Game of Thrones Cosplayers at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con (Winteriscoming)
Frequently existing as transmedia experiences, popular media products are now able to attract massive fanbases across the internet and in the ‘real world’. These media products can be books, comics, video games, shows, or any combination of these and other entertainment mediums. While many fans may consider themselves to be casual participants, others become more engage, forming what is frequently referred to as a “fandom”. Various dictionaries of varying formality provide definitions for this word, with the Oxford Dictionary coming the closest out of the more formal end of the spectrum, but it the crowd-sourced Urban Dictionary that provides the best definition of how the word is used by modern fandom participants. Participation in activities such as cosplay, forum discussion, theorycrafting, fanfiction, and art act as indicators that somebody is actively involved in fandom culture. It is important to separate fandom culture from internet culture in that while internet culture takes place almost entirely online, fandom culture is often expressed in real life as well (although online participation is a huge part of it). Game of Thrones has attracted this sort of mass participation by fans, leading to the creation of wikis , fanfiction, cosplay, intricate fan-theories, reproductions of in-universe music, original music, art, and even a search engine to accompany the series in all of its transmedia forms. While entire books could (and should) be written on the development of fandom culture and the Game of Thrones transmedia phenomenon, this article will focus on introducing students to fandom culture in its current forms. Using Game of Thrones, teachers can help their students explore this massive and evolving world of fan participation, examining how Game of Thrones, on a scale far larger than most popular series, has reached and established its massive fandom.
The Logo for A Wiki of Ice and Fire
As far as fandom products go, wikis will be one that students are most familiar with. While this means there may not be as much to say about them in general, they serve as a good introductory point for students examining Game of Thrones‘ fandom culture. As resources, wikis serve as effective introductory points for new viewers and readers of Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire; as unofficial paratexts to the series, wikis are useful tools to those who wish to learn more about Martin’s world or longtime fans who simply need to have memory gaps filled in as the series progresses. While most fandoms have a wiki or multiple competing ones, Game of Thrones has produced two cooperative wikis; A Wiki of Ice and Fire and the Game of Thrones Wiki. Respectively, these wikis deal primarily with the books and primarily with the TV series. As an effective exercise for students to understand the different roles of these Wikis, have them compare the Wiki of Ice and Fire entry on Highgarden with the same entry on the Game of Thrones Wiki. Have them compare the contents of the entries, noting how the Game of Thrones Wiki emphasizes the role of Highgarden in the series before discussing its place in the books, while the Wiki of Ice and Fire completely eschews the television series. Also have students explore the sources use, aiming for them to identify that the Game of Thrones Wiki uses guides specifically meant to accompany the show alongside information from episodes, while the Wiki of Ice and Fire exclusively uses texts from the series and paratexts that are not explicitly referring to the show. Through this, students will better understand the role of wikis in fan culture and their unusual form in regards to Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire.
The Sigil of House Manderly, a key player in the Grand Northern Conspiracy fan theory (A Wiki of Ice and Fire)
Fandom cultures often produce massive collections of literary works in the form of fan theories and fan fiction, both of which Game of Thrones has generated in great numbers and deep complexity. Fan theories focus on using in-universe knowledge from the books and television series alongside out of universe knowledge in terms of casting and filming locations to create potential ideas about how the series may progress and how present mysteries will be resolved. The theory concerning Jon Snow’s parentage, R+L=J, is one such fan theory, as is the Grand Northern Conspiracy. Fan fiction differs from fan theories in that it doesn’t necessarily follow current or predicted canon (although it sometimes does), instead focusing on canon divergences, alternative settings, crossovers, and other non-canon elements. The most important distinguishing factor between fan fiction and fan theories is that while fan theories are expressed through discussions in places such as blogs and forums, fan fiction is written as a story; while the Grand Northern Conspiracy is a work of fan theory, somebody could write a fan fiction story about it. As complicated expressions of fandom culture, fan fiction and fan theory should be explored by students seeking to better understand this culture. The Grand Northern Conspiracy makes an especially good entry point to fan theory as the Winteriscoming.net article provides a basic summary of the theory while linking to more in-depth explorations of it. An effective exercise I have seen used for introducing students to the nature of Game of Thrones fan fiction is having them look at the list of tags, categories, characters, and other filters available for such works on the fan fiction collecting site Archive of Our Own. Have them look at the counts for how many results there are under each section and discuss why characters such as Jon Snow and Sansa Stark are the most popular – perhaps due to them being the easiest to relate to for readers and writers. Which series are most often crossed into Game of Thrones should be explored, as should which characters are most often paired together in fanfiction. By engaging students with these sorts of activities, they will better understand the role fanfiction and fan theories play in fandom culture as demonstrated through the Game of Thrones fandom.
A fan version of the Game of Thrones song The Bear and the Maiden Fair, made from in-universe lyrics with the rest being a product of fans
Fandom culture also produces musical tributes to popular media, with Game of Thrones being no exception. Fans’ musical tributes can be based on lyrics provided by the books (as above), completely original, or covers of officially produced songs from the television series. To introduce students to music produced by Game of Thrones’ fandom culture, have them listen to the three songs presented above (or portions of them, depending on available time). Discuss with them what it is that makes each form of music appealing; who do they think some fans may make entirely new songs, while others adapt and cover existing ones? As an assignment or active learning activity, students could write their own lyrics for a possible fan song or a song that could fit into Westerosi society. Many (if not most) students will have a personal interest in music, making it an effective way to introduce students to the Game of Thrones fandom and, through it, fandom culture as a whole.
Fan art of Riverrun by the artist Feliche
Art is another product produced in great quantity by fandom cultures. Websites such as Pinterest and Deviantart are often used to collect such works, allowing easy access to huge collections of fan art. Similar to the divide in wiki material, fan art for Game of Thrones can usually be identified as being based on the HBO series or on the books by how similar the characters and scenes depicted look in contrast to the show. More devoted fans may get involved in fan art by having it tattooed on them, as can be seen in these Game of Thrones examples. Fan art is often used as a method of crossover just as written works are, as can be seen in some examples in this Dorkly article wherein Game of Thrones characters are done in the style of Disney characters. Some works of fan art are even adopted by HBO, as with their website Beautiful Death. Beautiful Death uses fan art to represent key events and the deaths of important characters as the series progresses, providing an opportunity for fans to participate in the show through an official channel which branches out of fandom culture. Crafts and guides on how to do them are also a popular expression of fandom culture, as can be seen through these Game of Thrones inspired examples. Having your class construct crafts like origami dragons or other activities such as drawing could be an exceptional way of involving them in fan art. Using these examples of art in the forms of paintings, drawings, tattoos, crafts, and more, students can be taught about the participatory nature of fandom cultures through the Game of Thrones fandom culture.
A fan cosplaying as the Game of Thrones character Hodor
Cosplay and conventions are another key part of fandom culture that students should familiarize themselves with. Events such as the San Diego Comic Con and the Ice & Fire Con attract fans from all over the world, where they meet to talk, show off their costumes, meet actors and authors, and purchase merchandise. Cosplay, wherein fans dress up in (usually homemade) costumes, is a huge part of fandom culture with fans dressing up as all sorts of characters, by themselves or in groups. Students could be given a list such as this one or any that displays high quality cosplays alongside screenshots from the show, demonstrating the quality and effort put into some of these fan works. Guides for dressing as specific characters can be found online; using this example, which provides an easier to make costume than professional quality ones, highlight for your students that it was published in August. Being removed from Halloween further enforces that these costumes are a constant part of fandom culture, not just a seasonal trend. By engaging with the cosplay outfits produced by Game of Thrones fans, students will come to better understand this element of fan culture.
Fan participation in popular media is quite likely here to stay. Using Game of Thrones as an entry point, educators can teach their students about the fandom culture that has emerged across the world through the internet, conventions, and excited conversation. Wikis, fan art, cosplay, theorycrafting, and fan fiction are all ways in which people are able to engage in this participatory fan culture, and the Game of Thrones fandom provides strong examples of all of these. More than just being the subjects of traditional, linear lectures, these elements of fandom permit a wide range of active learning activities to further engage students. By the end of such a lesson (or series of lessons), students should be able to speak knowledgeably about what fandom culture is, how fans are able to actively participate in it, and what types of products can come out of fandom culture.
The Digital Citadel 
