Game Of Thrones and the Evolution of Our Television Experience

Game of Thrones' final season is arguably the most hyped and anticipated television series finale to date. Sure, there have been other big series finales: The Sopranos, Friends, and Seinfeld to name a few. However, none have had the speed of growth and real-time pop culture permeation that Game of Thrones has. Yes, the story is fantastically written and thought out, but the show hit the pop culture lottery due to much more than excellent writing alone. It happens to live in a moment where new technologies, partnership capabilities, and the speed of information collide to allow fans fun ways to interact with the show.

Game of Thrones’ complex world building and character map offer more chances for the story to activate across social media, video, audio, VR/AR, and analog platforms in real time and ways no other TV show has been able to do. 

?  The creation and trafficking of Memes and GIFs transport scenes, sayings, jokes and characters across the internet in a way that grants the audience maximum relatability and resonance in microcontent bursts. 

?  Streaming across mobile devices has given us the ability to watch and re-watch entire seasons from virtually anywhere we are. 

?  New content offerings have sprouted up across all media channels for discussing the latest happenings, fan theories, and spoofing the show with comedic bits.

?  Partnerships with food and drink companies provide the opportunity for fans to eat and drink like the Nobles of Westeros. Services and other products allow us to hear, touch and even smell the realm.

Memes and GIFs

The meme-ification of Pop Culture has immortalized some of our favorite shows, characters, and scenes. The Office, Parks and Rec, and Spongebob Squarepants have achieved pop culture immortality through the communication vessels of memes and GIFs. Memes and GIFs are how we micro-dose pop culture, remix jokes, and how moments and stories maintain relevance. Memes and GIFs anchor into our memories as our attention spans shrink faster and faster.

No other show has been able to capitalize on the rapid creation and proliferation of memes and GIFs in real time the way Game of Thrones has. Before the season finale, there was a cache of memes so memorable and vast that The Ringer even created a “meme bracket” where readers voted on their favorite memes to advance towards being crowned the best meme in the realm. Over the past couple of weeks, new scenes have birthed countless new GIFs, reaction videos, and memes – all within minutes of each new episode premiering — further imprinting memorable characters and scenes into our collective psyche. 

Streaming & On-Demand TV

We are living in a new Golden Age of Television. Streaming and On Demand capabilities have enabled us to enjoy our favorite TV content from just about anywhere we are. Binging shows is the norm, and vast content libraries provide the chance for those curious about shows to jump into the show at any time. Frictionless accessibility to content allows for rapid scalability. 

GoT as a Content Factory

Game of Thrones has done something no other show has done in terms of scale and speed. It has been the genesis for content spinoffs across all media channels in real time: YouTube series positing analysis and theories, comedic spin-offs, podcast series, and mobile video games are produced as standalone content offerings and brands. In a way, Game of Thrones is an economic engine of its own the way its content provides more content for media houses and personalities alike. The narrative has exponentially grown content offerings across all channels, further enveloping fans in the story.  

Experiences, Products, and Services

Pop-Up Bars, AR video games, and GoT themed blood donation drives are among some of the methods fans have been able to “jump into Westeros” and “live the story.” Adidas manufactured custom GoT shoes, Spotify created curated playlists based on the Houses of Westeros, Oreo created cookies with the Houses’ sigils, and numerous alcohol companies have been creating limited edition wine, spirits, and beer to celebrate the TV show for a few seasons now. Material goods and curated media services take the story off of our screens and add layers of immersion that make fans feel like they’re “living” in the magical world. 

Conclusion

There are pieces out there declaring that Game of Thrones is the last piece of TV monoculture we have. I believe it is the latest, but certainly not the last. Furthermore, I think it’s the first piece of television that stands as something completely new. It stands as the first epic multisensory television show of our time and the first to rapidly spread across and firmly anchor its story and brand into the digital and analog planes of our consumption.