Comparing Fantasy Worlds

Comparing Fantasy Worlds

So, what is the best fantasy world to spend your time in? I thought that answering that question might be difficult, but the more I thought about it the more I came to believe that a basic comparative analysis might point to the winner. So, here goes.

Criteria:

SP - Staying Power (Millennia, Centuries, Years, Months, Days)

IF - Immersion Factor (Time, Depth)

SI - Social Impact (Fashion, Language, Culture, Art, Architecture)

SO - Spin Offs (Lookalikes, Rip offs, Musicals, Movies, TV Shows)

Candidates : (Considered but not chosen were Peter Pan, Alice's Wonderland, Gulliver, the Greek Myths, and the whole array of computer games)

Mother Goose

Grimm's Fairy Tales

Tolkien's Middle Earth

Star Trek

King Arthur and the Round Table

Harry Potter

Game of Thrones

Analysis and Scoring (0 to 5, 5 being the best score)

Mother Goose: SP 3, IF 2, SI 1, SO 3-----Total 9

Comment: Mother Goose has survived hundreds of years, and references to various characters and rhymes proliferate the English lexicon. Unfortunately interactive technology is more and more becoming the media of choice and sales science which offers up alternatives will most likely supplant Mother Goose over the next several generations.

Grimm's Fairy Tales: SP 4, IF 3, SI 2, SO 4-----Total 13

Comment: The tales collected by the Brothers Grimm have long had serious staying power and are the basis of a multitude of movies, TV productions, theme parks, and associated collectibles. That castle that Mickey Mouse plays in at Disney World was first seen centuries ago in a far off land over the sea. Technology does not threaten Grimm's world, it enhances it.

Tolkien's Middle Earth: SP 3, IF 4, SI 1, SO 2-----Total 10

Comment: Tolkien's fantasy world has many devout devotees. There are multiple media choices for immersion and has been strong since its Oxford beginnings. It has little social impact and few spinoffs. If one moves away from the media where the fantasy thrives, it fast loses affect.

Star Trek : SP 3, I F 4, SI 2, SO 3-----Total 12

Comment: Thanks to television and movies, originals and sequels, the Star Trek franchise has been strong for a couple of decades. Their fantasy world however is fast being overtaken by technology and complementary offerings that eat into and compete for casual Star Trek fans attention. Despite my having hitched a ride on the Starship Enterprise with the multiple captains of the ship, it does not have the staying power of the top candidates for Top Fantasy World.

King Arthur and the Round Table : SP 5, IF 4, SI 4, SO 5-----Total 18

Comment : King Arthur, his round table, Excalibur, Galahad, Lancelot, Guinevere, Merlin, all have endured centuries. They're found in books, and on screens both large and small.

Claimants like Tintagel regularly draw visitors eager to believe that the Arthurian legends are based on truth. They are everywhere. In fashion, in architecture, in music. Who can forget the chorus singing "Who will rescue Guinevere" as all hope that Lancelot will save the day, which he does. King Arthur's fantasy world clicks on all cylinders, unless you drive an electric, and then it would speed on full power. There are other knights like Charlemagne's Roland, but none have had the staying power of the knights of Arthur.

Harry Potter: SP 4, IF 5, SI 3, SO 4-----Total 16

Comment: The Harry Potter books have done more to stimulate reading in young people, and some older people, than any other offering of this generation. Backed up by excellent movies, and formidable TV play, the Potter franchise will richly reward its investors for years to come. Think residuals. However Potter fans will eventually age out. Fans, of which I am one, will remember but not focus on Potter quite as much as they encounter new aspects of life like career and family.

Game of Thrones: SP 3, IF 3, SI 2, SO 2-----Total 10

Comment: Game of Thrones has many avid fans. However, despite much lunchtime conversation about the show, it has not yet made the leap over into the broad social consciousness. Its popularity will probably be limited to the current generation with little impact on future generations.

The Result

King Arthur and the Round Table is the top fantasy world.

Everyone is invited to the castle to celebrate the occasion. Your swords and daggers will be collected at the door. There is no open carry permitted.

Author's note. Several of my short stories on vocal.media are fables and fantasy. Check out L. Thoreau and the Golden Pear, The Ladies in the Locket, Can You Hear Me Now, Rabbit Stew, Oh Deer, Intervention, Incompatibility, Animals United, and Earth Cruise. Indulge in fantasy.