Game of Thrones: What’s the Funda Behind GoT’s Fandom?

Love it or hate it, you can’t avoid Game of Thrones.

Before Game of Thrones ends, we try to decode its phenomenon.

(Photo: The Quint/Kamran Akhter)

Whether you are a fan, a non-conformist, or you simply don’t care, there is no escaping the Game of Thrones phenomenon.

You can thank GoT fans and their unsurpassable passion for that.

Game of Thrones is an ongoing TV show run by HBO, based on the extremely popular George RR Martin series of novels titled ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’.

As per statista.com, the show enjoyed a viewership of 5.5 million on average in the first 6 seasons, with the last episode clocking a jaw-dropping 18 million on the very first telecast.

Viewership numbers aside, the GoT fanbase is notorious for launching elaborate debates of ongoing plot-lines, irrespective of time and place, and participate in hair-splitting analysis of each frame, as if their lives depended on it.

Some have also taken actual classes to be able to speak in Dothraki and High Valyrian: two fictional languages from the A Song of Ice and Fire universe. So what makes this show so amazing that its fanbase swears by it?

GoT is Social Media’s Favourite Franchise

The Game of Thrones franchise is one that truly belongs to the social media generation. While the book lovers did have their little forums where they would theorise, Game of Thrones became a real phenomenon with the advent of the various social media platforms. It acted as fodder for the many a memes, witty Tweets, and Facebook fan pages. Moreover, many vloggers have made their YouTube careers out of theorising and making predictions on Game of Thrones.

“One thing that really worked for was that it came at a time when the Internet fan culture on the social media really exploded. It was a new way for fans to express themselves.”

Vakasha Sachdev

Fantasy Show That Reflects Reality

The fantasy elements in the Thrones universe are very evident with the presence of dragons, giants, and armies of zombies, etc. But ask any fan and they would tell you that the they love it for the cruel reality depicted in the show, without any sugar coating.

It doesn’t shy away from killing off main characters, to emphasise mortality even in a fantasy world.

“Anything righteous would just die (in the GoT universe). That is how wars are won and that is how thrones are snatched,” shares Eshwar, who is disappointed with the last season, but plans to watch the finale anyway.

Money Matters

Game of Thrones is one of the first shows of its kind with a budget that could match even feature films. Previously, we had never seen a production house or broadcaster invest so much in a TV show – that kind of spending was a privilege reserved for films. That’s why we’d seldom see the sort of spectacle that Game of Thrones throws at us in any other TV show.

For instance, the per episode production cost of the first season of the show was 5.5 million USD, as per Hollywood Reporter.

And it has only scaled up from then, with the per episode cost of the previous (7th) season being 10 million USD.

For the first time, viewers were getting a movie-like experience, in all its grandeur and epic-ness, while sitting in their bedrooms/living rooms.

Therefore, as we note, there are several factors contributing to this show’s massive fan following and cult status. At the heart of which is its intriguing storyline, and believable reality infused within fantasy.