Game of Thrones Revisited: How Would Fan Favorites Fare in the Real World?

Game of Thrones frenzy is everywhere these days, as the 7^th season of the immensely popular HBO hit series has returned on our screens. As any devoted fan will tell you though, watching the show is just the start: there are countless other things to do to immerse yourself in the Westeros world. YouTube videos painstakingly breaking down the tiniest of details, reviews identifying the umpteenth Easter egg, amazingly comprehensive wiki sites to keep up with all those characters and instructions on how to cosplay: You name it, GoT fans have already put up the resources for it.

But what if we turned the tables and instead invited popular characters from the Game of Thrones realm back into our own world?

The Battle of the Seven Kingdom Brands

One of the most magnificent attempts to build a humorous bridge between the two worlds was a Game of Brands, cleverly transforming GoT Houses into modern-day enterprises – and placed as an ad break in the middle of an episode. Fittingly, House Stark has moved into the clothing industry, running an outdoor outfit retail brand – ideal for people looking to battle that Winter weather that is Coming, or in general take to hiking on snowy mountains.

The Lannisters, well-known throughout the Seven Kingdoms for being trustworthy in financial matters and repayment of debts, are now running an investment group –so you know that your money is safe with them, unless the Iron Bank of Braavos comes knocking– and on AirTargaryen’s ad we see the shadow of a dragon transformed into one of the airline’s airplanes. Daenerys journey demonstrates that she truly knows no limits, so you should probably trust her when she promises that together you will “own the sky”.

If GoT Characters Were Gamers

GoT fans and gamers are two very wide communities – and they tend to frequently overlap. No surprise then that many attempts to place fan favorites in our mundane world have to do with identifying their favorite game or gaming techniques. Arya Stark would probably go for Assassin’s Creed, what with being involved with faceless assassins in the last couple of seasons and all, while brute Ramsay Bolton would probably go for the mindless destruction opportunities offered by Grand Theft Auto. Contenders for the Iron Throne – including Stannis Barratheon and current occupier Queen Cersei– would probably opt for strategy/battleground games like League of Legends. GoT Houses have even been compared to game developers, much to the excitement of seasoned gamers.

What about more widespread games, like poker – played by millions worldwide either in tournaments, online or on mobile apps? 888poker recently published an article called “A Game of Bluffs,” which interestingly outlines each major character’s poker game profile. Of course Jon Snow would not be able to keep his poker face, letting his impulsive and emotional character get the better of him; after all, he truly knows nothing – why should poker be any different? Grey Worm, on the other hand, would be able to fool everybody with his collected manners and restrained facial expressions, while Tyrion Lannister would prove a witty, resourceful and reliable opponent, relying on Lannister gold to fund his poker rounds.

What is perhaps even more fascinating however, are the true similarities between the GoT storylines and our own history. George R.R. Martin has frequently stated that he draws inspiration from real historical events – and you might be surprised to find how much historical accuracy goes into his version of the story.