Why Game of Thrones became a Pop Culture Phenomenon

and will stay relevant for years to come

Atharva Sangle
The Dot Lit
Published in
6 min readMay 10, 2020

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On 17th April,2011 Americans were unaware of the journey they were about to head on as they tuned in to watch the first episode of ‘Game of Thrones’.The first book had released in 1996 and over the years had gradually created a cult following among readers and fantasy enthusiasts. The real rave wave came when it started airing on television. It took 2–3 seasons for the show to reach a worldwide audience, but when it did it was nothing but pure frenzy.

Game of Thrones became the most pirated TV show. It would break its own records every year. It became the most popular TV show in 2018 even if a single episode wasn’t aired that year. Fans all around the globe traveled to Nothern Ireland and Croatia where the show is shot. Dubrovnik (where Kings Landing is set) experienced overcrowding due to tourists.

Here is why that happened:

1.The World

A Song of Ice and Fire, is the story of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, which get torn apart after the political center no longer holds. The story spans decades and is set in the landscape of Westeros. Martin has done an amazing job at creating Westeros. His rich imaginative descriptions make us feel as if the place has a history older than time and we have already been a living and breathing part of it. The characters are very well crafted, each of them having definitive personality traits and set motives that gradually unravel as the story unfolds.

“People read fantasy to see the colors again. Fantasy shows us wonders, and that fulfills a need in the human heart.” -George RR Martin

2. The characters

Never once in the entire story does Martin make his readers like a particular character only or declare a single person as the protagonist of the story. What Martin instead does is that he goes on creating his characters, describing them in the best way possible, and leaves it completely to the readers/viewers whom to like and whom to dislike. With every person rooting for a different character in the story discussions/arguments start happening, people start voicing their opinions on the internet, which creates groups, blogs, subreddits, youtube videos etc, and eventually a big fan following gets created.

‘When I began A Game of Thrones I thought it might be a short story” -George RR Martin

3.Human Emotions

‘Game of Thrones’ is not a simple story of the battle between good and evil. It is far more complex than that. It is a profound study of human emotions presented in the form of a fictional story. Martin makes us question the emotions that make us human in the first place. Every character in the story has a motive that is inspired by the presence of an overpowering emotion in them. The entire series experiences the presence of emotions such as love, greed, ambition, etc.

4. A Political Tale

What lies at the center of the storyline is the love or attraction for the possession of power. When looked at from a broader perspective ‘Game of Thrones’ is nothing but a tale of politics. Politics, for a layman is a rather boring subject to discuss, but Martins expert storytelling leaves us craving for more.

The author never takes a partisan stance or tell the readers what to think but he surely enables and prompts the reader to start thinking. Which character is correct? Who deserves the iron throne most? Who will be the best ruler? Which acts are justifiable? These are the questions that are related to modern-day politics as well. This is why ‘Game of Thrones’ resonates with a broader audience as such problems of politics, human behavior, and human emotions are dealt with by people throughout the globe.

5. More than just Fantasy

Even if it is a fantasy tale including dragons, white walkers, 3 eyed ravens, and witches, the elements which are connected to reality and human nature seem to be more talked about. This is because Martin has focused on those elements rather than overemphasizing on fantasy.

the beheading of Ned Stark

‘Game of Thrones’ reveals true human nature and not the sugar-coated version of it which we have made ourselves believe. It teaches us a lot about life. Martin sends out practical lessons rather than telling his readers/viewers to be goody all the time and not commit a single ‘sin’. This is established in the first season/book itself when Ned Stark loses his life even after following all the rules and doing no wrong to anybody. We learn that one has to have a sense of sly, especially when you are surrounded by people who are political in nature.

‘Game of Thrones’ questions the importance of power and also the core definition of it. Martin strings together a compelling tale of how humans, in the greed of power can go crazy and to any possible extent of gruesomeness. The series ends with the least expected person becoming the ruler of Westeros. Martin, through this, wishes to send out the message that true power shall lie in the hands of the person who least desires it.

The end of the series was found to be rather dissatisfying by its viewers. What followed were a bunch of petitions to change the ending which never came to any fruition. On the brighter side, there is going to be another conclusion when the book series comes to an end. Martin has been preoccupied with the last two installments lately (Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring).

“People know an ending to ‘Game of Thrones’….but not the ending” -George RR Martin

What we can be completely sure of is that the impact ‘Game of Thrones’ has had on popular culture is going to be prevalent for a long time to come. The main reason for this being the timeless nature of its story. It is one of the defining cultural phenomena of the previous decade. If any other author/creator even thinks of making a book/show which crosses the numbers of ‘Game of Thrones’, I wish you all the luck in the world ( because you’ll need it).

- Atharva Sangle

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Atharva Sangle
Atharva Sangle

Written by Atharva Sangle

student, writer, overthinker Instagram: @authorva.s

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