Posted February 20, 2022
I've had this thought for a little while now. We typically think of fantasy as being all swords and magic, something derivative of something derivative, i.e. Elder Scrolls et al is derivative of DnD which is derivative of Tolkien which was derivative of European fairy tales and folklore. All fiction of course is fantasy, but I'd like to propose for this discussion that fantasy is something distinct from more mundane fiction set in our world, disconnected from Earth.
So here's what's tickling my funny bone: Grand Theft Auto, Saints Row, anything that's set in our modern world is a few references removed from being fantasy. These games don't have to be set in the United States, they're set in cities that are analogs to the real thing. They have their own history, their own brands (cars, guns usually), nothing from the real world aside from some fantasized references and maybe an American flag somewhere. They are a few changed lines from being completely set on a different planet.
Which I think would make an interesting thought experiment. Why isn't there more just straight modern fantasy? I don't mean with magic and stuff, I mean a world that is completely separate from our own that just simply looks like it. You could make up whatever you want and have it be set in a modern glass and steel city and there'd be guns and cars. I already know the answer as to why there isn't more, it's a case of people wanting something familiar, anything resembling our world would be uncanny if it were described as not being set on Earth. Gears of War already kind of fits this in that it's not connected to Earth in any way, Sera is a place with its own history, but it's usually lumped in science fiction.
So what interesting things do you think could be achieved with the concept? Do you think such an idea could even take off? What examples do you know of would fit the bill?
So here's what's tickling my funny bone: Grand Theft Auto, Saints Row, anything that's set in our modern world is a few references removed from being fantasy. These games don't have to be set in the United States, they're set in cities that are analogs to the real thing. They have their own history, their own brands (cars, guns usually), nothing from the real world aside from some fantasized references and maybe an American flag somewhere. They are a few changed lines from being completely set on a different planet.
Which I think would make an interesting thought experiment. Why isn't there more just straight modern fantasy? I don't mean with magic and stuff, I mean a world that is completely separate from our own that just simply looks like it. You could make up whatever you want and have it be set in a modern glass and steel city and there'd be guns and cars. I already know the answer as to why there isn't more, it's a case of people wanting something familiar, anything resembling our world would be uncanny if it were described as not being set on Earth. Gears of War already kind of fits this in that it's not connected to Earth in any way, Sera is a place with its own history, but it's usually lumped in science fiction.
So what interesting things do you think could be achieved with the concept? Do you think such an idea could even take off? What examples do you know of would fit the bill?