Science fiction and fantasy are genres that span video games, films and books with a huge audience in every medium. The idea of a different world where the rules are different, or of a future where everything has changed, captures our imaginations. We love to escape our everyday lives and immerse ourselves in a world with superhuman powers or ultra-advanced technology. Science fiction and fantasy games allow us to take control of a character and exist in these worlds, and this is what makes them so appealing.
Make-believe worlds in gaming
Fantasy worlds often call upon ideas that have existed for centuries and build worlds around them. Whether it's realms filled with the dwarves, giants and dragons of ancient mythology, the magic of ancient civilisations or godlike beings descending upon our world, there is a well of fantasy to draw from.
Games like The Witcher series or The Battle for Middle Earth games harness popular fantasy worlds from the literary world. Bringing them to life with incredible creativity, the best fantasy games allow players to experience the characters, creatures and stories they have read about in the books or watched in the films/TV shows. Other titles like the Final Fantasy series, the Elder Scrolls games or Elden Ring create entirely new fantasy worlds to explore and immerse oneself in.
Then there are the games that create fantasy worlds from history, summoning the myths of Ancient Greece, Egypt, Japan and other great civilisations. The Assassins' Creed series does this brilliantly, but other titles like Tenchu: Stealth Assassin, Ryse: Son of Rome and God of War create equally immersive worlds using a combination of historical fact and cultural mythology. The result is a rich, engaging gaming experience that taps into the player's desire to escape from reality for a while.
One game type that harnesses the fantasy genre effectively is the online slot world. Popular game titles from online casinos like 21.co.uk include Book of Dead, Eye of Horus, Evil Goblins, Gladiator Legends and more which conjure a powerful gaming experience by basing their mechanics and features on fantasy themes. The science-fiction theme is also alive and well in online slot titles like Hypernova Infinity Reels and Nitropolis for gamers to enjoy.
Taking science to the extreme
It has been said that science fiction fans either love Star Wars or Star Trek. These two sci-fi heavyweights do represent two prominent aspects of the genre: the former combines space and advanced technology in an unspecified time with fantasy elements like mystical powers and different races of beings while the latter focuses more on humanity reaching out into the universe in the distant future. There are many games from these universes, as well as games inspired by them like Mass Effect and the Halo series.
But science fiction is not all about space in gaming. It can be more grounded in utopian visions of a glorious earthly future or post-apocalyptic visions of how the world might end. Games like Resident Evil and The Walking Dead have explored the latter of these visions, while titles like Deus Ex and BioShock have delved into the concept of the future of our world.
When executed well, sci-fi video games tap into the same ideas as the fantasy genre. Worlds we can escape into, filled with otherworldly capabilities and characters beyond the everyday humans we meet in our own lives. It's all about escapism, and there is nothing more immersive and engaging than escaping into a video game.
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