4) Cardboard characters - Not only is there an abundance of characters, they are also flat and one-dimensional. If you want character growth, you won’t find it here. Partly because they all die before they get that far, and partly because Martin has substituted character growth with just adding another character to fill the missing dimensions.

5) Tribalism - One aspect of the show that is particularly dangerous and troubling is its depiction of tribalism. It’s reminiscent of Twilight and the Hunger Games, making everyone pick a side or a team. It’s very militaristic and apparently no one in the GoT universe has ever heard of diplomacy. Instead, they settle all of their geo-political feuds with force, war and murder.

6) Winter is Never Coming - This is the biggest MacGuffin in the history of fiction. This is similar to people who claim the apocalypse is coming. At some point, you just start to role your eyes, laugh, and stare because they’re morons. Winter is never coming and when it does, who will be alive in the GoT universe to care?

7) Nothing Matters - Sure, it is not the same good vs. evil of Tolkien, but it’s not overly clever either. The characters accomplish nothing but sex and killing, and their motivations are perfunctorily mundane. It’s all power for powers sake, which is exasperatingly dull and dim-witted and not at all the intellectual geopolitical masterpiece it claims to be.

8) The Fans - Basically, if you don’t like this show, the rabid fans who might actually believe in dragons and look up to Joffrey as a role model call you an idiot, insult your intelligence and treat you like you’re scum. They are insufferable and intolerant to the opinions of people who don’t like a show that was obviously written for boys still passing through puberty.

9) It's Pointless - Better yet, it has one main point that it drives home every chance it gets. Everyone dies. You die, she dies, he dies, they die, and everyone gets to die. This show's success is a statement on our sex and death-obsessed culture, and that’s not a good thing.

10) Lazy Storytelling - There is a lot going on in GoT, but it’s not as dense or as complicated as pompous fans want you to believe. In actuality, it’s rather banal. The problem lies in the fact that the show and Martin rely on shock and awe to move the story. Death, sex, homosexuality, character overload, dragons, etc.

11) Everyone Dies - It’s that simple. Martin hates you and he hates people, so he kills them. Unless that character is a despicable person -- then he lets them live. Martin has a hard-on for villains and there is no room for actual nobility in his world, which isn’t a bad thing. But his insistence on murdering anyone who possesses even remotely good qualities in favor of keeping the vilest alive indicates a sad, grotesquely warped world view.

12) Nihilistic Propaganda - Martin appears to be an extremely bitter nihilist who doesn’t believe in anything and thinks moral principles are bunk. Life has no value in the world of GoT. There is nothing to believe in because according to GoT, all of humanity and its values are corrupt, sinister and meaningless and people are not to be trusted. I’m not trying to push religion, but this is just nonsense. It is a miserably inaccurate reflection of humanity throughout history.

13) Evil Always Wins - In this aspect, it is the anti-Tolkien, which sounds great, until you realize in GoT, Martin forges so far to this end of the spectrum that is not compelling anymore and becomes as uninteresting as every childhood fantasy you ever read where good triumphs. It’s insulting and does not make the plot nuanced or layered. You’re brow-beaten to death by evil always winning that its nauseating.

14) Medieval Porn - This is HBO’s answer to Skinemax. It is in your face and it is revolting. The show's reliance on nudity, sex scenes and abusive sex is appalling, and a sign of cheap thrills being substituted for actual substance. Unfortunately, the books contain the same amateurish dependence on sex slaves, prostitution, and sex in an effort to distract everyone from the god-awful prose. It is purposeless nudity just to show naked bodies.

15) It tries too hard - Where Tolkien and others sat down and created mythical worlds without trying to stroke their own inflated ego, GoT wants to be genius, but it’s not. It is a narrative driven by simplicity. It is a basic medieval history story wrapped around ignorant and childishly motivated political subterfuge that happens to contain a few fantasy elements targeted to misogynistic males, who use the show to justify their own secret addiction to abusive porn.

16) Boobs and Blood - That sums up GoT in a nutshell. It lacks originality. It is rudimentary story telling with characters constantly making foolish decisions and acting on every base desire they’ve ever had. Gratuitous nudity does not equate to sophistication, and blood and gore does not equate to cleverness. It is a basic hedonistic morality play, and its alleged philosophy is so kindergarten-level crude that it’s laughable.

There, I feel a lot better now that I got that off my chest. ;) Also, I think Scott was absolutely correct when he referred to it as Lame of Thrones.
 
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Scott Tortorice

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Came across a post on Rant Lifestyle by Willis Patenaude about why he hates Game of Thrones, and felt moved to paraphrase it here. Couldn't have said it better myself. He nailed all the things that have troubled me for some time about this show:
Even though I confess to enjoying GoT as a guilty pleasure, I largely agree with this list. I'll go through the points one by one:

1) Books overrated too - Verbose, long-winded, boring, and forget remembering characters -- they’ll either be killed or won’t return for another 500 pages after you've been introduced to 100 more.
This I disagree with. While the books are nowhere near as high quality as Tolkien's, or William Morris' works for that matter, they are nevertheless very entertaining reads. I think I finished the first book, which is almost 900 pages IIRC, in just under three weeks! I continued with the next two and enjoyed those as well, albeit, I have felt no need to continue.

2) It's Dungeons and Dragons on Steroids - It’s all violence, rape and Guantanamo Bay torture that people preach against in real life, but find titillating when they play it on HBO. Martin can’t decide who he hates/likes more, the men raping the women or the women who prostitute themselves for the men.
Complete agreement! And not surprising since Martin is no choirboy himself.

3) It's not really fantasy - You can’t just messily throw in a few dragons and have some undead walking snow people and call your garbage an epic fantasy. This stuff is like a bad allegory of the modern world at best or an insightful examination into how Martin views society at worst, which means he really hates you.
Yes and no. Martin has always been clear that GoT is just a retelling of the War of the Roses, with the fantasy aspects being just a thin overlay on top of that. But to say that isn't sufficient to be considered "real fantasy" just sounds a bit like fantasy elitism to me. :)

4) Cardboard characters - Not only is there an abundance of characters, they are also flat and one-dimensional. If you want character growth, you won’t find it here. Partly because they all die before they get that far, and partly because Martin has substituted character growth with just adding another character to fill the missing dimensions.
Complete disagreement. There are some fantastic characters in this book, and they do "grow" as the story unfolds. Tyrion, Snow, Tarly all show significant depth and growth to name just a few.

5) Tribalism - One aspect of the show that is particularly dangerous and troubling is its depiction of tribalism. It’s reminiscent of Twilight and the Hunger Games, making everyone pick a side or a team. It’s very militaristic and apparently no one in the GoT universe has ever heard of diplomacy. Instead, they settle all of their geo-political feuds with force, war and murder.
True, but again this is a rather accurate summation of early medieval era politics. I recall watching a medieval doc that said that most medieval noble families were more akin to rival mobster families than they were to what we think of as a political leader. Even combat was more likely to resemble a mob hit than what we would consider to be a "battle". So, while this critique is true, it is also an acknowledgement of how Martin is pretty accurate with his early medieval politics presentation.

6) Winter is Never Coming - This is the biggest MacGuffin in the history of fiction. This is similar to people who claim the apocalypse is coming. At some point, you just start to role your eyes, laugh, and stare because they’re morons. Winter is never coming and when it does, who will be alive in the GoT universe to care?
I am curious to see if we ever get a real glimpse of this dreaded apocalyptic winter. Somehow I doubt it. Be that as it may, it is an awfully good MacGuffin!

7) Nothing Matters - Sure, it is not the same good vs. evil of Tolkien, but it’s not overly clever either. The characters accomplish nothing but sex and killing, and their motivations are perfunctorily mundane. It’s all power for powers sake, which is exasperatingly dull and dim-witted and not at all the intellectual geopolitical masterpiece it claims to be.
Total agreement! GoT eschews any sort of Tolkien-esque overarching morality for a more contemporary worship of the selfish individual. In that sense, GoT is the more fitting book for our times...sadly.

8) The Fans - Basically, if you don’t like this show, the rabid fans who might actually believe in dragons and look up to Joffrey as a role model call you an idiot, insult your intelligence and treat you like you’re scum. They are insufferable and intolerant to the opinions of people who don’t like a show that was obviously written for boys still passing through puberty.
Yup. To wit:

[video=youtube_share;awr6OQ0mRGY]http://youtu.be/awr6OQ0mRGY[/video]

9) It's Pointless - Better yet, it has one main point that it drives home every chance it gets. Everyone dies. You die, she dies, he dies, they die, and everyone gets to die. This show's success is a statement on our sex and death-obsessed culture, and that’s not a good thing.
Complete agreement. Wow, I like how this guy thinks (or is it you, Nexus? Not sure how much is your opinion and how much belongs to the other guy)!

10) Lazy Storytelling - There is a lot going on in GoT, but it’s not as dense or as complicated as pompous fans want you to believe. In actuality, it’s rather banal. The problem lies in the fact that the show and Martin rely on shock and awe to move the story. Death, sex, homosexuality, character overload, dragons, etc.
Eh, I would call GoT many things, but 'lazy" isn't one of them. Avatar is lazy. Prometheus is lazy. Reality TV is lazy. GoT...not so much.

11) Everyone Dies - It’s that simple. Martin hates you and he hates people, so he kills them. Unless that character is a despicable person -- then he lets them live. Martin has a hard-on for villains and there is no room for actual nobility in his world, which isn’t a bad thing. But his insistence on murdering anyone who possesses even remotely good qualities in favor of keeping the vilest alive indicates a sad, grotesquely warped world view.
"Martin has a hard-on for villains and there is no room for actual nobility in his world, which isn’t a bad thing." For a guy who has been on a roll moralizing about the immorality of GoT, that was a very peculiar thing to say. In fact, I will just move on because I am at a loss to explain this statement in light of his previous comments.

12) Nihilistic Propaganda - Martin appears to be an extremely bitter nihilist who doesn’t believe in anything and thinks moral principles are bunk. Life has no value in the world of GoT. There is nothing to believe in because according to GoT, all of humanity and its values are corrupt, sinister and meaningless and people are not to be trusted. I’m not trying to push religion, but this is just nonsense. It is a miserably inaccurate reflection of humanity throughout history.
Complete agreement. I also think it is a reflection of the post-modernist view that has so resented the chivalric ideals of that era. So, Martin, like a lot of contemporary historians, is trying to show that such ideals were all window dressing and no reality. Sansa Stark is the embodiment of this idea as she begins the story as an innocent girl with a head full of chivalric idealism, but is later brutally disabused of such notions. While I don't doubt chivalry was often honored more in the breach than in the observance, I also don't believe it was all window dressing. Indeed, the historical record would suggest otherwise in more than a few cases (Joan of Arc).

13) Evil Always Wins - In this aspect, it is the anti-Tolkien, which sounds great, until you realize in GoT, Martin forges so far to this end of the spectrum that is not compelling anymore and becomes as uninteresting as every childhood fantasy you ever read where good triumphs. It’s insulting and does not make the plot nuanced or layered. You’re brow-beaten to death by evil always winning that its nauseating.
Again, I have not read all the books, but I don't think this is a driving theme. Yes, I do think Martin is a repudiation of the moralizing of Tolkien, but there are more than a few victories for the good in GoT. If Sansa Stark represents the disabusement of chivalry, Tarly and Tyrion are the defense of real chivalry. It is a Yin and Yang type of situation that Martin paints. I would even go so far as to say that Martin even paints a moral picture when, via Tyrion and Tarly, he goes to show how the small and outcast can be more heroic that all beautiful people (celebrities) in the world.

14) Medieval Porn - This is HBO’s answer to Skinemax. It is in your face and it is revolting. The show's reliance on nudity, sex scenes and abusive sex is appalling, and a sign of cheap thrills being substituted for actual substance. Unfortunately, the books contain the same amateurish dependence on sex slaves, prostitution, and sex in an effort to distract everyone from the god-awful prose. It is purposeless nudity just to show naked bodies.
Yes! Yes! Yes! I, however, take heart in knowing that the most pirated version of GoT is the one with all the sex REMOVED!

15) It tries too hard - Where Tolkien and others sat down and created mythical worlds without trying to stroke their own inflated ego, GoT wants to be genius, but it’s not. It is a narrative driven by simplicity. It is a basic medieval history story wrapped around ignorant and childishly motivated political subterfuge that happens to contain a few fantasy elements targeted to misogynistic males, who use the show to justify their own secret addiction to abusive porn.
I think this guy just really, really hates Martin. And while I agree that Martin is both an arrogant conniver (just look at his marketing-ready name!) and a lewd man (read his blog), I don't think he is worthy of such Sauron-esque villainy. :) But, then again, the work does reflect the creator.

16) Boobs and Blood - That sums up GoT in a nutshell. It lacks originality. It is rudimentary story telling with characters constantly making foolish decisions and acting on every base desire they’ve ever had. Gratuitous nudity does not equate to sophistication, and blood and gore does not equate to cleverness. It is a basic hedonistic morality play, and its alleged philosophy is so kindergarten-level crude that it’s laughable.
He is retracing his steps now. Yet, GoT is immoral, but to dismiss the story as just "Boobs and Blood" is taking things too far IMO.

There, I feel a lot better now that I got that off my chest. ;) Also, I think Scott was absolutely correct when he referred to it as Lame of Thrones.
Did I? LOL! Like much of modern entertainment, I find it to be "sound and fury, signifying nothing". But it is entertaining at times, nonetheless. But, of course, I still greatly prefer Tolkien (and I am loving Morris' House of the Wolfings! That would make for a great movie, too!). Like this list basically states, Tolkien is all about reaffirming transcendent beauty and good in a fallen world, while Martin is all about...well, the fallen world.
 

ChrisM

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Point 4 is really untrue and makes me suspect the ranter's entire analysis A lot of the criticism is fair opinion, maybe the sex and violence are not to yuor atste - but you simply cannot assert that Martn's characters are one dimensional and not nuanced. It is just untrue.

Tyrion, Danearys, Jon Snow - all are shaded characters hwo evolve adn chaneg as the story continues. Tyrion is an amazing creation - a handicapped man of brians in a culture of physical violence and class stratification who survives by his wits and despit the best efforts of his pwoerful family. And these are just the protagonists...even most of the secondary characters, heroes and villaisn aliek are nuanced and capable of both good and evil in their actions.

Call Martin a windbag, call him violent, call him non spiritual, even call him derivative 9though i think the last is unfair) and I cna respect your opinion even if I disagree. But call him a poor developer of character - and you are simply wrong. The characters are the great strength of ASoIaF - as is his willingness to kill them.
 

Scott Tortorice

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Point 4 is really untrue and makes me suspect the ranter's entire analysis A lot of the criticism is fair opinion, maybe the sex and violence are not to yuor atste - but you simply cannot assert that Martn's characters are one dimensional and not nuanced. It is just untrue.

Tyrion, Danearys, Jon Snow - all are shaded characters hwo evolve adn chaneg as the story continues. Tyrion is an amazing creation - a handicapped man of brians in a culture of physical violence and class stratification who survives by his wits and despit the best efforts of his pwoerful family. And these are just the protagonists...even most of the secondary characters, heroes and villaisn aliek are nuanced and capable of both good and evil in their actions.

Call Martin a windbag, call him violent, call him non spiritual, even call him derivative 9though i think the last is unfair) and I cna respect your opinion even if I disagree. But call him a poor developer of character - and you are simply wrong. The characters are the great strength of ASoIaF - as is his willingness to kill them.
Complete agreement. Likewise, the idea that GoT is lazy writing. I don't think it is possible to write 1000 page books and be called lazy. LOL! The OP has some things correct, particularly the geek porn seen in the HBO series, but his clear dislike for Martin leads him to make some flatly untrue statements AFAIAC.
 

ChrisM

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Yeah - you and I are often of a mind, Scott. And I don't disagree with Nexus inital statement: That Thrones is overrated.

It is great stuff and I am a committed fan - but Martin falls far short of Tolkien's scheivement and some of the ASoIaF fanatics don't get this and make fools of themselves arguing otherwise.
 

Nexus6

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Wow guys, I'm mildly relieved that I didn't get as much hate on this post as I had expected. ;) To be fair, I did enjoy and was intrigued by the first season (book and series), but after that found the whole thing start to get too mean-spirited, tiresome and repetitive, and I was really getting annoyed with Martin's bait and switch and how he keeps killing off characters we like and not replacing them with equally interesting characters. As someone else so succinctly noted, at the end of the day who are we going to be left with? Brienne of Tarth???? lol And speaking of the War of the Roses, I think the Yorks and Lancastrians were chiorboys compared to the GoT bunch.

Anyway, the bottom line for me I think was this statement from Mr. Patenaude: The show's success is a statement on our sex and death-obsessed culture, and that’s not a good thing. Truer words were never written, and I think it also shows how depraved Martin, Weiss, and Benieoff are. On a broader note, I begin to think that the West is suffering from serious ennui, and maybe even has a death wish.

Concerning the fanboys, yeah Scott, that vid was hilarious. It reminds me of what someone wrote about how in the old days we used to root for our favorite books, shows, characters and leave it at that. Now we name children and pets after them, attend Comic-Con, and blog endlessly about them on social networking sites and internet forums. :laugh:

I also felt compelled to mention that in all fairness, I used to really like GRR. Loved his work on the rebooted 80's Twilight Zone. Also, loved his short story Sandkings, which later became the pilot episode for the rebooted Outer Limits. Oh well, it seems that no one is as good as they once were.

BTW, anyone else think GRR looks pretty silly sporting those people's republic hats??? :laugh:
 
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Vinnie

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I haven't watched much of the TV show but have read all the books so far.
The writing is relatively lazy and his insistence on killing off characters to bring them back from the dead meant that the big death in the last book was met with a "ho him" from me rather than a "WOW! How could he!" Poor writing. Also there are the occasional repeated descriptions. I wanted to watch the TV series but there's too much sex in it. I would have no problem with Gwen (17) watching it but I could not watch it with her! Look, we're a cable show! We can have bouncing breasts everywhere! Its not big and its not clever.
 

JOKippe

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Game of Thrones isn't for everyone...it almost has as much sex and ultraviolence as the Old Testament!
 

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Sandkings was incredible, Nexus. i just read that for the first time a week or two ao.

As far as the mortaility rate goes, different strokes and all that. Personally - I enjoy all the main character killing. I am hearily bored with fantasy where charatcers never seem to get killed.

HBO has put way too much fan boy porn into the series - but they seem to have toned it down a bit this season. The stuff in Littlefinger's brothel was simple ridiculous. Martin got a little silly wiht ti too - the Cersei lesbian scene in Feast was gross and unneeded and i took a lot of flack on the GoT boards for complaining about it.
 

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As far as the mortaility rate goes, different strokes and all that. Personally - I enjoy all the main character killing. I am hearily bored with fantasy where charatcers never seem to get killed.
I agree 100%. Some might find the death rate a bit too much; but on the other extreme, we have Peter Jackson's method of storytelling that utilizes a childish, cartoony world of physics in which characters can fall hundreds of feet and not be scratched.

As far as the original Willis rant goes, I lost interest after his first few points. He has either not actually seen much of the show, or else he has no concept of what fantasy and character development are. Either way, the good points he made are somewhat lost in the evidence that he really doesn't know what he is talking about.
 

Nexus6

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I agree 100%. Some might find the death rate a bit too much; but on the other extreme, we have Peter Jackson's method of storytelling that utilizes a childish, cartoony world of physics in which characters can fall hundreds of feet and not be scratched.

As far as the original Willis rant goes, I lost interest after his first few points. He has either not actually seen much of the show, or else he has no concept of what fantasy and character development are. Either way, the good points he made are somewhat lost in the evidence that he really doesn't know what he is talking about.
Actually, I think you're the one who may not know what he's talking about. As the blogger so succinctly noted, the show and books are mean-spirited, heinous, long-winded, where interesting characters get killed and are not replaced by equally interesting ones, and again, GoT's popularity is a dark statement on where we are as a society. Also, your slam on the Old Testament was a cheap shot if there ever was one. About the only thing I agree with you on is your criticism of Peter Jackson. People like you are a great example of how people who post on forums have too much time on their hands and not enough sense. You can troll me in response all you like, but rest assured I will not read it. In any event, between idiots like you and Shumwick, I've had enough.
 
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JOKippe

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Actually, I think you're the one who may not know what he's talking about. As the blogger so succinctly noted, the show and books are mean-spirited, heinous, long-winded, where interesting characters get killed and are not replaced by equally interesting ones, and again, GoT's popularity is a dark statement on where we are as a society. Also, your slam on the Old Testament was a cheap shot if there ever was one. About the only thing I agree with you on is your criticism of Peter Jackson. People like you are a great example of how people who post on forums have too much time on their hands and not enough sense. You can troll me in response all you like, but rest assured I will not read it. In any event, between idiots like you and Shumwick, I've had enough.
Lol, I'll stand by my statement that anyone who thinks that GoT isn't fantasy and doesn't have character development knows nothing about either...or else hasn't really watched it. And, if a person has read much classic literature, then they would know that "mean-spirited, heinous, long-winded" works have been popular since the dawn of creative writing, and it's not an invention of this particular society.
 

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At least the thread made me go and start watching the series now. On Ep 4, first season. Throw it into the "it's okay" category for now.
 

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I'm usually not one to respond in depth to trollish behavior (the OP's intent with this post to begin was to offend others with a lot of assertions that were simply uneducated POVs, and the thread should be titled "I Think Game of Thrones is So Overrated Because I Don't Understand It"), but I'll offer up my counterpoints in more detail.

Fantasy: What is "Fantasy"? Does GoT meet the "requirements"? Let see what Wiki says (and the elitist can dig into their favorite encyclopedia; it doesn't matter.)Here's a basic definition of the genre:

"Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic and magical creatures are common. Fantasy is generally distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three, all of which are subgenres of speculative fiction."

A bit about the inherent traits of Fantasy:

"The identifying traits of fantasy are the inclusion of fantastic elements in a self-coherent (internally consistent) setting, where inspiration from mythology and folklore remains a consistent theme. Within such a structure, any location of the fantastical element is possible: it may be hidden in, or leak into the apparently real world setting, it may draw the characters into a world with such elements, or it may occur entirely in a fantasy world setting, where such elements are part of the world. Essentially, fantasy follows rules of its own making, allowing magic and other fantastic devices to be used and still be internally cohesive."

If anyone stil wishes to debate that GoT isn't Fantasy, then let's hear why it isn't.

I'll admit that I had reservations about GoT being Fantasy when I first started watching it...but by the end of Season 1, it's obvious that it is...thus, I conclude that anyone that doesn't think it's Fantasy hasn't watched more than a few episodes.

Character Development:
What we're really talking about here is Character Arc. Again, we'll start with a basic definition from Wiki:

"A character arc is the status of the character as it unfolds throughout the story, the storyline or series of episodes. Characters begin the story with a certain viewpoint and, through events in the story, that viewpoint changes. A character arc generally only affects the main character in a story, though other characters can go through similar changes."

Cool, let's go into more detail as far as general character development. Let's hear from a published author who has no axe to grind in this discussion. I'll quote Chuck Sambuchino, a contributor to Writer's Digest, which was required reading by one of my professors when I was a journalism student. Here, he lists 9 ingredients to character development. I'll truncate his points (and if anyone has more interest, they can visit the WD page itself. Google is everyone's friend.)

1. Communication style: How does your character talk? Does she favor certain words or phrases that make her distinct and interesting?...
2. History: Where does your character come from? What events shaped his personality?...
3. Appearance: What does she look like?...
4. Relationships: What kind of friends and family does he have?...
5. Ambition: What is her passion in life? What goal is she trying to accomplish through your story?...
6. Character defect: Everyone has some personality trait that irritates his friends or family. This is usually connected to his unrecognized need (see Ambition) and often gets resolved through his character arch....
7. Thoughts: What kind of internal dialogue does your character have? How does she think through her problems and dilemmas? Is her internal voice the same as her external? If not, does this create internal conflict for her?...
8. Everyman-ness: How relatable is your character?...
9. Restrictions: More than a personality flaw, what physical or mental weakness must your character overcome through her arch?...

Again, thanks to Chuck Sambuchino for creating a very nice list for those who might have questions about what Character Development might be. It's likewise open for debate, and would like to hear from others who still might think that there is no Character Development in GoT. But, please...watch the damned series first before making absurd statements. The series isn't meant to be for everyone, and if you don't like it, then don't watch it...nobody else cares. I'll admit some episode bore me...but it's still better than 99% of what's out there today. The greatest show ever? I dunno, we'll make that judgement when it's finished.
 

shunwick

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The honest trailer of Game of Thrones:-

[video=youtube;SVaD8rouJn0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVaD8rouJn0[/video]

Best wishes,
Steve
 

Scott Tortorice

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The honest trailer of Game of Thrones:-

[video=youtube;SVaD8rouJn0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVaD8rouJn0[/video]

Best wishes,
Steve
LOL! "Prepare for Titanfall" - also LOL! :D

What if GoT was an '80s TV show?

[video=youtube;8oVfIFrpslI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oVfIFrpslI[/video]
 

ParaMarine

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I think there's merit to a lot of these, but I will take issue with this one: It isn't nihilistic propaganda. Not if you read the books.

I really didn't want to go there, but there is so much subtlety in the books that the producers just don't get. Did you ever wonder why Tyrion is always having ugly sex and eating lots of expensive food: it's because he's a slave to his base desires. It's the opposite with Jon and his relationship, which is more poignant. Anyway that's just one example. I think that the author just ran out of ideas and everyone thinks it's going to end on a bad note.

If you don't want to read the series but you want a manageable size story to see if you'd like it, then check out The Hedge Knight short stories. They actually are not morally ambiguous and they follow the story of a true hero in the same world. They have a lot of clever moments and tension, but the best part is the characterization, as always.
 

Joda

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I show that ends in butchering an entire wedding party can't be that bad. :freak:
 
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