To the University of Wyoming:

The members of the Committee approve the thesis of Anne Ellingham Krogh presented
on 5 May, 2015.

Dr. Susan Aronstein, Chairperson

Dr. Jason Thompson, Department Member
Dr. Barbara Logan, External Member

APPROVED:
Dr. Peter Parolin, Department Chair, English.
Dr. Paula Lutz, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

Krogh, Anne, E. Interactive Invitations: Media Melding and Game of Thrones. M. A., English,
May, 2015.

Why is the ongoing adaptation of George R. R. Martins book series, A Song of Ice and
Fire, into the HBO television series Game of Thrones so popular? The short answer is, because
of the process of media melding working within the show, and the resulting interactive
invitations extended to the audience. Media melding as a concept grows out of Henry Jenkins
work on convergence culture, and Bolter and Grusins concept of remediation. It is a process
during which media take on characteristics traditionally understood as belong to other media, in
order to inspire a sense interactivity in the audience. Through observing the media melding
process at work in Game of Thrones, I suggest that the traditional view of adaptation, as
information transitioning between media, becomes outdated. Media has to be able to do more
than merely depict information in different forms according to the particular mediums strengths.
Game of Thrones proves it is up to this challenge by using the process of media melding to
capture the interactive imagination of a global audience.

INTERACTIVE INVITATIONS: MEDIA MELDING AND GAME OF THRONES

By
Anne Ellingham Krogh

A thesis submitted to the Department of English

and the University of Wyoming
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS
in
ENGLISH

Laramie, Wyoming
May 2015

UMI Number: 1593171

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 2015, Anne Ellingham Krogh

ii

Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Convergence Culture and Media Melding .................................................................................. 4
Adaptation and Participatory Culture ......................................................................................... 8
Overview ................................................................................................................................... 11
Chapter One: The Dynamic Map: Creating an Illusion of Interactivity ....................................... 13
Moving from the Flat Map to the Dynamic .............................................................................. 14
Dynamic Map Functions ........................................................................................................... 16
Specific sequences .................................................................................................................... 22
Chapter Two: The Show: Extending the Function of the Dynamic Map ..................................... 29
Map Integration ......................................................................................................................... 29
Structure .................................................................................................................................... 35
Viewer Participation ................................................................................................................. 43
Brand Extension: Official ......................................................................................................... 46
Chapter Three: The Internet: A Space of Interactivity ................................................................. 48
The Online Author and Fan Influence ...................................................................................... 49
Spoilers: The Knowing vs. the Unknowing Audience.............................................................. 53
Brand Extension: Unofficial ..................................................................................................... 61
The Latest: Season Five Premiere............................................................................................. 67
Appendix ....................................................................................................................................... 73
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 75

iii

Introduction
Currently, adaptation studies as a discipline is facing its most formidable challenge to
date. It must itself live up to its name and adapt, or risk fading in to obscurity. Too long has the
focus of adaptation studies been on the mere transition of a source work into a different medium,
when instead the discipline could be investigating the larger implications of such transitions, how
new media plays into the process of adaptation, and what underlying cultural need adaptations
satisfy. Dealing with the enormity of these questions is no simple task, especially since the
answers cannot be found through any singular existing approach, adaptations are too diverse in
form to comply with any set theory, and the processes too complex to be defined in totality from
any one perspective. In order to approach an understanding of these questions, scholars must
therefore be willing to start from a place of not knowing, and start fresh by asking questions like:
Why is this particular adaptation popular, and what does its popularity say about current culture?
Working from such broad questions, paradoxically, allows for a closer look at specific instances
of adaptation that can illuminate the ways in which adaptation studies, as a discipline, must
adapt.
This project begins by asking: Why is the adaptation of George R. R. Martins book
series, A Song of Ice and Fire, into the HBO television series Game of Thrones so popular? The
Game of Thrones phenomenon is currently one of the most popular television series in existence;
the series is embraced globally, and has spawned countless diverse adaptations from ones
endorsed by the franchise, such as graphic novels and video games, to independent fan-created
adaptations in the form of a comprehensive and speculative website, A Wiki of Ice and Fire,
numerous online memes, and a multitude of YouTube videos. Possible entry points for

engagement with Martins universe can be found across many different media platforms, which
undoubtedly ensures franchise access to an ever-multiplying number of audiences. Furthermore,
characteristic elements of the three traditional categories of story-telling the telling, showing,
and interactive modescome together within the television show and work toward engaging
television audiences on several levels, which expands the boundaries of how we can think about
the process of adaptation. Based solely on its widespread appeal, the Game of Thrones
phenomenon is therefore an intriguing object of study, but for scholars interested in adaptation it
becomes an essential phenomenon to engage in inquiry. While a multitude of factors contribute
to the popularity of Game of Thrones, such as the shows position as heir to a long line of fantasy
narratives that paved the way for the genres current favorable audience reception, the rich and
engaging characters and plot, and the fact that it is simply a good story, this project restricts itself
to examining certain techniques employed by Game of Thrones as essential to the shows
popularity. One reason behind the popularity of the television show, and the existence of
resulting fan-creations, lies not only in the availability of the various media platforms of the
electronic age, or the ways that media intersect within the show, but also in the unique
foundation upon which the adaptations are built.
This particular adaptation is set apart from other prolific and popular visual adaptations
such as the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, based on J. R. R. Tolkiens literary works, or the
Harry Potter films, based on J. K. Rowlings book series, due to the incomplete nature of the
source material. 1 Because Martins narrative is unfinished, the official adaptations of his work

Game of Thrones is further set apart from other prolific adaptations, as an artifact for study, due to the author of the
source material still being alive, and contributing to the ongoing development of the adapted material while
concurrently creating additional source material.

enjoy an unprecedented freedom of creative expression that extends to fan-adaptations as well.

Martins work invites speculation about the development of the narratives plot lines due to
being incomplete, and this invitation is, via HBOs visual adaptation, extended to an enormous,
even global, audience. In addition to the invitation to speculate, the audience is given another
implied invitation, an unspoken, yet powerful, perceived possibility of being able to influence the
development of the narrative. Since the construction of the narrative is still in progress, the
audience assumes a potential for co-creation. 2 It is the confluence of all of these components that
prompts this study of Game of Thrones as a particular instance of adaptation: the availability of
many media platforms for expansion of the narrative, the continuous creation of narrative, the
ongoing television adaptation embracing the three modes of story-telling, and the inherent
invitationsactual or perceivedto participate and engage in the creation of narrative are all
essential subjects of investigation when attempting to answer the question of the shows
popularity.
In order to approach an answer to the complex question of why HBOs Game of Thrones
is popular, it is therefore necessary to start broadly by looking briefly at the underlying
conditions that allow this adaptation to come into existence through the lens of some of the most
prominent scholars in the study of new media. This section is also where I will suggest a
modified way of understanding new media, particularly in relation to Game of Thrones.
Afterwards, a glance at adaptation studies in its current form is useful, both to outline how
adaptations are usually approached for study, and also to see where there is room for re-

The potential for co-creation also gives rise to questions regarding Martins role in the creation of both the written
narrative of his book series, and the visual narrative of the HBO show. Whether or not the ongoing processes of
adaptation undermines Martins authority as an author, and whether or not some of this authority is transferred to the
fans in their capacity as potential creators of further narrative remains to be explored.

evaluation. New media studies and adaptations studies together constitute the foundation upon
which I will build my analysis of Game of Thrones. This introduction will conclude with a brief
overview of each of the subsequent chapters, which will focus on three closely related parts of
the Game of Thrones adaptation: The opening dynamic map sequences, the show proper, and the
fan engagement with the show that takes place online.

Convergence Culture and Media Melding

The way we think about new medias role in influencing culture and engaging audiences
has gone through a rapid change recently, but needs constant reevaluation as media themselves
constantly evolve. Starting with Marshall McLuhans book Understanding Media: The
Extensions of Man, first published in 1964, allows us to observe the foundation of current ideas
concerning media. McLuhan famously proclaimed that the medium is the message, and went
on to assert that the focus of media studies should therefore be on the forms of media, instead of
on the content, because the content of any medium is always another medium. The content of
writing is speech, just as the written word is the content of print. He goes on to explain that the
message of any medium or technology is the change of scale or pace or pattern that it
introduces into human affairs (McLuhan 8). These assertions have, understandably, faced
scrutiny over the years, for scholars would have little to study if content of media was off the
table. In this project, I do focus on media, but I do so to illuminate how media works with
content in interesting new ways to further audiences sense of participation in the story-world,
not to privilege media over content. The message, to use McLuhans term, is that the way media
works in Game of Thrones helps amplify fan engagement with the content on a larger scale than
previously possible for television shows. The medium is clearly not the only message, but the

study of media remains important. 3 What McLuhan suggests is to study each individual medium
in accordance with its own characteristics and effects. 4 The notion that a medium is limited, and
can only achieve certain effects, still permeates media and adaptation studies to this day. What
happens then when these characteristics begin to merge and overlap within a single medium?
This should not be possible, but is observable in the achievements of television shows today. The
television medium has evolved immensely since the time of McLuhans scholarship, and after
the emergence of new media, and it is time that television is examined as more than just a static
medium.
Game of Thrones blurs the lines between media and promotes the illusion of audience
participation, and it is able to do this because it exists as a hybrid between the traditional
showing mode of film and television, and the interactive mode of games. Henry Jenkinss
Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide tackles the questions of what happens
when media begin to intersect and overlap, and what that means for audiences. Jenkins claims
that, since the emergence of new media, popular culture phenomena operate across many
different media, a concept he refers to as convergence culture. Media producers have figured out
that it is highly lucrative to incorporate several kinds of media when attempting to expose the
maximum number of consumers to their product. Jenkins states that media producers are
finding through the interplay among media what they cant achieve working in isolation

This project works under the assumption that media and content interact in ways that prevent the two from being
absolutely separated from each other. Other scholars have recently begun the important work of examining the
content of Martins A Song of Ice and Fire series, and Game of Thrones, in the newly published collection
Mastering the Game of Thrones: Essays on George R. R. Martins A Song of Ice and Fire, edited by Jes Battis and
Susan Johnston. I find it important, therefore, to begin the discussion of the role of media in the overall
phenomenon.
4
McLuhans book as a whole outlines the characteristics of media in existence at the time of his writing, from the
written word to television, and claims that each medium has its own particular effect on the consumer. For a brief
discussion of characteristics and effects, see chapter two, Media Hot and Cold.
3

(Jenkins 7), and that convergence involves both a change in the way media is produced and a
change in the way media is consumed (Jenkins 16). It stands to reason that finding a way of
merging media is the best way to ensure that the product reaches as many consumers as possible.
It happens to also be an avenue to ensure audience engagement.
Media producers, through popular culture, are in the business of telling stories. And in
order to tell stories that create a significant amount of revenue in our digital age, media need
engaged consumers. Jenkins states: According to the logic of affective economics, the ideal
consumer is active, emotionally engaged, and socially networked (20). Viewing the process of
convergence from this economic perspective is starting to reveal an increasingly sinister picture
of media conglomerates, but there is another side to the coin. While media producers do have a
vested economic interest in providing access to their products in many different forms, such as
books, television or film, and games, the consumer also plays her part. The audience demands
these kinds of storytelling across media, or what Jenkins calls transmedia storytelling. In
catering to this demand perhaps industry leaders [are] acknowledging the importance of the role
that ordinary consumers play not just in accepting convergence, but actually in driving the
process (Jenkins 8). The audience wants to be engaged by their chosen entertainment, and if the
media producers do not fulfill this demand, in a world of intense competition for the consumer
dollar, their business will have limited success. In adapting to a multitude of media forms, the
Game of Thrones franchise seems to have heeded Jenkinss warning that
media producers will only find their way through their current problems by renegotiating
their relationship with their consumers. Audiences, empowered by these new
technologies, occupying a space at the intersection between old and new media, are
demanding the right to participate within the culture. Producers who fail to make their
peace with this new participatory culture will face declining goodwill and diminished
revenues. (Jenkins 24)

Game of Thrones can therefore be identified as an expression of what Jenkins calls convergence
culture, but this idea can be taken further. I argue that Game of Thrones not only hints at a game
experience in its title, but takes on some video game characteristics; the show expresses not only
media convergence but media melding. By media melding, I refer to the fusion of characteristics
that happens when one medium incorporates the intrinsic qualities of another to elicit an
emotional sense of participation on behalf of the viewer.
The concept of media melding is not new in its basic sense of an overlap of techniques
between different forms of media, but the result of this overlap, namely the idea that the medium
of television now employs techniques that invite viewer participation beyond watching the show,
has rarely been examined. Bolter and Grusin, in their book Remediation: Understanding New
Media, expand on the idea of technical overlap between media. They astutely define a medium
as that which remediates. It is that which appropriates the techniques, forms, and social
significance of other media and attempts to rival or refashion them in the name of the real. A
medium in our culture can never operate in isolation, because it must enter into relationships of
respect and rivalry with other media (Bolter and Grusin 65). All media remediates to some
extent, and they do so with two, at times, conflicting goals in mind, which Bolter and Grusin
express in the notions of immediacy and hypermediacy. Immediacy is the idea that the medium
itself should aim to be as transparent as possible, i.e. not announce its presence. Audiences desire
to feel as if they are present in the action depicted, and want to maintain that illusion as much as
possible. An example of the highest form of immediacy would be the full immersion of the
player into a virtual environment. The content of the media must feel real. On the other hand,
hypermediacy is ever-present. Hypermediacy describes the idea that media always announce
themselves somehow. When watching a television program, the viewer is aware of the television
7

itself, and therefore aware of not being immersed in the action. Similarly, when playing a game,
the player is aware of the computer, the controls, and of the presence of the internet if playing
online. One cannot fully be immersed, even in an interactive medium such as a video game, but
the illusion of immersion, and participation, is nevertheless highly coveted.

Adaptation and Participatory Culture

The ongoing adaptation of George R. R. Martins A song of Ice and Fire into HBOs
television show Game of Thrones provides for this illusion of participation. Traditionally,
adaptations have been treated as merely a migration of finished content into a medium other than
the medium of the first creation. 5 However, when one ponders the effects of an ongoing
adaptation, that is an adaptation of content from an unfinished work, it becomes clear that there
is more at stake in the process that simply content migration. The status of the original
material, understood as Martins story in book-form, as unfinished makes the process of
adaptation complex. Usually, producers of adaptations would have an enclosed collection of
material to work with, and consumers would have access to this original collection as well. In
this case, source material is still being developed, and no one, except Martin, knows how the
story will ultimately turn out. This allows for two things to occur: first, it generates anxiety in
consumers about the potential for the adaptation, the show, to out-pace the production of source
material, and second, it provides consumers with a perceived potential ability to affect the
outcome of the storyline. The anxiety consumers feel about the adaptation overtaking the
Scholars have begun moving past this notion, but the question of fidelity still haunts adaptation studies. Zo
Shacklock, in her essay A Reader Lives a Thousand Lives before He Dies in Mastering the Game of Thrones:
Essays on George R. R. Martins A Song of Ice and Fire, reexamines the workings of adaptations in relation to
Game of Thrones, and suggests that scholars must now start to consider the whole network of texts that form a
narrative (276). And the essay collection, Adaptation in Contemporary Culture: Textual Infidelities, edited by
Rachel Carroll brings up the fidelity question more generally in relation to contemporary adaptation, which
demonstrates the fact that this question still looms large in the field of adaptation studies.

original provokes them into engaging with the material in a new way, a way that looks a lot
like interaction. The question on the consumers mind is no longer just one of the adaptations
fidelity to the source material, but one of whether or not they, as audiences, can influence the
development of said material. The unfinished-ness of Martins story allows the audience to
develop a perceived agency, which is central to building the illusion of participation that
characterizes, and is cultivated in, the ongoing television adaptation of Martins work. This sense
of participation is akin to consumers experience when playing a game. The game-like
experience of watching the show, which expresses the idea of media melding, is further
amplified by the shows use of interactive invitations. The audience of this ongoing adaptation
are given access to a new way of experiencing a television show, which is possible precisely
because of it being an unfinished work, and due to its employment of characteristics of the
interactive medium.
Therefore, the traditional view of adaptation (from book to film, film to game, etc.) as
information transitioning between media, which by nature are only able to provide certain
experiences, becomes outdated. Media has to be able to do more than merely depict information
in different forms according to the particular mediums strengths. Linda Hutcheon, in her book A
Theory of Adaptation, outlines the process of adaptation, and makes the argument that fidelity to
the original should not be our concern, instead we should focus on the experience of
adaptation, and the effects of this experience (Hutcheon 7). So far so good, the degree of fidelity
to the original is always a point of contention when audiences experience an adaptation, but it is
actually irrelevant to whether or not the work is successful or not, as a work in itself. Hutcheons
aversion to placing value judgments on a work based on fidelity demonstrates the necessity for a
more flexible outlook when it comes to how adaptations work or are able to work. Unfortunately,
9

Hutcheon does not extend this flexibility to her notion of the modes employed by various media
in storytelling. According to her, there are three major modes: Telling, Showing and Interactive.
In terms of George R. R. Martins work, these would correspond to respectively the novels, the
television show, and the games. It is, however, more complicated than that. The television show
does of course employ the showing mode, but, as my first chapter will illuminate, it partially
melds with the interactive mode via, among other things, the dynamic opening map sequences. I
do not suggest that HBOs Game of Thrones is equal to a video game in its level of interactive
possibility, but that the showing and interactive modes meld within the series, and that it
employs certain game-like techniques to provide an illusion of interactive possibility.
In the case of HBOs Game of Thrones, the aforementioned dual notions of immediacy
and hypermediacy work together to ensure the presence of the illusion of participation. When
viewing the HBO show, the audience is first presented with an intricate map sequence designed
to engage. While the audience is fully aware of its action of watching a show (hypermediacy), as
it would be of playing a game, it is also experiencing a sense of immersion (immediacy) through
the discovery of the world via the map. Through this initial experience of immediacy, the show
transitions from just a television show to a more immersive experience. The dynamic map
sequences of Game of Thrones activate the perceived viewer participation in the narrative and
thereby transforms the traditional showing mode of television into something more, a visual
medium that intersects with game. In approaching an understanding of the impact of HBOs
innovative show, questions regarding what or who initiated this process of media melding
whether it be a natural cultural process, or an insidious plan designed by media moguls in the
interest of financial gainbecome less fruitful than the question of what this melding of media
looks like, and what the result of such melding is.
10

Overview
Chapter one focuses narrowly on the dynamic opening map sequences that precede each
Game of Thrones episode. The central argument here is that the dynamic map expands the
traditional function of maps accompanying fantasy narratives, and that it exhibits media melding
to a degree that effects an illusion of participatory possibility that engages the viewer beyond the
level of other television shows. The map provides an entry point for the viewer that allows and
invites her to begin making sense of the depicted world, which is essential for experiencing
immersion. A close examination of the map reveals both how media meld within it, and
accentuates the necessity of re-evaluating adaptation studies.
Chapter two deals with Game of Thrones proper; the visual construction of Martins
narrative in selected episodes. This chapter claims that the media-melded map extends its reach
into the episodes themselves, and that the construction of the episodes also demonstrates media
meldingan effect that is visible in the shows content progression, and that further emphasizes
the need for a modified approach to the study of adaptation. The invitations to participate are
strong in these episodes as well, which becomes clear through looking at how the show provokes
audiences to search for additional information outside of the show proper.
Chapter three turns the focus to the fan-presence on the internet, and examines the ways
in which fans put the participatory invitations to use. The show itself is not a space where fans
can directly impact the subject matter, but the internet seemingly provides such an opportunity.
An endless series of fan-adaptations come into existence on the web, and a culture of
participation forms there, complete with its own internal hierarchy, and emotionally heated
discussions. This section will also discuss external techniques employed by Martin, and the

11

Game of Thrones franchise, to facilitate the extension of the interactive illusion felt by the
audience, far beyond the boundaries of the show.

12

Chapter One: The Dynamic Map: Creating an Illusion of Interactivity

HBOs immensely popular transformation of George R.R. Martins A Song of Ice and
Fire novel series into the television show Game of Thrones is in the unique position of offering
an ongoing, real time adaptation to its audience. This means that the world of Westeros, and
the narrative existing in it, is not yet complete, which in turn invites the viewer to think she can
participate in the narrative. A large part of the pleasure of playing the Game of Thrones is that
the viewer can feel like she plays a part in the unfolding of the narrative. Unpacking the intrigue
and storylines in Martins world functions as a kind of game to the viewer, which is in part made
possible by the nature of transmedia storytelling and adaptation, and in part by the ongoing
visual construction of Martins world in the TV show. Not only does the title of the show, Game
of Thrones, invite viewers to perceive the narrative as a game, but the narrative itself also
contains game-like elements that work toward this end. The invitation to participate in the
narrative is present in the novels, in the use of point-of-view characters instead of traditional
chapter titles, but becomes much more apparent in the television adaptation, in the use of the
dynamic map sequences that open every episode. Not only are the innovative map sequences
visually appealing, intricate and ever-changing, but they also activate the perceived viewer
participation in the narrative. This chapter examines the elements of Game of Throness dynamic
map that invite audiences to engage, and illuminate how these function as a catalyst for the
illusion of viewer participation.
The map in Game of Thrones is the viewers first contact with the narrative, and it is
therefore imperative, for the process of media melding, that the game elements or invitation to
participate is present at this stage. The map, and its ludic qualities, draws the viewer in, and

13

intrigues her to the point of her engaging with the show and returning for more. The choice to
begin each show with a map sequence seems to deliberately work toward building an illusion of
participation for the viewer. The first step in building this illusion consists of a transformation of
the maps contained in the written work, which are static by nature, into a map that will engage
television viewers. Instead of merely projecting the static map onto the screen, which would have
been less effective in terms of engaging the audience, a choice was made to expand the function
of the map by making it dynamic.

Moving from the Flat Map to the Dynamic

The traditional role of a map as an orientation aid for readers of fantasy has been
examined in detail, but the definition of the function of flat maps is insufficient when speaking of
HBOs dynamic map. According to J. R. R. Tolkiens On Fairy Stories, the primary and most
essential attribute of a successful work of fantasy is its ability to inspire Secondary Belief,
which is to say that the fantasy must be believable within its own framework for the reader to
become invested in it (Tolkien 49). One way of obtaining this Secondary Belief is to provide a
map of the fantasy world to aid the reader. In his book Here Be Dragons: Exploring Fantasy
Maps and Settings, Stefan Ekman outlines the function of flat maps as being authenticating
devices (14) and communicative devices (15), in other words, maps situate the reader within
the narrative, and also gives the reader information about the narrative 6. Ekman goes on to
explain how one can analyze a fantasy map according to the notions of the map as paratext and

Whether or not this information, in the case of Game of Thrones, will ultimately turn out to be reliable is unknown
at present. It is not unthinkable that the dynamic map may be misrepresenting some aspect of the narrative, after all
Martins narrator in the novels has proved unreliable before. For a discussion on the unreliability of information in A
Song of Ice and Fire, see Marc Napolitanos essay (35-55) in Mastering the Game of Thrones: Essays on George R.
R. Martins A Song of Ice and Fire.
6

14

the map as doceme. As paratext, the map is an extension of the text it accompanies, but also
separate from the narrative, and as doceme the map is an identifiable part of the text, which
nevertheless cannot be extracted from the narrative (20-21). Ekman suggests that the two
perspectives are not mutually exclusive but relate the map differently to the text (22). These
approaches are both very helpful for looking at flat maps, but the dynamic HBO map transcends
the first of these definitions. The animated map is not merely an extension of the text, although it
does extend it, and it is also not separate from the narrative, but an important participant in it.
The map sequence cannot therefore be looked at in isolation, but must be treated as part of the
narrative. Additionally, the dynamic map expands its function even further by simultaneously
filling the role of a narrator 7 and by drawing in the viewer and letting him take part in this
narrative role.
The main reason why the dynamic map is able to expand its function lies in its move
from the written medium to the visual, the very process of adaptation that usually garners heavy
criticism. Linda Hutcheon states in A Theory of Adaptation that a move from the mode of
telling to the mode of showing causes the viewer to be caught in an unrelenting, forwarddriving story (23), which sounds like a negative consequence of the move, but is essentially just
an aspect of the change in media, which does not warrant any value judgment. Hutcheon also
asserts that each mode, like each medium, has its own specificity, if not its own essence (24),
which further cements the idea that one is not superior to the other, only different. It is this shift

The knowledge that this map narrator provides does not readily correspond to any one characters knowledge of
the world within the show. Further study should be undertaken to uncover the exact nature of this narrator. For this
project, it is of no consequence whether there exists any character within the narrative that possesses all the
knowledge of the map, and indeed it is unlikely that a dynamic map, complete with moving parts, would be
imagined by a character within the narrative. Rather the map seems to be the imaginings of the title sequence
creators, which would still be a worthy object of study.
7

15

in media that allows the dynamic map to come into existence, and that permits the expansion of
function, which has a powerful effect on the viewer. To fully understand this effect, it is
necessary to examine the dynamic map in three stages that invite a sense of participation: first as
an orienting device, then as an effective point of entry for the viewer that makes her a part of the
narrative, and ultimately as a narrator of the past, as well as current and future events within the
heterocosm.

Dynamic Map Functions

Mirroring the function of a traditional flat map, the dynamic map also serves to orient the
viewer, but it does so in a manner that focuses on the viewers participatory role. In his book
Building Imaginary Worlds: The Theory and History of Subcreation, Mark J. P. Wolf states that
secondary world infrastructures help to suggest a larger world beyond the incomplete material
available to an audience, by organizing it into shapes that can be extended by the imagination
(197). Flat maps do this by showing the limits of the world, i.e. the maps boundaries, and by
providing a compass on the map, which makes the reader observe the boundaries in each of the
four directions. The dynamic map, however, is able to extend this experience by providing the
reader with a seemingly endless world located on the inside of a sphere. The choice of a
spherical shape for the world naturally makes any boundaries somewhat more fluid and gives the
viewer a sense that he has much yet to discover in this world (Apelo). The addition of an
astrolabe, the star with moving bands of metal surrounding it, as the center focus of the dynamic
map, serves the same purpose as the compass of the flat maps, except it adds another dimension
to it. According to Severus Sebohkt in Description of the Astrolabe, an astrolabe is a skillfully
constructed instrument, by the aid of which are determined the stars, the hours, the risings (of

16

heavenly bodies), the tropical zones, in a word, the double movement of the celestial sphere, i. e.
longitude and latitude, and the change of climes (Sebohkt Part I). Clearly much information can
be gleaned from the use of this navigational instrument, much more than what a compass can
provide. Unlike the compass, which points to the north without human interference, the astrolabe
requires an agent to aim it in the right direction. The use of this instrument in the dynamic map
sequence is therefore signaling to the viewer that she is a participant in the narrative.
The Map and its Kinship to Game
The signaling of agency within the narrative is similar to what a player experiences when
interacting with a map in online fantasy games or Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing
Games, known as mmorpgs. In an interview with map sequence creator Angus Wall from Elastic
production studio, conducted by Ian Albinson for Art of the Title, Wall explains the impetus
behind the choice of making a dynamic map sequence to introduce the show: the whole idea
was to make it feel real (Albinson). The feeling of being confronted with something realor
in other words, the sense of immediacyis what prompts the viewer to engage with the show,
and is also the basis of its kinship with online fantasy games.
The bands of the astrolabe, together with the turning cogs, and their sigil center points,
add additional ludic functions to the dynamic map. The bands add historical information about
the warring houses, which aids in immersing the viewer in the fantastic world, much like the way
world lore is added to fantasy mmorpgs. Angus Wall, states that
We show three close-ups of those bands that tell the pre-history of the world in reliefsculpture form. They tell about dragons attacking Westeros. They tell about how the
different houses on Westeros got together and defeated those dragons, and how those
houses, represented by their respective animals, bowed in allegiance to the Baretheon
stag. (Albinson)
17

Including world-lore in the map sequences, invites the viewer to pay close attention to the
machinations behind the war for the Iron Throne. The turning cogs emphasize the presence of
intrigue orchestrated by each warring house, and the addition of center points depicting the sigils
of each house allow the viewer to keep track of each major player in the Game of Thrones. The
heraldic symbols, or sigils, are placed in the home city, or castle, of each of the major houses. On
the map, these sigils serve as signposts for the viewerreference points that the viewer consults
as she is guided in her exploration of the map. When previously unknown areas are added to the
map, the viewer orients herself by referring to their positions relative to that of the well-known
sigils. The sigils can therefore be said to be akin to the concept of hubs, or home cities, in online
fantasy games.
HBOs dynamic map functions, in many ways, as maps do in online fantasy video games,
which further strengthens the illusion of participation. Consider the maps of two highly popular
mmorpgs, namely Elder Scrolls Online the latest development of the game series that includes
Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrimpublished by Bethesda Softworks, and World of Warcraft
created and published by Blizzard Entertainment. In Elder Scrolls Online, after the player has
gone through a tutorial that introduces her to game play, and the use of the map, the map of the
game world is accessible from a button on the players interface. The map opens up to a full
screen and the player is able to navigate the world based on the map. Not all of the map is
immediately visible. Aside from central transportation hubsnodes that the player is able to
teleport her avatar tothe map is covered in what appears to be fog. As the player explores the
world by moving her avatar through different areas, the fog lifts to reveal these areas on the map.
As the player gains experience through the completion of quests, she is able to access an everincreasing part of the map. In World of Warcraft, just as in Elder Scrolls, the player is introduced
18

to the map in a tutorial session, and once the actual game play starts, the map is initially covered
in fog. Only the players starting area, as well as main transportation hubs that double as the
warring factions home cities, are visible on the map. As the player physically moves her avatar
through areas in the world, more and more of the map becomes visible. To further encourage
players to explore the game world, Blizzard has even added an in-game achievement, which
rewards the player when she has discovered all areas of the map. The process of discovery and
exploration, as represented by the maps, is therefore shown to be integral to the experience of an
mmorpg.
In the Game of Thrones title sequence, the map takes on this same function. The viewer is
given a tutorial, or introduction to the areas of the world that are significant to the episode about
to unfold. The astrolabe, guided by a stand-in agent for the viewer, determines the direction of
travel. The movement of the camera across the map functions as the viewers eye. The sigils, or
heraldic symbols, serve as hubs, and like in mmorpgs, hubs are places well-known to the player,
places that you can return to without exertion. As new areas on the title sequence map are
revealed, the viewer gains more experience and knowledge, and therefore becomes more deeply
invested in the unfolding narrative.
Camera Movements and the Viewers Eye
The choice of camera movement in the map sequences also serves to engage the viewer
in the narrative, as an active observer. According to Wolf, a visualization not only depicts
events, but necessarily does so from a particular vantage point, which means that point of view
and composition can be used to further comment on the scene, enhance aspects of it, and suggest
a certain attitude to what is portrayed (253). The birds eye vantage point of the camera in these

19

sequences, not only allows the viewer to gain perspective on the geography of the world, but also
invites her to personally engage with the narrative depicted on the map. In a couple of instances
the bands of the astrolabe flash in front of the camera, an action reminiscent of a blinking eye.
Indeed all the movements of the camera brings the image of an eye to mind, due to its rapidly
changing perspectives and sweeping movements across the map. The viewers eye, moving with
the camera, becomes an extension of the camera, effectively making the viewer a point of view
participant in the narrative, and the viewer therefore feels a sense of personal presence within it.
For readers of the book series, this personal presence, as an active observer, echoes the
organization of Martins chapters according to various point of view characters, adding a deeper
level of engagement in the show for this fan group, without making this aspect necessary
knowledge for all viewers.
The Map as Narrator
The show is very forgiving of viewers without previous knowledge of the history of the
heterocosm, undoubtedly due to wanting more than just the book fans to watch the show, and the
map sequences therefore include a visual narration of this history, making the map a space where
narrative is also written. 8 In both aforementioned maps sequences, three bands of the astrolabe
are shown, which together form an overview of the history of the conflict surrounding the Iron
Throne of Westeros. The history reminder comes in the form of etched scenes of conflict among
the rivalling houses, represented by their sigils. The viewer notices the image of a dragon next to
a scene of a city in flames. The dragon represents House Targaryen, the former rulers, who laid

In chapter three, a discussion of the knowing audience vs. the unknowing audience will demonstrate that the fanculture that surrounds the concept online is sometimes significantly less forgiving.

20

waste to the countryside using dragonfire. The second band shows a fallen dragon (Targaryens)
who is under attack. A direwolf is biting its throat (Starks), a lion is clawing its back (Lannisters)
and a crowned stag (Baratheons) is about to ram the dragon with its antlers. This represents the
course of the initial battle for the Iron Throne. The Starks attacked the Targaryens head on, the
Lannisters killed the Targaryen king with a sword to the back, and the Baratheons delivered the
final blow to the House Targaryen by entering the battle late, with fresh armies. The third band
shows a scene where the crowned stag stands triumphantly in the center, and there is a lion
sitting in front of it. This scene signals that the current ruler is a Baratheon in close relationship
with the Lannisters. These historical scenes are shown in the opening sequence of every episode
of the series, which not only emphasizes the importance of this history and its bearing on the
current conflict, but also serves as an entry point for new or returning viewers. The presence of
the etched historical scenes emphasize the fact that the dynamic map does much more than
merely depict the geography of the heterocosm, it adds narrative to it.
Another interesting function of the animated map is that it signals the current events
about to take place in the main narrative, thereby participating in the narrative itself. It does this
by guiding the viewer on a tour of the locations of action featured in the current episode. The fact
that the progression of the shows plotlines are inscribed on the map tells us that the map is,
partially, fulfilling a narrators role, in the sense that narrative is written on the maps surface.
The shows credits are literally written across the map as the sequence progresses, which has the
effect of merging the notions of hypermediacy and immediacy. They exist simultaneously.
Scrolling text lets the viewer know that the show is written/created by David Benioff and D. B.
Weiss, and that Martin is the co executive producer. Viewers are further reminded of the
status of the show as adaptation via the inscription Based on A Song of Ice and Fire by George
21

R. R. Martin appearing over the top of each map sequence. There is also writing on the map
itself, for example: the Wall, Kings Landing, and other location names. All this writing calls
attention to the medium and expresses the notion of the ever-present hypermediacy. In
conjunction with this, and in some ways counteracting it, the astrolabe (serving partially as the
eye of the viewer), and the illusion that the viewer operates the navigational instrument still
remain as part of the ludic invitations of the map. In order to appreciate the extent of the maps
interaction with the narrative, it is necessary to examine two map sequences in detail.

Specific sequences
For the purpose of further illustrating the interactive elements of the map sequences that
are the initial point of contact with the show, I have chosen to utilize sequences from two of the
most emotionally resonant episodes released to date. The episodes in question are: Baelor,
season one episode nine, in which Ned Stark, the head of House Stark until now styled as a main
character, loses his head, and The Rains of Castamere (a.k.a The Red Wedding), season three
episode nine, in which other prominent Starks are viciously attacked in a most underhanded way.
The reason for choosing these two episodesemotional resonancewill be further expounded
upon in a subsequent chapter, where I will examine the emotional investments of viewers in this
show. For now, these particular episodes merely serve to provide two distinct map sequences that
demonstrate invitations to participate (as do all the sequences) and change (which has been less
dramatic before these episodes).

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Baelor
In Baelor, the camera starts with a birds eye view of the map of Westeros, which
reminds the viewer of the landscapes of the main continent. From this angle, the view of the map
is equivalent to the flat maps of the books. The camera then zooms in on the capitol, Kings
Landing. Here the viewer notices a mechanical cog, bearing the sigil of House Baratheon and
current rulers of the Iron Throne, turning and causing others to turn as well. This view of Kings
Landing is present in all iterations of the dynamic map, likely due to the citys status as seat of
the ruling House of Westeros, and its resulting status as the starting point of most of the intrigues
plaguing Martins world. After witnessing the building of the capitol rise from the ground, the
camera moves to The Twins, which is the seat of Walder Frey, and the only viable crossing
over the river for the army of Robb Stark, the contender to the Iron Throne from the north. Cogs
are turning there as well, and are facilitating the formation of a bridge across the water an
integral plot point. The fact that the camera lingers on The Twins at this early stage in the
shows plot advancement, signals to the reader that it will become a place of immense import.
The camera then moves to Winterfell, the castle belonging to House Stark, and shows a cog with
the Stark sigil of the Direwolf turning there. The camera returns to the astrolabe, and the bands
of metal with history inscribed on them, which reminds the viewers of the role of House Stark in
the narrative. The camera proceeds to move from Winterfell to the Wall. A cog is turning there,
but no sigil is present due to the fact that the men manning the Wall do not belong to a single
House, but are comprised of men from all regions of Westeros. From the Wall, the camera
zooms out, backwards (as if retreating for a comprehensive view), and while it does so, there is a
repetition of the blinking of the eye (two blinks as in the beginning). The camera pans south over

23

the continent of Westeros, back to Kings Landing. This movement allows the viewer to reorient
herself and get her bearings in relation to the well-known landmarks. This recalibration also
prepares the viewer to notice and ponder the following frames. The camera proceeds east to Vaes
Dothrak in the far-away continent of Essos. This is the location of Daenerys Targaryen, the main
contender to the Iron Throne. The viewer is able to track Daeneryss movement toward Westeros
via the map, and is consistently made aware of her progress towards the end of each map
sequence. The angle of the camera is here turned on its side, which makes it difficult for the
viewer to discern the inscribed place names on this continentthis has the effect of disorienting
the viewer and forcing her to physically tilt her head to the left in order to follow the movement
and read landmark names. The camera then returns to the metal bands of history and the Game of
Thrones logo enters, ending the map sequence. Through this sequence, viewers are reminded of
the importance of the capitol in deciding Ned Starks fate, given a clue to the significance of
The Twins, and made aware of Daenerys movement toward Westeros, all of which is inscribed
on the map. Much information is imparted via the map, before the show proper has begun, and
the viewer has even been made to physically move, which engages her with the map
kinesthetically.
The Rains of Castamere
In The Rains of Castamere, the camera begins at Kings Landing, as it does in all
previous sequences. It then moves east to Dragonstone, which is a new location of action, and
therefore represents a newly uncovered section of the map. Dragonstone is the seat of Stannis
Baratheon, brother to the late King Robert and yet another contender to the throne. Then the
camera moves to The Twins, the area that was also seen in the previous sequence, but now

24

holds more emotional resonance, since the viewers know its import to the advancement of Robb
Starks army. As before, the camera proceeds to Winterfell, the castle still bears the sigil of House
Stark, but the building appears in disrepair, which is due to it being badly damaged during a
previous episode. Winterfell is now burnt to the ground and the sigil depicted as still smoking.
The map is hereby demonstrated to be inextricably linked to the narrative. If something is
damaged or destroyed in the narrative, it is also damaged or destroyed on the map. The sigil is
still there and the cog is still turning though, which lets the viewer know that House Stark
continues to play an important role in the narrative. The movement from the twins to burning
Winterfell hints at the direct implication of the twins in the fall of House Stark, which can be
seen as a foreshadowing of this episodes tragic events. The camera returns to the astrolabe, and
moves toward the Wall. As seen in Baelor, the camera then zooms out to a full map view, the
astrolabe blinks twice, and the metal bands are visible again letting the viewer resituate herself.
The camera proceeds east over the shimmering sea to Yunkai, on the coast of Essos directly
across the sea from the Southern part of Westeros, which is the new location of Daenerys
Targaryen and her army. As before, the angle of the camera is turned on its side when it moves
across the sea. 9 The camera returns to the bands, reminding the viewers once more of the long
history of war in Westeros. Immediately after this, the Game of Thrones logo enters and the map
sequence transitions into the show proper.

The fact that the audiences view of the eastern continent is consistently obscured by the camera angle is
significant in more ways than those mentioned previously. The eastern continent is home to, arguably, the most
legitimate contender to the Iron Throne, and therefore inherently represents an alternate world view, which could be
one reason behind the change in perspective via the camera. Furthermore, Essos is less thoroughly explored by the
inhabitants of Westeros from whose perspective the story is largely told. This change in angle warrants further
inquiry that lies beyond the scope of the present project.

25

The changes in the dynamic map from episode to episode are significant, as are the things
that do not change. 10 The locations that remain unchanged have either survived battles intact, or
they have not yet been exposed to the war. The previously known location, i.e. Winterfell, which
has changed in appearance has entered the war, but has not yet lost, which is signaled by the sigil
still being present and turning the cogs. The addition of new locations signal to the viewer that
important action will take place there soon. Similar to the notion of the books point of view
characters echoing through the camera work, some of the additions to the map will only resonate
with book fans. As demonstrated, the changing nature of the animated map provides a window
into the inner workings of the narrative, and becomes part of said narrative by relaying
information the viewer might not yet have, which either brings the viewer up to date or,
especially in the case of book fans, foreshadows new plot twists.
The areas of the map that remain unknown to the audience are also significant in that they
serve to provoke imaginative contemplation of what is yet to be discovered. To the west and the
south, the boundaries of the dynamic map are met by ocean, and what lies beyond is wide open
to interpretation, but to the east and north the landmasses of, respectively, Essos and Westeros
reach the maps edges. What may be found in Essos, being a largely unknown continent aside
from the areas uncovered by Daeneryss journey, is difficult for the audience to imagine, beyond
perhaps a sense that the Dothraki hordes may roam there too. The northern border of Westeros,
however, is a space subject to endless speculation. The northernmost named place in Westeros is
the Wall, the place where the Nights Watch stands guard for the seven kingdoms. And while a
small section of land stretching beyond the Wall is visible on the map, it lacks distinguishing

10
For a comprehensive look at the dynamic map changes across the available four seasons of the show, see the
appendix.

26

features. It appears an icy wilderness. Referencing a flat fantasy map, Ekman suggests that the
naming of boundaries are meant to reflect the difficulty in traversing them (Ekman 28). This idea
fits in the case of the dynamic map, as well as the flat map of Martins books. The act of naming
the boundary the Wall does carry with it an expectation of impassibility. However, viewers
know that this is not the case. Members of the Nights Watch and of the wildling bands have
both crossed the Wall at various times, and there is even a tunnel below it that allows passage as
well. Nevertheless, viewers also know that crossing the Wall is indicative of grave danger for the
ones involved. The space beyond the Wall is perilous, but it also becomes the object of much
speculation. What, and who, might one find beyond the Wall? In Ekmans words, one thing is
certain, even an extremely short land border still suggests that there is more to the world than
this (Ekman 28-29). This augments the illusion of interactivity, because the viewer is left with a
sense that the unknown areas are just waiting to be mapped out, and the viewer may be the one to
do it.
The dynamic map thus adds several layers to the narrative of the show, layers that are
made possible by the intersection of media. The map orients and engages the viewer; it even
goes as far as including the viewer as part of the narrative. The dynamic map also becomes a
narrator of history as well as of current or upcoming events in Martins heterocosm. The kinship
of this map to those commonly found in mmorpgs extends another invitation to the audience, one
that focuses on an implied ability to explore the world further. Even the boundaries of the
dynamic map serve to engage the audience in exercising the imagination, and engaging in a
mental game of figuring out the story-world. The animated map has fully integrated itself into
the narrative, and is working to integrate the viewer as wellthrough its elements that invite
participation, and through taking on the roles of orienting device (reminiscent of those devices
27

found in fantasy mmorpgs), and narrator of events (past, present, and future). Through filling
these different roles, the map has enabled the viewer to feel as if she takes part in the intrigue
surrounding the Game of Thrones.
The necessity of re-evaluating adaptation studies becomes clear after observing the
illusion of interactivity present in the dynamic map. Within the map, Hutcheons three modes of
storytelling merge into a new and exciting object of media and adaptation studies. The telling
mode, traditionally reserved to works of literature plays a small, but important, role in the
function of the map. It is responsible for the inscription of place names on the map, as well as
serving to call attention to its hypermediated nature. The interactive mode, usually reserved for
games, integrates itself into the showing mode of television and film as well, through the
invitations extended by the map. In this instance, the television medium has succeeded in
transcending the borders formerly imposed on it by the rigidity of scholarship, and therefore
warrants further investigation. In the interest of learning more about the effect of media melding
on the audience of Game of Thrones, I will now take a look at the construction of the narrative of
the show properwhere the invitations of the map continue to affect the audience.

28

Chapter Two: The Show: Extending the Function of the Dynamic Map
The dynamic media-melded map is deeply integrated within the narrative of Game of
Thrones, and can, as a result, not be considered fully separate from the show proper. Just as the
map constantly references narrative development and works to orient the viewer, so does the
show continuously reference the map. The result of this interplay is that the show, like the map,
also exhibits signs of media melding, especially in the sense of extending invitations for the
audience to participate. The show extends these invitations partly by integrating the map, and
partly by offering limited information and character development, which in turn encourages
viewers to look beyond the show for additional information. Simple viewing of Game of Thrones
does not allow the viewer to fully comprehend the intrigues of the narrative, and engaging with
the larger franchise becomes necessary. By observing how the map is built into the show, and
how the show extends its participatory invitations, it becomes clear that the melding of media is
not only taking place, but that it is an essential part of Game of Throness success.

Map Integration
The dynamic media-melded map extends its reach into the television show in several
ways. The show is visually structured in such a way that always reminds viewers of the
information, especially about locations and their relative position, which was revealed by the
dynamic map. The show reinforces the maps invitations for audience interaction by visually
mirroring the construction of the map in the structure of the show. The show repeats the same
invitations the map sent out and this results in amplifying their impact on the viewers. The map,
as established previously, exists in part to orient the viewer geographically, in part to depict the

29

interrelation between the Houses and locations on the map. This orienting mission continues
within the show.
Locations
The dynamic maps depiction of locations of action are mirrored in the depiction of
locations within the show. The locations where action takes place in the show are, by nature of
being geographical locations, naturally closely connected to the map, and the maps visual
representation of these locations are replicated, to an extent, within the show. The locations
depicted in the show, while being more detailed than their counterparts on the map, exhibit the
same physical features as they do on the map. Kings Landing on the map closely resembles
Kings Landing in the show, and the same is true for each subsequent location, therefore the
story-worlds cities and landscapes seem familiar to the audience when they appear in the show.
The audience has already seen these locations on the map, and recognize them as they appear in
the show. The show relies extensively on this connection with the map, and seems to consciously
emphasize the interplay between them. This is evident in the shows use of camera angles, and
panorama shots of landscapes and locations that closely resemble the angles and shots used in
the map sequences when depicting the same geographical spaces. In this way, Game of Thrones
keeps building on the narrative present in the map, and becomes an extension of the maps
media-melded space.
The integration of the dynamic maps information, allows the show to utilize the showing
and interactive modes, while retaining some effects of the telling mode. The telling mode that
provided viewers the names of locations on the map is no longer necessary to employ, because
the map already presented this information. By mirroring the appearance of locations from the

30

map, the show is able to remind viewers of location names without repeating the naming process
with written words. The existence of the introductory map sequences, and their integration into
the show, allows Game of Thrones to gain the advantages of a written naming process without
having to actually use text to do it. Because of the dynamic map, the show does not need to
superimpose writing over a given location to name it, unlike other popular shows. For example,
The X-files would introduce an image of Quantico, by having the words FBI headquarters,
Quantico, Virginia inscribed over the image, and this naming process would be repeated in
every episode to orient the viewer. Game of Thrones has no need for the aid of the written word
in orienting the viewer, because this has already happened on the media-melded map. Within the
show, viewers immediately recognize locations by their visual appearance because the map has
already visually constructed, and named, the locations for them.
Orienting the viewer, both in terms of locations and characters is a constant concern of
the show, and to make sense of the story-world, with its hundreds of characters, viewers need
extensive reminders. By mirroring the maps construction within the show, viewers are more
easily able to follow the story in terms of where the action takes place, and locations within the
show are closely connected to the characters that inhabit them. The viewer knows that Jon Snow
belongs on the Wall, and that Tyrion Lannister belongs in Kings Landing. Characters are
therefore easily recognized as long as they remain in the locations associated with their Houses,
but recognition becomes difficult when characters start to move. To ease the recognition of
characters by the viewers, Game of Thrones borrows another technique from the dynamic map,
namely the constant use of sigils and banners.

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Sigils and Banners

The use of sigils and banners, which establishes the relationship between locations of
action and members of the noble Houses on the map, continues to play an important role in the
show. The sigils that power the cogs in the maps machinery are a constant presence within the
show, both in the form of banners, but also as information emblazoned upon characters armor or
clothing. These are especially useful orientation aids in the beginning seasons of the show.
Whenever the viewer encounters a principal character in the early episodesmost notably when
the character is away from its defining locationsigils or banners are used to enable viewers to
track the movement of characters between locations. Additionally, the sigils and banners provide
reminders regarding the identity of a given character, which are necessary for a show dealing
with such a vast inventory of characters. Sigils, banners, and emblems on clothing all extend the
orienting function of the map into the show.
Each noble House in Game of Thrones has its own heraldic symbols associated with it,
and these symbols are used extensively to aid both character recognition and narrative
immersion. From the dynamic map, the viewers are already familiar with the sigils of each
House, and which locations they belong to, and the show extends this function to involve lesser
Houses and individual characters as well. From the onset, viewers learn to pay close attentions to
sigils, because this allows for further immersion in the narrative. By recognizing heraldic
symbols, viewers are able to identify not only principal characters, but whole groups of people
associated with each noble House, which in turn allows viewers to orient themselves and feel
immersed in the narrative. In battles, the noble Houses make use of soldiers from lesser Houses
that have sworn them allegiance, and act as their banner men. These lesser Houses are difficult to

32

keep track of due to the sheer quantity of them, but heraldic symbols aid viewers in
comprehending who exactly is allied with each major House.
It is due to these symbols that viewers become aware of intricate associations between
Houses, such as that of House Stark and House Mormont. House Mormont is sworn as banner
men to House Stark, and are called to fight alongside Robb Starks army against House Lannister
in the War of the Five Kings. Therefore, House Mormonts banner, which is a black bear with an
evergreen tree, is seen several times in the show. 11 It is due to the presence of the Mormont
banner that viewers are able to realize the connection between the Starks and the Lord
Commander of the Nights Watch, Jeor Mormont, who trains one of the principal characters, Jon
Snow, for command, and gives him the sword, Longclaw. Furthermore, the viewers are made
aware of the fact that Jorah Mormont, who is protecting Daenerys Targaryen, comes from a
House sworn to the Stark family. These intricate interrelations between characters and Houses
are made visible through the use of heraldry, and allows for a much more immersive experience
for the shows viewers.
In addition to adding to the overall sense of immersion within the narrative, the use of
heraldry also allows viewers to recognize individual characters outside their usual surroundings.
Both Tyrion and Jaime Lannister are immediately recognized outside Kings Landing by their
red armor covered in images of golden lions. Robb Starks identity is signaled by the presence of
direwolf heads on the banners that accompany him, and in the case of all the Stark children, they
are also recognizable by living versions of their sigiltheir direwolf companions. Even some

11
House Mormonts banner is visible at The Tourney of the Hand in season one, episode four, Cripples, Bastards,
and Broken Things. And again later in the Stark camp in season, one episode ten, Fire and Blood.

33

characters belonging to lesser Houses are immediately identified by their sigils; the insidious
Master of Coin, Littlefinger, is marked by his self-designed mockingbird-pin, and Sandor
Clegane, also known as the Hound, is identifiable by his hound-head helmet, even when his face
is obscured by it. The sigils and banners, although used most heavily in the early seasons, are
present throughout the shows four seasons. They serve as a much needed orientation aid for the
viewers in the early stages, and their absence at strategic times in later episodes is highly
noticeable.
The disruption that comes from removing sigils, or otherwise identifying emblems, from
principal characters aid the immersive experience instead of having the expected effect of
disturbing it. When Arya Stark is forced to chase her direwolf away, she loses part of what
identifies her to the audience. She does not travel under a banner and does not wear any heraldry
on her clothing. She even changes her name multiple times to hide her identity. The deliberate
removal of most identifying marks from Arya ought to feel disorienting to the viewer, but instead
it amplifies the nature of Aryas narrative. 12 Aryas survival in the narrative depends on her
existing in relative obscurity, she has to remain hidden. Partially hiding her identity from the
viewer has the effect of emphasizing her need to be unnoticed, and places the viewer in a similar
situation as other characters in the narrativeunable to readily place Arya.
In Tyrion Lannisters case, at the premiere of season five, his storyline also requires him
to travel without recognition, which is related to the reader by the removal of his Lannister
regalia. Prior episodes always showed Tyrion wearing some version of identifying emblem when
he was traveling away from Kings Landing, but now his clothing is plain. He is, to an extent,

12

Aryas sword, Needle, remains as an identity marker for most of the narrative so far.

34

still recognizable to other characters due to his stature, but other so-called dwarfs are present in
the story-world, which helps obscure Tyrions identity. Like Aryas, Tyrions narrative feels
more immersive to the viewer because of the removal of sigils and banners. This effect is
possible in the cases of Arya and Tyrion because their storylines turn out to require their
anonymity, but sigils and banners were still necessary to establish their identities in the viewers
minds before the story warranted the removal of identity markers. The orienting functions of the
dynamic map, and the techniques it uses to situate viewers, thus extend into the show itself, and
so does the maps invitations for viewer participation.

Structure
The interactive invitations first noticed in the media-melded map, are evident in the
overall structure of each episode of Game of Thrones. The structure of the show is an
approximation of the structure of Martins books in that the show also makes use of point-ofview characters to tell its story, but the show, by virtue of being a visual medium, is able to add a
sense of immediacy to the narrative. Furthermore, using point-of-view characters results in a
fragmented narrative that provokes audience participation beyond the show. An examination of
the point-of-view technique used in the show, along with a close look at the structure of the two
episodes utilized previously to illustrate map changes, will demonstrate how Game of Thrones
continuously invites viewers to engage with, and participate in, the narrative.
Point of View Technique
The point-of-view, PoV, technique that Martin is well-known for using in the book series,
is used in the show as well. In an interview with a representative from Amazon Books, Martin

35

explains the reason why he chose to write his narrative from a series of third person perspectives,
rather than from an omniscient narrators perspective:
there is no one possible single character that could possibly tell the entire story, he would
be experiencing part of it, but the rest of it would be occurring on a different continent or
on a different half of Westerosthe other way to go would be omniscient viewpoint
where Im just God and Im looking down at the players, but omniscient viewpoint Ive
never liked that as a readernone of us are God, when we experience life we see it
through a particular viewpointif someone was sneaking up behind you with a knife,
you wouldnt necessarily see that person, but I might, so it makes a huge difference in
whose viewpoint we tell that particular incident. Thats the way we experience life, and
thats the way we should experience fiction I believe. (Amazon Books)
The show chooses to mirror Martins storytelling technique. 13 The PoV technique has some
obvious downfalls, especially within the show due to its inability to relate the inner thoughts of
characters, the story and character development becomes fragmented through its use, and
sometimes the viewer will not see her favorite character for a long time. However, its advantages
outnumber the downfalls, especially if the goal is to invite viewers to participate.
The fragmented storytelling, which is an effect of the use of PoV characters, can be
interpreted as detrimental to character development, but for the Game of Thrones franchise it
proves to be a clear advantage. Skipping around between a multitude of PoV characters
somewhat inhibits coherent exposition of the individual characters, which results in the creation
of information gaps the viewers must fill to fully understand each character. These gaps invite
viewer participation, and are expressions of the interplay between the showing mode of
television and the interactive mode of games.

Martins experience in producing and writing for television before he wrote A Song of Ice and Fire, seems to have
influenced the way he wrote the books, and by extension how the story is told on television. For example, Martin
made extensive use of the PoV technique when he worked on Beauty and the Beast. The show follows two main
characters that live in two different worlds, above- and underground. And the show often switches between the two
viewpoints, which were tied to location as well as character.
13

36

The PoV technique, and the resulting gaps of information, is familiar to players of fantasy
mmorpgs, and alludes to the presence of interactive possibility in the show. In online fantasy
games, the player controls an avatar, which serves as the equivalent of a PoV character. The
player can only experience what the avatar experiences, and to learn any supplemental
information, aside from what is explained by quest givers or introductory cut-scenes, the player
must venture outside the game-world. Outside the game, players utilize lore-books, game guides,
and online forums to fill in the information gaps created by the limited perspective of the avatar.
Game of Thrones functions in a similar manner. The information gaps created by the use of
limited PoV perspectives, invite viewers to fill in gaps with outside information. 14 A closer look
at how particular episodes employ the participatory invitations of the map further illustrates the
melding of the showing and interactive modes of storytelling in Game of Thrones.
Baelor
The camera work, which the map establishes as an extension of the viewers eye, forges a
close relationship between the viewer and the PoV characters in the show. Baelor begins with
a reestablishment of this relationship. The opening scene of this episode is dimly lit, and the
viewer has to squint to see what is there. As the viewer is struggling to gain a clear view of the
scene, the camera zooms in on Ned Starks squinting eye. The viewer and Ned Stark are both
only able to see their surroundings when Varys enters the room with a torchlight. At the
conclusion of this scene, when Varys leaves with the torch, Ned Starks cell, and the screen,
turns black. By forcing the viewer to share in Neds experience of the dark room, the show
provides an experience of immediacy that engages the viewers sensory perception, and makes

14
Chapter three focuses on the way viewers respond to the interactive invitations, by engaging with the material
online.

37

the television medium feel interactive. 15 This scene also draws attention to its own hypermediacy
by not having the viewer look through Neds eye, but look at it from an outside perspective. 16
The viewer is aware that she is watching a story play out on television, but she feels involved
nonetheless.
In Baelor, the maps orienting qualities extend into the show via directing the camera,
and by extension the viewers eye, to scenes previously depicted on the map. When the camera
cuts between PoV characters and their locations, it emphasizes features of the landscape or
characters that help reorient the viewer. From Ned Starks cell, the camera cuts to a view of a
river crossing. It is the location of the Twins, as it appeared on the map. Two identical towers
stand on either side of a bridge spanning a river. Immediately following the panoramic shot of
the crossing, the camera focuses on soldiers holding the Stark banner in the near vicinity of the
bridge. The viewer now knows, even before she sees him, that this is the location of Robb Stark
and his army. When the camera cuts to other PoV characters, similar patterns emerge. Cutting to
an image of posts and pullies in a snowy environment alerts the viewer that she will see Jon
Snow, and cutting to a desert scene lets her know that Daenerys is about to appear. The camera
constantly orients the viewer to the location of action, either via landscape features, or banners,
or both. 17

This technique of replicating the characters sensory perception in that of the viewer is repeated in several more
instances in this episode. Tyrion Lannister suffers a concussion on the battlefield, and the screen goes black as he
loses consciousness. When he awakens, the viewer is made to share in his disorientation because of the camera view
being turned upside down. Similarly, when Ned Stark is about to be beheaded, the sounds of the crowd are blocked
out in favor of Neds distressed breathing; it is all he can hear, therefore it is all the viewer can hear, and because
Arya Stark does not actually see, the beheading, the audience does not see it either.
16
This scene emphasizes hypermediacy further by having Varys detail how he grew up with actors and explain
that each man has a role to play, just like the actual actors portraying the scene.
17
The problem of orienting oneself not only affects the viewers, but also the characters within the show. For
example, Tyrion exhibits a strong desire to know the location of Robb Stark and his army. Tyrion and Tywin share a
conversation about a false report of the movement of the Stark army, wherein it is revealed that only a fraction of
15

38

The emphasis on orienting viewers through both the camera work, map locations, and
sigils again reminds viewers of an mmorpg gaming experience, and is taken further by
structuring the individual PoV narratives as a series of tests or quests. In this episode, each PoV
character faces a test of character. Maester Aemon tells Jon Snow that in every mans
lifethere comes a day where he must choose, a statement that rings true for every character in
this episode. Ned Stark must choose between honor and family, as must Jon Snow; Tyrion
Lannister must put his intellectual nature aside and prove himself in battle; Robb and Catelyn
Stark share the task of persuading Lord Frey to let them cross the bridge of the Twins, and Arya
Stark witnesses the death of her father and must choose how to proceed. Facing tests, or quests,
is simultaneously a trope of fantasy narratives in general, and reminiscent of a gaming
experience. Furthermore, the overall structure of the show is also an extension of the quest
scenario. Each individual episode features a battle as a partial completion of a larger quest, and
most episodes contain the equivalent of an mmorpg boss-fight, or battle to the death of either the
principal character or its enemy. In Baelor, Robb Stark partially completes his quest to destroy
the Lannisters by defeating their army in battle, and Ned Stark faces the Lannisters and their
henchman, and loses his final battle, or boss-fight.
Through the references to the interactive mode of games, viewers are invited to engage
with the choices the characters face. However, the fragmented narrative provides limited
information on which the viewer can base any immediate in-depth engagement, and forces her to
seek it out elsewhere. Why does Lord Frey not let the Starks cross the river, after all the Freys

Stark soldiers were defeated in the preceding battle. Tywin says, The scouts were wrong, there was 2000 Stark
banner men not 20,000 to which Tyrion replies, Did we get the Stark boy at least? Tywin answers no, and Tyrion
asks, where was he? With his other 18,000 men, says Tywin, which prompts a distressed Tyrion to ask And
where are they? Tyrion receives no answer.

39

are Stark banner men? Why did Maester Aemon join the Nights Watch, when he could have
ruled the seven kingdoms? What is Varys motivation for not freeing Ned Stark, who Varys
considers an honorable man? All these questions, and more, are unanswerable based on
information available in the show. In order to answer them, viewers must embark on a quest for
information that leads them to interact with the Game of Thrones phenomenon outside of the
show itself.
The Rains of Castamere
The techniques designed to prompt viewer participation present in Baelor are repeated
in The Rains of Castamere, and additional techniques with the same aim are added as well that
further cement the connection between the maps invitations to interact, and those of the show
itself. The connection between what the viewers can see, and what the PoV character can see is
still there, but this episode plays with the idea of disrupting the PoV. When the PoV character,
Bran Stark, in his capacity as a warg transports his consciousness into that of his direwolf
companion, the PoV that viewers have come to expect is disrupted. The camera bounces between
Bran, whose eyes have turned white in a visual representation of his altered consciousness, and
the direwolf who can see things that Bran as a person cannot. The result is as disorienting to the
viewer as it is to the character, and makes the viewer want to find out more about the wargs
abilities. The disruptive effect on the PoV increases when another PoV character, Jon Snow, is
introduced to this same scene. The show erases the formerly clear delineation of PoVs here by no
longer emphasizing transitions between them. The camera, and the viewers eye, rapidly skips
from Bran, to his direwolf, to Jon Snow, who is battling a wildling warg who also projects his
consciousness into a bird of prey that attacks Jon. Through the disruption of the PoV, the scene

40

becomes chaotic for both the viewer and the characters in the show, and thereby enhances viewer
immersion.
The feeling of immersion that viewers experience through the PoV technique also
becomes amplified in the shows use of aural clues. When Catelyn discovers the presence of
chain mail under Roose Boltons shirt, the viewer shares in her realization that something awful
is about to happen. 18 And when the song, Rains of Castamere, begins to play at the wedding, the
viewer shares in the aural clue received by Catelyn, which foreshadows the imminent
bloodbath. 19 Viewers who have not read the books, might miss the magnitude of this aural clue,
due to the fact that this particular version of the song is purely instrumental. However, were the
viewers to react to the invitations to participate in this instance, they would look up the song
online and find that the lyrics detail the fate of a House, who dared oppose the Lannisters. The
addition of this aural clue adds another level to the narrative, which the viewer is prompted to
discover by going beyond the confines of the show itself.
The orienting function central to the map is also utilized in this episode, but an additional
layer is added to this technique that promotes further interaction with the narrative. As in
Baelor, the show constantly makes the viewers aware of the location of places of action as well
as the characters involved. When a desert scene appears, and an image of a huge harpy statue
appears, the viewer knows that this is the city of Yunkai, which Daenerys Targaryen is about to

The link between the sensory perception of characters and that of the viewer is again repeated multiple times:
When Catelyn throat is slit, the screen fades to black, and the viewer can no longer either see or hear anything, and
when Bran Stark, the warg, enters the consciousness of his direwolf, the camera bounces between the two signaling
Brans dual presence in the scene.
19
The song, which lends its name to the title of this episode, is an aural clue that refers to the utter destruction of
House Reyne at the hands of Tywin Lannister and his men. Whenever this song is heard, it signals to both the
viewer and characters in the show that something terrible, and likely bloody, is about to happen. In this case, it
carries the additional information that the Lannisters are behind the underhanded attack on the Starks.
18

41

attack. The show remains deeply concerned with situating the viewer, but expresses that concern
for its principal characters in this episode also. In two separate scenes of this episode, characters
are depicted as consulting maps. The first occurs when Robb and Catelyn are planning the
movements of the Stark army. The characters are seen interacting with the map, which
incidentally comes equipped with moving chess-like pieces that resemble the sigils of the
warring Houses. The characters place the pieces in different formations and ponder the outcome
of the inevitable battle with House Lannister. The characters need to situate themselves properly,
if they wish to win. The second takes place in Daenerys camp outside Yunkai, as she waits to
see if her men successfully conquered the city. In both these instances, the characters are using
maps to situate themselves in relation to their enemies, and to ponder the outcomes of battles, or
plotlines, about to unfold. As the viewer consult the dynamic map to orient herself, so does the
characters consult an extension of that map for similar reasons. By sharing additional parts of the
characters experience, the viewers sense of narrative immersion is enhanced.
The dynamic maps concern with depicting history is also extended and amplified in this
episode, but again limited information is given, and the viewer must supplement the information
from outside sources. Samwell Tarly, a brother of the Nights Watch who at this point in the
series has become a PoV character, relates the history of two Nights Watch strongholds to
another character, Gilly. Gilly is impressed by Samwells knowledge, and asks how he came by
it. Samwell answer that he read about it in a very old book, which invites the viewer to equally
gain more information by engaging in reading. Bran also relates some history about the land in
which his party is hiding at the time: Bran the Builder gave this land to the Nights Watch for
its sustenance and support, Maester Luwin taught me that, which places emphasis on the fact
that history must be learnt from others, and in turn encourages viewers to seek out sources of
42

story-world history to better understand the characters. Interestingly, this scene also carries an
implicit warning to the viewer about the unreliability of certain sources. Rickon, Brans younger
brother, is terrified of the wildling presence in the land, because he has been told by the Stark
family nanny, Old Nan, that wildlings turn your skull into a cup and make you drink your own
blood from it. As this is revealed to, literally, be an old wives tale, the viewer is subtly warned
to not believe the validity of every source of historical information she might encounter outside
the show.

Viewer Participation
Game of Thrones is full of participatory invitations, and almost all of them require the
viewer to seek information outside the show, which simultaneously increases the senses of
immediacy and hypermediacy as felt by the viewer. These dual concepts work together to create
a feeling of interactive possibility, and ensure that the viewer will engage with the larger Game
of Thrones franchise outside of the show proper. The interactive possibility exists as a result of
the media-melded map and its participatory invitations that permeate the show as well. It is clear
that the show incites a desire to further engage with the story-world, but the show now faces the
challenge of facilitating viewer interaction in a way that benefits the franchise financially. HBO
attempts, with varying success, to do this via controlling access to viewing the show itself, and
by providing a multitude of officially endorsed material for viewer consumption via extensive
brand extension.
Access to watching the show
When the show first aired, HBO tried to control viewer access to the show by only
making it available through the HBO cable service, but this strategy has proved ineffective. The

43

highly successful marketing plan of the franchise somewhat failed in this area. Instead of the
restricted access resulting in increasing the number of HBO subscriptions, it resulted in a surge
in illegal downloads. Game of Thrones has often been called the most pirated show in existence,
and it gained this questionable honor, not because people are necessarily opposed to paying for
access, but because gaining legal access was made difficult, if not impossible, for a large portion
of the fan-base. Not everyone has, or are able to gain, access to cable television, either due to
financial restraints, or due to restrictions on the cable television packages offered where they
live. In our digital age, many consumers also choose not to have cable television in their homes,
but rely on streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime for their television
entertainment. 20 Streaming services are much cheaper to access than cable television, and a large
number of consumers simply do not have the financial opportunity to subscribe to HBO cable. 21
The financial factor, combined with the general availability of HBO services, especially in
countries other than the U. S., causes viewers to resort to illegal means of viewing the show,
damaging HBO profits in the process.
HBO has pursued various avenues for mitigating this problem, but has so far not been
able to offer services that significantly reduce the pursuit of illegal access for viewers. In 2010,
HBO launched its own online streaming service called HBO GO (Cnet), but the problem was
that consumers still had to have a subscription to HBO cable in order to be able to purchase
streaming capabilities. Essentially, services were just upgraded for already existing subscribers,
Matthew Inmans popular webcomic, The Oatmeal, has released a humourous, and truthful, depiction of the
process of gaining access to the show that details some reasons behind why fans resort to illegal downloads (Inman).
21
According to DirecTV, the regular pricing for a cable package including HBO is $59.99 per month plus fees, with
a minimum contract requirement of 24 months (DirecTV). In contrast, a basic Netflix package costs $7.99 per
month (Netflixreview), basic Hulu access costs $ 7.99 per month as well, and access to Amazon Prime costs $99 per
year, which equates to $8.25 per month and comes with free two day shipping and access to an ebook library
(Amazon).
20

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so the access problem persisted. The Verge, an online magazine, reports that this year, coinciding
with the Game of Thrones season five premiere, HBO yielded to fan demands, as well as the
interest of their pocket books and launched a stand-alone streaming service called HBO NOW.
The Verge states that the new service looks to have performed admirably on opening night,
streaming the show alongside its 9PM TV premiere, which seems like good news for both the
consumers, and HBOs profit margins. However, the new service is currently only available if
you sign up through an Apple device, and legal access remains a problem for viewers without
Apple products (McCormick).
Other avenues for watching the show do exist, but they are limited to showing past
seasons of the show, and the online community of illegal content sharing keeps growing as a
result. Patient viewers can watch past seasons of the show legally by either purchasing the dvds
as they are released, or by purchasing whole seasons via Amazon Prime or iTunes. The problem
is that most fans are not patient. Fans demand access to new content as soon as it is released, and
they will get it by any means necessary. The fact that fans illegally download the show to such a
large extent is a testament to the popularity of Game of Thrones, and the illegal circulation of
content has undoubtedly also increased the shows fan base. In an interview at the Oxford Union,
show creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss are asked about the piracy issue and remark:
Weiss:

It is a difficult question because obviously you are working very hard on

something that costs lots of money to do and if it doesnt make the money
back, then it ceases to exist and on the other hand, the fact that so many
people want it so badly that they cant wait to get their hands on it, its a
mixed feeling, ambivalent.

Benioff:

We just shot in Spain and apparently the show is more popular in Spain
than anywhere else in the world, and I think thats directly because of
piracywhen we first went there to scoutwe were meeting all these
people that had watched the show, but it hadnt actually aired there so

45

ofcourse they were all watching it illegally on the internet and the show
became more and more popular, and now people are watching it legally
and people are buying the dvds, so I think eventually HBO gets their
money, but the main thing is the show has become a phenomenon there,
which is incredible for us, and gratifying, and you know if it got there by
unorthodox means, mainly Im just glad that people are watching it.
(Oxford Union)
Fans are hooked, I would argue because of the interactive invitations embedded in the show, and
they demand to be able to participate in the Game of Thrones phenomenon. If HBO loses money
on the fact that people access the show illegally, they have the potential to make that money back
manifold, by catering to the audiences cultural need to participate. And HBO does cater to this
need, via prolific brand extension.

Brand Extension: Official

The Game of Thrones brand is highly successful, and prolific, and its success is largely
due to the visceral need to gain more knowledge of the story-world that the show fosters. Fans
cannot wait to further engage with the material outside the show, and the franchise provides
ample opportunity for them to do so through official merchandise of varying kinds. Cyanide
Studios, in collaboration with HBO, and George Martin, launched a Game of Thrones online
fantasy game that enjoyed some, albeit limited, success (Cyanide Studios). Fantasy Flight
Games, also officially endorsed by Martin, has released a variety of strategy board games, and
card games that take place in Westeros (Fantasyflightgames). And Martin himself, sometimes in
connection with HBO, has released a multitude of secondary materials for fans to enjoy. Among
these are a book of maps, The Lands of Ice and Fire: Maps from Kings Landing to across the
Narrow Sea, which was published in 2012, and contains nineteen maps of the Game of Thrones
universe, known as well as unknown regions, and a history book, The World of Ice and Fire: The

46

Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones, which was published in the fall of 2014,
and tells the history of the story-world going back to the Dawn Age. The sheer amount of
officially endorsed material is too great to list here, but the franchise has produced any type of
merchandise a fan could desire, from clothing to action figures, and from jewelry to comic
books. 22 The fans experience no lack of available material, but yet, as evidenced by the fan
creation of content online, officially endorsed material is not enough.
The official brand material does not fully satisfy the fans need to participate in the storyworld, and this is why unofficial Game of Thrones material saturates the online landscape. The
viewers, and fans, are no longer satisfied with being passive consumers, they want to fully
engage. The traditional telling and showing modes have worked well in the past, and in some
cases still do, but the Game of Thrones audience demand interactivity in addition. The officially
endorsed material are part of what amounts to the illusion of interactivity. The media-melding
that occurs in the dynamic map, and by extension in the show, only partially fulfills the demands
of participatory culture. To progress beyond the illusion of interactivity that Game of Thrones
perpetuates, fans need a space to truly participate, and engage with the material. That space
exists online.

22
For an expansive list of officially endorsed materials, consult the HBO official online store (HBOShop), and
George R. R. Martins official blog (Martin).

47

Chapter Three: The Internet: A Space of Interactivity

The invitations to engage with the Game of Thrones story-world, which the dynamic map
introduces, and the television show extends, has their limits within the show. Fans do engage,
synaesthetically, intellectually, and emotionally with the show, but the interactive play that the
show alludes to is not to be found there. The map, and by extension the show, provide an
interactive illusion that is the result of the technique of media-melding, but the show itself cannot
deliver true interactivity. The viewers are not able to manipulate the narrative, nor are they able
to share their speculations on how the plot is going to develop, or in any way gauge whether or
not they have figured out the narrative trajectory. The viewers therefore need a space to further
engage with the material, and complete their quests for additional information that reveals the
intricacies of the Game of Thrones universe. The official franchise attempts to provide such a
space through endorsed brand extension, but as interesting as these materials are, they do not
provide a satisfactory level of interactivity for todays participatory demands. The viewer finds
the interactive space they crave online.
On the internet, a vast fan community has formed around the Game of Thrones subject
matter, and it continues to grow as the television series progresses. The show exhibits no signs of
waning popularity even now as it enters its fifth season, and part of the reasons for this is the
unfinished nature of the source material and the constant employment of techniques that
emphasize the interplay of the dual concepts of immediacy and hypermediacy within the show,
along with its resulting interactive invitations. But another, and perhaps more important, part of
the reason behind the shows continued popularity is fan interaction online. In the online Game
of Thrones community, fans interact with source material, often they create new material based

48

on the source, they interact with each other, and they even interact with the author, Martin
himself. There is a seemingly endless well-spring of knowledge about Martins story-world to be
discovered online, but the social aspect, the interactive aspect both imagined and real, is what
drives the popularity of the show.

The Online Author and Fan Influence

Martin himself fuels the illusory part of the invitations to participate, which the ongoing
adaptation effects, through his online presence. Martin tweets almost daily as GRRMSpeaking,
on a multitude of diverse subjects. Some of his recent tweets have been about cultural issues
such as Gamergate and Puppygate, but he also uses his account to advertise for his own
work (GRRMSpeaking, April 2015). Martins blog, Not A Blog, largely deals with the same
issues, but also has entries on events at his movie theater, The Jean Cocteau in Santa Fe, and his
travels to various conventions around the world (Grrm.livejournal, April 2015). Martins daily
presence on social media, makes him seem available to fans. And this availability, for many fans,
signals that the direction of his writing can be influenced. His presence causes the perception that
he is listening to fan speculations about the unfolding narrative, and that he might even alter its
trajectory if he hears a particularly good idea from a fan. Whether or not this is the case is up for
debate.
Martin himself vehemently denies being influenced by fans as far as content creation for
his novels, yet interviewers continue to ask him if he listens to fan theories. The question of
potential fan influence comes up regularly in interviews with the author, and every time, Martin
speaks out against it. In an interview with Amazon on behalf of the sites Facebook fans, Martin
is asked how much influence do your fans have on your writing? Martin replies, Not very

49

much. I mean, I love my fans, Im grateful that they love the stories, but art is not a
democracyso, I try not to be influenced by my fans. Martin laments Hollywoods obsession
with focus groups, and prescreenings of shows intended to determine whether or not viewers like
the characters, and calls this practice commerce as opposed to art. He says, what Im about is
artyou dont get to vote on art, and goes on to emphatically state that I want to tell my
storiessome people are going to like them and some people are not going to like themI dont
want to be influenced in the act of creation, whether its by a network executive or by my fans
(Amazon Books). Martins message here is clear: he does not wish to be influenced.
In another interview, this one with Skynews, Martin continues to emphasize this wish,
and even as he admits to having thought about modifying the narrative due to fan discussions, he
denies the possibility of such influence altogether. Martin is asked whether he would change the
plotlines if he realized fans had guessed his trajectory. He answers, I would not, and explains
that when the first fan sites started appearing in the nineties, he did peruse them and found that
most of the time the theories were incorrect, but sometimes someone would get it right. At that
time, Martin wrestled with the issue of whether or not to change things, but decided that way
lay disaster, since the result of making adjustments would undermine clues placed in the text.
His definitive statement on the matter was this:
For that reasonI stopped looking at the websites, I dont want to know what they have
figured out, what they havent figured out. Let them have the discussions and debates
among themselvesIm not going to let that influence how I write the books. I am going
to write the books the way I always planned to write the books, and let the chips fall
where they may (Skynews).

50

In this interview, Martin clearly restates his feelings about author autonomy. However, these
statements do not place Martin beyond influence; fans continue to believe that Martin might
make changes to his narrative based on their suggestions, and they could be on to something.
The most dedicated fans of the Game of Thrones narrative, can actually influence the
narrative, or could in the past, by Martins own admission. In a recent interview with Laura
Miller for 92YPlus, while promoting his new book, The World of Ice and Fire: The Untold
History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones, Martin revealed that his co-authors of the book,
Elio Garca and Linda Antonsson, were early fans of the book series, who did make him change
his narrative. Martin related the story of how Elio and Linda found some chronological
discrepancies in his early work on A Song of Ice and Fire, which he then subsequently altered
(92Y Plus). Garca and Antonsson are the authors of the Westeros.org family of sites that is the
most comprehensive access point online for all things Game of Thrones. It would appear that, at
least in the early stages of Martins world creation, super-fans could in fact influence the
narrative, even if that is no longer possible, as he claims.
Whether or not fans are currently able to influence Martins writing, the fact remains that
the ongoing adaptation, and Martins actions continue to suggest that possibility. As he keeps
working on writing his A Song of Ice and Fire series, Martin continues to consult with Garca to
avoid discrepancies in chronology, character appearance, and narrative development. In an
interview with the online magazine, Salon, Garca comments on the influence of fans on
Martins narrative: Clearly, the feedback from fans has had some impact on him [Martin].
When George reads at conventions from his unpublished work, he sometimes actually pauses
and makes little notes. One cannot be sure of the content of those notes, and whether or not it

51

correlates with the fan comments, but it does suggest a potential for influence. Garca elaborates
on his perception that fans do influence content when he states:
He [Martin] once read a chapter from the fifth novel, and in that reading, a character was
executed by hanging. And under the circumstances, a lot of people said to George
afterward, George, just consider the characters involved: Wouldnt beheading him be
more truthful? Wouldnt it have this strong thematic link. And he agreed, so he changed
it. Now, the characters start saying, lets hang this person, and someone says: Wait a
second, no no, bring me the block and Ill cut his head off. (DAddario)
In spite of Martins statements to the contrary, his super-fan, and only confirmed fan consultant
believes that fans do influence the narrative. Fan influence, imagined or real, therefore continues
to exist as another interactive invitation for the Game of Thrones audience.
The interactive invitation for the audience is perpetuated further by the author, but is
carefully managed and remains illusory. Martin plays on the idea of narrative influence in his
interaction with fans, but makes sure that it does not affect his autonomy as an author by setting
up the precise framework and rules for the perceived influence. In June, 2014, Martin started a
crowdfunding endeavor on Prizeo to help fund the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary in Santa Fe, New
Mexico, which is home to the Westeros wolf pack. 23 The contest offered a wide variety of prizes,
ranging from thank you cards signed by Martin, to signed maps of Westeros, T-shirts, or even a
replica of Jon Snows famous sword, Longclaw, and all entries got a chance to win a trip to the
sanctuary with a guided tour by Martin himself. To enter the contest, fans had to make a
minimum donation to the campaign of $10, but if they donated larger sums they would receive

23
Additionally, the Prizeo campaign raised money for the Food Depot of Northern New Mexico, which provides
low-income families and the elderly with access to food items. The crowdfunding campaign was highly successful,
and when the contest ended in July, 2014, Martin had raised an impressive $502,529 (Prizeo).

52

more valuable prizes. 24 The Grand Prize was a role in the series upcoming novel, Winds of
Winter, or a subsequent A Song of Ice and Fire installment. 25 To win this prize, fans had to make
a donation of $20,000, and there were some restrictions to the role they would play in the novel:
At this level, youll get the incredibly exclusive opportunity to have George name a
character after you in a future A Song of Ice and Fire novel. There is one male character
and one female character available. You can choose your characters station in the world
(lordling, knight, peasant, whore, lady, master, septon, anything) and you will certainly
meet a grisly death! (Prizeo)
At first glance, the chance to become a character in Martins story-world sounds like the ultimate
fan interaction with the narrative. However, when considering the restrictions Martin places on
the prize, it becomes clear that he has not given up his autonomy as the author. Martin makes the
decision to allow the winner to choose from a range of character types, but he reserves the
control over the narrative surrounding that character to himself. By proclaiming the grisly death
of the character as inevitable, Martin also retains control over the scope of the characters
involvement in the narrative. The possibility for interaction via this contest remains illusory, and
fans must keep searching for a place to truly interact with Game of Thrones.

Spoilers: The Knowing vs. the Unknowing Audience

The real interaction happens online, although not in the expected form. Fans are not
exactly able to interact with Martins narrative online, but they are able to become creators of
supplemental material to the overall Game of Thrones phenomenon, which is a different form of

With each level of donation, fans would receive an increasingly valuable prize. In addition, each donor would also
receive a designated rank from the A Song of Ice and Fire universe. For example, a donation of $600 would earn the
rank of Lord Commander along with a signed copy of the Game of Thrones cookbook.
25
The winners of the contest have been chosen, and the female character winner has chosen to be anonymous, the
male character winner has stepped forward in an interview with ABC. David Goldblatt, a Facebook employee from
San Fransisco, will be written in to Martins narrative as a Valyrian, and will meet a gruesome demise at a time of
Martins choosing (Kim).
24

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interaction with the material. This project will examine two paths of interaction that fans, of
various kinds, have taken. First, I will look at the fan community that has formed online,
including the communitys internal hierarchy. And second, in the section on unofficial brand
extension, I will demonstrate how widespread fan extensions of the narrative have become.
Starting with the fan community reveals its complex nature, and the interplay that arises from
fans not sharing the same point of entry to the larger narrative.
Hierarchy
The online fan community, in spite of each members shared interest in the Game of
Thrones universe, has formed an internal hierarchy that threatens the cohesion of the community.
A Song of Ice and Fire fans have two main points of access to the story-world. Some fans
encounter Martins story-world through the novel series, and others discover it through the
television show. These varying entry-points constitute the basis of the hierarchy existing within
the fan community. The community split itself into two sections: the knowing audience and the
unknowing audience. The knowing audience has read all of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels,
and also watch the HBO show, and the so-called unknowing audience watch the show without
any previous exposure to the story-world. The knowing audience privileges knowledge of the
source material over knowledge based on the scope of the show, and will often judge an event in
the show based on its fidelity to the source material. That is not how it happened in the books
or That is exactly what happened in the books are the two standard examples of judgment
passed by a knowing audience. The unknowing audience does not have a basis for comparison
between iterations of Martins material, and is therefore only able to evaluate the television
adaptation on its own merits, as a work in itself. Conflict sometimes arises between the two
audience types due to this discrepancy in perspectives, and because of the knowing audiences
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tendency to identify itself as superior in terms of fandom based on its extended knowledge of the
story-world. The knowing audience basically posits its members as better fans. Because of this
belief, the knowing audience likes to mock the unknowing audience for lack of understanding of
certain intricacies of the story, or failure to anticipate a particular plot twist. For example, the
emotional and visceral reactions of the unknowing audience to gruesome events in the show
become the subject of mockery, even though the knowing audience had similar reactions when it
was first exposed to the same scenes. This harassment between fan groups should have put an
end to the collected community long ago.
Instead, a closer look at fan forums complicates any analysis of the fan community
dynamics. While mockery is certainly a major component of the interaction between the
knowing and unknowing audience, so is consideration for fans who do not have the same level of
exposure to the narrative as the knowing audience. When examining the popular fan forums, it
becomes clear that forum contributors from the knowing audience are diligent about alerting
other fans to forum entries that may contain spoilers. The main fan forum, A Forum of Ice and
Fire, is split into several sub forums, which serve as discussion sites for either the television
show or the novels. This separation of subject matter serves as a filter that audiences can apply
when searching for information to avoid encountering any spoilers. Each sub forum is also
divided into several sections. The television show forum is divided into sub forums by season
and episode, so the audience that might just recently have started watching the show does not
risk encountering content discussions that reach beyond, for example, season ones first episode.
Similarly, the book forum is also divided into several sub forums that deal with each separate
book, and each separate chapter by itself. A new reader, therefore, does not have to worry about
having later plot points or twists revealed to her, and can search the forum freely for spoiler-free
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information. Even within the individual sub forums, participants are warned if a particular post
will contain spoilers, and what kind of spoilers they might be; the title of the forum post will
contain a warning in brackets, such as [Book spoilers] on the shows season five section
(Garca). The forum administrators go to great lengths to ensure that fans at any stage of
acquaintance with the story-world can enjoy their search for supplemental information.
In fact, these forums make the task of shielding an unknowing audience from spoilers
their main mission, which is evident from the strict rules and guidelines that fans must follow if
they wish to post content there. When a fan wishes to post content on the forum, she first has to
read a read before posting announcement, which details the rules and regulations for posting
on any of the affiliated sub forums. A forum administrator posted this brief overview of the rules,
which emphasizes the no tolerance policy regarding spoilers:
Because of the unique situation with the shows close adaptation of the novels, we have
decided that a stringent approach to spoilers is the only way to allow the forum to cater to
the widest possible viewership, from those whove not read the novels to those whove
devoured every book. It is of absolute importance that spoiling the TV show for those
whove not read the books does not happen. We will be quite harsh on this point,
including completely blocking access to this discussion forum to habitual offenders (and
possibly the rest of the forum, if we judge the spoiling to have been malicious rather than
simply thoughtless). (Ran)
Spoiling the television show is considered the worst possible offense on these forums, which
means that consideration for the unknowing audience is of the highest priority. It follows then,
that the knowing audience is given a tremendous amount of power within the online fan
community; it has the power to ruin the fan experience for any newcomers, but it also has a selfimposed responsibility to carefully avoid doing so. Given the level of import placed on this issue,
by the knowing audience itself, it is difficult to make sense of the fact that the knowing audience
still continues to indulge in mockery of new fans.

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The knowing audience mocks the unknowing audience for much the same reason that
fraternities haze their incoming members. The well-known practice of hazing, in one form or
another, is common among social groups, as a route to begin establishing a desired powerrelation by making others go through what you went through to be accepted into the group. The
interplay between the knowing and unknowing fan-groupings follows this pattern. The knowing
audience sets up the unknowing audience by causing it to experience the same emotional
reactions to the material that the knowing audience experienced at its first exposure to the same
content. Mocking or harassing the unknowing audience becomes like a rite of passage that it has
to endure to be accepted as members of the knowing fan-group.
Emotional Reactions
The most overt examples of this kind of hazing can be found on YouTube, where
knowing audiences like to publically display footage of this initiation process. The extreme
reactions of the unknowing audience, caught on tape by the knowing audience, reveal the shows
emotional impact on its viewers. Here, I will focus on a few representative videos of fan
reactions to the two episodes discussed in previous chapters, Baelor and The Rains of
Castamere. These are two of the most discussed episodes of Game of Thrones on the forums,
and the episodes most frequently used to capture new fans reactions to the shows events. The
fans reaction videos of these episodes show the knowing audiences non-discriminating approach
to hazing new fans; it does not seem to matter whether the unknowing audience member is
female or male, young or old, what matters to the knowing audience is the ability to elicit a
strong emotional reaction that mirrors its own past reaction to the same material.

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Baelor
The Game of Thrones episode Baelor depicts the first, and arguably most surprising,
subversion of a fantasy trope accomplished by Game of Thrones, and serves well as a rite of
passage for new fans. Ned Stark, who is the family patriarch of House Stark, Hand of the King,
and generally regarded as an honorable figure in the story-world, is forced to compromise his
honor and is subsequently beheaded. Ned Stark is styled as the shows protagonist, or traditional
fantasy hero, and by killing him off, the show subverts everything the viewers know about
fantasy. In most fantasy works, the hero is indestructible. The hero might suffer injury, and
perilous quests, but he or she never dies. Until now. Ned Starks death signals to the viewer that
anything can happen in this story-world, even things the audience would normally deem
unthinkable. A video, entitled Roommates honest reaction to Game of Thrones Ned Stark,
posted by YouTube user Roxychk22, shows the reaction of the users roommate as she watches
the episode. 26 Ashley, the unknowing audience member, cannot believe her eyes as she witnesses
Neds death, and comments: No, no wayis it a dream?...Are you sure its not a dream [voice
trembling]?...That really sucks. Are you sure its not a dream? Im going to kill that little
kidits just a show; its so sadThis is what you wanted me to see? (Roxychk22). This
particular unknowing audience member reacts to the video with a mixture of disbelief, in both
the events in the show and the roommates decision to film her reaction, and desire for revenge
on the character responsible for the beheading. Here, Ashleys transition into a position of
knowing, or partially knowing, is filmed and then publically displayed on YouTube, and is

26
Both this, and the subsequent fan reaction videos were randomly chosen among hundreds of results of a quick
Google search.

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thereby shared with the rest of the Game of Thrones fan community. Ashley has endured her rite
of passage, and can now be accepted into the knowing audience.
The Rains of Castamere
The rite of passage, or hazing, is a repeated action within the fan community, and as the
series progresses, more and more public displays of reactions can be found online. The videos
concerning the so-called Red Wedding event show an increase in emotional impact on the now
partially knowing audience. The video, entitled Red Wedding Freakout, posted by YouTube
user MultiElmo29 depicts the reactions of the users cousin and her boyfriend to the episode
The Rains of Castamere. At this point in the show, viewers have already been exposed to the
shocking death of Ned Stark, but this did not lead them to necessarily expect the gruesome
events of this episode. One commenter on this previous video states: Once they killed Ned, I
knew anything could happen. The Red Wedding shocked me, but I wasnt that surprised
(Josend). This seems to be the general consensus among fans the reactions are still shock and
disbelief, but the events are more readily accepted at this point.
The two subjects of further initiation in this video both display visceral reactions to the
shows events, albeit in significantly different ways. While the users cousin holds her hand over
her mouth while chewing on the sleeve of her shirt for most of the six minute long video, her
boyfriend sits with his mouth open, just staring at the television. When Robb Stark dies, the
cousin leans back on the couch and starts quietly crying, and the boyfriend moves closer to the
edge of the seat and pays close attention. And at the end of the episode, the cousin repeats the
phrase are you fucking kidding me five times, while the boyfriend stands up and says:

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You know what, thats why this is the best fucking show of all time. Hands downI bow
to the showWhat other show is bold enough to go out there and fucking kill off all the
main characters every fucking season? Ned Stark, first season. These guys now, holy
fuck [claps hands]no other show has done that shit. (MultiElmo29)
While the cousin displays a deep sense of disbelief through her utterances, the boyfriend reacts
with both shock and admiration. These reactions are both common across the countless videos of
fan reactions to The Red Wedding, and showcases the emotional rollercoaster that this show
inspires in its audience as it progresses through the stages of knowing.
Both of these videos are tagged as comedy in the descriptions, and indeed this practice
of hazing is treated as comedic when Conan OBrien decides to show a compilation of similar
videos on his late-night TBS talk show, Conan, and then have his Team Coco post the segment
on YouTube. In this show, Conan speaks with George R. R. Martin, and invites him to view the
compilation video of fans reacting to The Red Wedding. The displayed fan reactions are again
a mixture of disbelief, shock, and admiration for Game of Thrones choice to kill a number of the
main characters in one fell swoop. Martin reacts to the fan reactions with amusement, and goes
on to explain that all of those clips were set up by people who had read the books thirteen years
ago and knew what was coming, and wanted their friends, relatives, and loved ones to [react].
Martin laughs and quotes a commenter from another video entry he had seen, now you know
why all your nerdy friends were so depressed thirteen years ago (Team Coco). The practice of
hazing new-comers to Martins expansive A Song of Ice and Fire material is treated as fun, or
comedic, by the knowing fans, and even by the author himself, and it is unlikely to end anytime
soon.
All knowing fans were once members of the unknowing audience, and the online
interaction between these groups are a complex mix of consideration for new fans, and mockery,

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or hazing, of them. Many knowing fans, as evidenced by the reaction videos, have a desire to
document the initiation of the unknowing into the ever-deepening position of knowing audience
members. The chain of transitioning from unknowing to knowing audience member positions
never ends. There will always be a new unknowing audience, and until the show ends, and
Martin finishes the novel series, there will always be a more knowing audience that will harass
the less knowing, but most of the time this hazing ritual comes from a place of wanting to
include, wanting to be considerate. However, these kinds of interpersonal interactions between
fans regarding the Game of Thrones material are not the only ones observable online, there is
also an abundance of further interactions that focus on the creation of content related to the A
Song of Ice and Fire story-world.

Brand Extension: Unofficial

In their quest to participate in the Game of Thrones phenomenon, fans move beyond just
passively consuming the product, and become producers of content. They are not producers in
the sense that they contribute to the narrative Martin is writing necessarily, but in the sense that
they expand and enhance the larger body of archival material relating to his narrative. As
mentioned earlier, fans are not satisfied with just consuming the supplemental material that the
Game of Thrones franchise, or Martin himself, produces, they want to produce as well. And they
do so, prolifically. The range of fan production of material is enormous, as are the kinds of fans
that engage in such productions. From the average participatory fan, who might post a video or
an entry on a forum, to the partially distanced journalistic fan that produces unrelated material,
but uses phrases from the Game of Thrones story-world to describe other phenomena, the variety
of levels of participation is enormous.

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Participatory fan productions of material themselves exist in a wide variety of forms, and
cannot easily be categorized or described beyond the fact that they fit under the umbrella of
unofficial brand extensions. As previously mentioned, fans have created an impressive array of
forums and history sites that partially satisfies the need for additional information that the show
instills in its viewers. Among these are Elio Garcas Westeros.org family of sites, complete with
forums and a special Game of Thrones wikipedia, which are all constantly inviting fans to create
more content based on the novels or the show. However, outside of these more serious fan
pursuits, serious because of the emphasis on monitoring the accuracy of information posted,
there are a myriad of other fan contributions online. These range from the creation of memes,
detailed maps, paintings or other artwork, and animals either singing the theme song or being
dressed up for Game of Thrones type outings, to more or less erotic fan fiction that engages with
Martins story-world and characters but embed them in invented scenarios within the same
world. Musically, there are also countless examples of fan interaction with Martins subject
matter, for example, fans have made electric guitar or banjo versions of the opening theme, and
others have covered the Rains of Castamere song in a heavy metal style. The media melding
exhibited by the map, and the show itself, morphs and changes again online, and invites fans to
utilize versions and mergers of the written, the visual, and even the aural media.
Further instances of media melding can be observed in another online phenomenon,
which I describe as the merger of the official and unofficial brand extensions. The merged
products I mention here have both an official component, which is an element of involvement on
behalf of HBO, and an unofficial component, which is an element of regular fan participation.
The first product is broadcast on the YouTube sub channel, Geektube Central. Geektube Central,
which operates under the tagline embrace your inner geek focuses, much like Westeros.org, on
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providing fans with historical information on Martins story-world, especially the one unfolding
on the television screen. On this channel, fans find a series of videos on the history of each of the
major Houses in Game of Thrones, which are narrated by cast members from the HBO show as
the characters they portray. The first of these videos details the histories of the Lannisters, the
Starks, the Baratheons, and the Targaryens, the four families whose sigils are displayed on the
Game of Thrones logo. The narrators for each of these segments are respectively, Tywin
Lannister, Bran and Robb Stark, Robert Baratheon, and Viserys Targaryen (Geektube Central).
Merging the official representatives of the show, the characters, with the supplemental historical
information that the fans crave lends a sense of immediacy to the fan watching it. The fact that
the characters have seemingly stepped out of the show to narrate their own families history
extends the official narrative on to the internet, and allows the viewer to feel more deeply
involved in the setting. The fact that this happens in an even more hypermediated space than that
of television demonstrates the coexistence of the concepts of immediacy and hypermediacy
necessary for the fans participatory experience.
The second product also involved a character from the show that has stepped out of the
confines of the television program; Jon Snow, played by Kit Harrington, attends a dinner party at
Seth Myers house. The skit, first broadcast on NBC and since posted to Digg.com, portrays Jon
Snow as an awkward dinner guest that cannot stop talking about the misfortunes of his family,
and his own status as a bastard. Jon Snow is played by the actor who portrays him in the HBO
show, and is interacting with regular people from this world at the dinner party (Digg). The
removal of an official character from the shows setting, and the later insertion of said character
into an everyday situation simultaneously complicates the viewers sense of immediacy, and
enhances her sense of hypermediacy. Taking the character out of his context both shatters the
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story-world, and brings the story-world into the real causing the viewer to notice that the
character cannot interact with regular people in a meaningful way, but also plant the seed of the
thought of being able to meet the character in everyday life. The skit also draws attention to the
hypermediated space the character inhabits for its duration, and again demonstrates the necessity
for coexistence of the two concepts.
The third product, which is comprised of the online album Catch the Throne: the Mixtape
and its sequel, operates largely as the two other official/unofficial brand extension hybrids do,
but differs from them in that the creation of the product was instigated by HBO. HBO
commissioned Catch the Throne, which is a collection of Game of Thrones related music
performed by a wide variety of artists (Beauchemin). The album is an eclectic mix of musical
genres ranging from hip hop, with Big Boi, to heavy metal, with Anthrax, and is meticulously
designed to capture the attention of Game of Thrones fans. The two iterations of the mixtape,
seen as a whole, appeal both to fans of the show, and to fans of the individual artists. Thus, the
strength of this particular hybrid brand extension has the potential ability of drawing new
viewers in, perhaps more so than the other hybrids, because not all listeners necessarily have to
be familiar with the show to enjoy the music, even though that would aid in the appreciation of
the lyrics. This product capitalizes on the show viewers sense of immediacy, through the
familiarity she would experience regarding the subject matter of the songs, but it also draws
attention to itself as situated in a hypermediated space, further cementing the importance of the
two concepts. These hybrids of brand extension could further merge the economic interests of
HBO and the general fan desire to interact with the material, while also appealing to new
potential fans. One thing is certain, the Game of Thrones brand extensions, official or unofficial,

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utilizes media melding to appeal to a wide variety of audiences, and have entered into the
cultural mainstream.
In Other Popular Culture
Game of Thrones has become a mainstream cultural phenomenon that is referenced often
in unrelated popular culture. A number of television shows that have nothing in common with
Game of Thrones, as far as its fantasy subject matter or setting, refer to Game of Thrones as a
way of alluding to the intrigue of a situation, to parody the show, or perhaps as a way of boosting
the popularity and cultural appeal of these other shows. The Office, Simpsons, Parks and
Recreation, Community, and Suits, have all at one time or another referenced Game of Thrones
(Kurp). The most well-known parody of the HBO show is South Parks three episode story arch
that sets up the boy-protagonists battle over which game console is better, Playstation 4 or XBox One, as a war for the throne similar to that of Game of Thrones. South Parks version of the
story pits Kenny, portraying Daenerys Targaryen as Princess Kenny, against Cartman who seems
to be channeling a mash-up of the characters Littlefinger and Lord Varys (Parker). The show also
features a portrayal of Martin a version of himself, George ARRG ARRG Martin, but endowed
with an obsessive preference for phallic imagery, both overt and otherwise. The South Park
version of Game of Thrones has become especially popular among cross-over fans of both
shows, not due the story-arch itself, but because of the cartoon version of the Game of Thrones
theme song, which basically repeats a euphemism for the male sexual organ endlessly and is a
clear reference to the HBO shows often critiqued use of nudity. 27 But even fans of these other
television shows, who were not familiar with Game of Thrones before encountering reference to

27
The term sexposition, which is a play on sex and exposition was coined by critic Myles McNutt to describe
Game of Thrones tendency to reveal serious plot points during scenes rife with nudity (Hann).

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it in unrelated popular culture, might have their interest peaked through these other shows, which
in turn become yet another entry point for new viewers.
In Journalism
References to Game of Thrones not only permeate the popular culture landscape, but
have also transitioned into being a staple of the broader cultural landscape, especially in
America. Journalists and reporters writing about such diverse topics as economics, politics,
weather, or sports all use Game of Thrones vocabulary to describe real world phenomena.
Parallels between real world situations and events in Westeros are constantly being made.
Andrew Wyrich, journalist and contributor to Thoughtcatalog.com, goes so far as comparing
modern journalists, and the practice of journalism to the fictional Nights Watch. He even creates
a journalists version of the Nights Watch oath:
News gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no
bias, hold no opinion, father nothing but truth. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I
shall live and die at my post. I am the pen in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls.
I am the shield that guards the realms of democracy. I pledge my life and honor to
journalism, for this night and all the nights to come. (Wyrich)
Wyrich here equates himself, and other journalists, with members of the Nights Watch, and
posits journalism as a heroic undertaking that guards the realms of democracy. Wyrichs use of
the Game of Thrones parallel is perhaps a bit extreme, but it is generally representative of the
ease with which the Game of Thrones narrative can be applied to real world situations.
The widespread use of references to Game of Thrones in mainstream media demonstrates
both the appeal of the story-world to the general public, and that the shows interactive
invitations reach far beyond the show. The Game of Thrones of [insert subject] has become an
expression in mainstream media, which usually refers to some kind of intrigue-filled situation or

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a metaphorical battle. Game of Thrones references are especially abundant in political writings.
Ray Brescia, associate professor of law, writes for the Huffington Post about the parallels
between Game of Thrones and the American Supreme Courts 2012 ruling on health care reform
(Brescia). Martin Varsavsky writes for the WorldPost about parallels with the events in Syria
(Varsavsky), and John Garnaut writes for The Age about parallels with Chinese politics
(Garnaut). But references to the show are also often used in lighter areas of mainstream media,
such as the sports section of the news. In 2013, Josh Kurp reported on the creation of sigils for
each NFL team (Kurp2). In 2014, a Big Ten commercial mirrored the opening sequence of Game
of Thrones by having each schools initial letter and iconic buildings from each area rise out of
the landscape, and in 2015, Cy Brown reported on the creation of Game of Thrones style Houses
for each of the Major League Baseball teams (Brown). Mainstream media, from journalism and
politics to sports writing make ample use of references to the show, and demonstrates just how
long the reach of the shows popularity is. The Game of Thrones phenomenon has entered into
the consciousness of the general public, and whether or not individuals exposed to these
references watch the show, they have some knowledge of what the show is about. The fact that
the Game of Thrones vocabulary and parallelisms have become prevalent in unrelated media
means that this show has reached a level of exposure that even the most clever marketing
campaign could not have arranged. Every time the show is mentioned, a potential entry point for
new fans is created, and another interactive invitation is extended.

The Latest: Season Five Premiere

As Game of Thrones enters its fifth season, I want to pose the question: Why is Game of
Thrones still so popular? The answer lies in the shows status as an ongoing adaptation, and in its

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continued use of the media melding technique that extends interactive invitations to the audience.
As described, media melds within the introductory map sequence of Game of Thrones, which
gives rise to invitations of interactivity, and the show itself extends these invitations further. In
the show, the traditional showing mode of film enters into collaboration with the interactive
mode of games, and the result is that an unprecedented, and powerful, set of interactive
invitations is extended to the audience. Due to this technique, and the dual presence of ideas of
immediacy and hypermediacy, fans crave a constant flow of information regarding the show, and
can hardly wait for new content. Martin himself perpetuates the idea of being able to influence
the material, even though he claims that such influence is impossible, evidence shows his writing
has been influenced by fans in the past, and could potentially still be in the future. Fans are
unable to directly interact with the story-world material within the show itself, but live out their
interactive invitations online. Fans participate by discussing content on forums, creating vast
databases of information related to the phenomenon, and even creating supplemental content
themselves. Nothing beats the arrival of a new season of the television show though.
The much anticipated season five premiere, which took place on April 12, 2015, has
enjoyed massive success. An estimated 8 million viewers tuned in to watch the premiere,
according to Nielsen (Steel), and that is not counting the untold number of illegal downloads of
the new episode. The show is still going strong, and fans keep reacting to the interactive
invitations of the show. The official trailer for season five was aired in January, 2015, and served
to ramp up the anticipation for the start of the season. The trailer, while it showed the audience
many new intriguing places of action and the new characters that inhabit them, did not actually
provide much new information. The wedding of Margery and Tommen, the return of Drogon the
dragon, the appearance of the sand snakes, and the new location of action beyond the wall were
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all anticipated at the end of season four. The trailer gives just enough information, about the
appearance of these new locations and characters, to entice the viewer to tune in for the premiere,
and otherwise interact with supplemental material while waiting (HBO). On the afternoon of
Sunday, April 12, with the season set to premiere in the evening, the first four episodes of season
five were leaked online. According to Eryk Bagshaw, writing for the Sydney Morning Herald,
the torrents on popular sites Kickass and Torrentz [had] amassed almost 50,000 downloads
within two hours after they went online on Sunday afternoonThe leaks appear to have come
from a screener released under strict conditions for review or translation purposes (Bagshaw).
The fact that fans could not, or would not even wait a few more hours to view the new content is
a testament to the enormous strength of the shows appeal.
HBO, aware of the fans intense anticipation of the premiere, decided to launch a sneak
premiere, or a prescreening, of season fives first episode on campuses across America; the
structure of this prescreening also turned out to be a perfect example of media melding at work.
The University of Wyoming hosted such a prescreening on March 29, 2015, two weeks prior to
the official premiere airing (UWNews). I myself attended the sneak premiere at the University of
Wyomings A&S Auditorium that day, and was able to experience firsthand how expertly HBO
puts the process of media melding to use. First, HBO representatives incentivized fans into
arriving early with the promise of free swag to the first one hundred attendees. As one of the first
one hundred, I received such diverse merchandise as an HBO logo-embossed plastic cup, a wall
calendar with pictures of the cast, and a paper crown to wear for the premiere. A trivia contest
was also held outside the doors of the venue, while hundreds of fans were waiting to enter. In
this contest, fans had to answer questions about the story-world in return for a chance to win
season two of the show on dvd. These two events, taking place even before the premiere, exhibit
69

characteristics of the interactive invitations described previously. The promise of official HBO
brand extended material brought many fans out early in eager anticipation. The process of media
melding at work becomes apparent through events inside the venue.
As fans began to get seated inside the auditorium, the HBO representatives projected a
live twitter feed onto the big screen and encouraged the audience to post on it, via
#GoTpremiereWyo, which initiated a flood of posts displaying both hypermediacy and
immediacy working in tandem. The hypermediated space of the projected twitter feed drew
immediate attention to the fact that the audience was watching a screen, but at the same time the
audience could interact with this screen, and other fans, by posting comments on it that were
guaranteed to be seen by other audience members lending a sense of immediacy to the situation.
Once the twitter feed began filling up with posts, some fans took advantage of the interactive
invitation and began posting under pseudonym, as characters from the show. For example, a
conversation took place between unknown fans posing as Cersei Lannister and Jamie Lannister
(Twitter). True to the previously described hierarchy between knowing and unknowing
audiences, some fans began posting spoilers too, but they were few and far between. Mostly the
knowing audience was considerate of the unknowing, and restrained from compromising their
fan experience. There was however, a healthy dose of hazing taking place. The knowing
audience posted a series of fake spoilers that were aimed at making fun of fans unfamiliar with
other popular works of fantasy, such as Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter. One such fake
spoiler, fake in the Game of Thrones context, said Spoiler: Snape kills Dumbledore which
elicited quite a few laughs (WyomingSAE). The interactions between audience members via the
hypermediated screen, while being located in the same room followed the same pattern as the

70

online interaction between fans, except for an added sense of community that came from the
close presence of other fans.
During the interaction between fans on twitter, another impactful layer of media melding
was revealed through the use of background music. In the upper right corner of the screen on
which the twitter feed was projected, a small icon continuously displayed song titles and names
of artists whose work was currently playing. The songs were all from the two volumes of the
Catch the Throne mixtapes commissioned by HBO. Having the brand extended material playing
in the background, while fans were interacting on twitter, and in person, brought both the
hypermediacy and the immediacy of the situation into sharp focus. Immediately before the
episode was screened, a string quartet began playing the theme song on stage. The quartet was
comprised of the universitys own music students and this fact lent a real sense of connectivity
between the experience of this event and the material from Martins story-world. The overall
experience of the prescreening was one of immersion, which is a direct result of the combined
experience of interactivity and media melding.
This project has endeavored to reveal the reason behind the extreme popularity of Game
of Thrones, and claims that the answer lies in the amalgam of media melding and interactive
invitations employed in the show, coupled with consumers dissatisfaction with merely being
told stories and their intense desire to participate in story-worlds. The interactive invitations
prevalent in the introductory dynamic map sequences, extended in the show proper, and lived out
online suggest that a melding of the showing mode of television, and the interactive mode of
games is happening, which renders the traditional view of adaptation as mere translations of
content between static media with specific strengths obsolete. Media can and do meld, and media

71

are able to provide an ever-expanding list of hybrid experiences that are not specific to a single
medium. Furthermore, audiences are demanding an active role in their own entertainment, and
Game of Thrones has demonstrated that by employing the process and techniques of media
melding, television shows can provide viewers with interactive possibilities they crave. The fact
that media melding as a process is such an integral part of Game of Thrones success and
continued global popularity necessitates a reevaluation of how scholars have traditionally
thought about adaptation studies.

72

Appendix
Map Changes Across the First Four Seasons (Benioff).

Episode

1.01

1.02

1.03

1.04

1.05

1.06

1.07

1.08

1.09

1.10

Kings
Landing
Pentos
The Eyrie
The Twins
The Wall
Vaes Dothrak
Winterfell

Episode

Location

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x
x

x
x
x

2.01

2.02

2.03

2.04

2.05

2.06

2.07

2.08

2.09

2.10

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

Location
Dragonstone
Harrenhall
Kings
Landing
Pyke
Quarth
The Wall
Vaes Dothrak
Winterfell

x
x
x

73

Episode

3.01

3.02

3.03

3.04

3.05

3.06

3.07

3.08

3.09

3.10

Astapor
Dragonstone
Harrenhall
Kings
Landing
Riverrun
The Twins
The Wall
Winterfell
(Burnt)
Yunkai

x
x
x
x

x
x
x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

Episode

4.01

4.05

4.06

4.07

4.08

4.09

4.10

x
x

x
x

x
x
x
x

x
x
x
x

x
x
x
x

Location

x
x

x
x

4.02

4.03

4.04

Location
Braavos
Dragonstone
Dreadfort
Kings
Landing
Mereen
Moat Cailin
The Wall
Winterfell

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

74

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