Poll: That old question Fantasy or Sci fi

[Vanitas likes Bubbles]

Pfft.... Neither, I prefer steampunk bitchesssss.

Unless of course that's either a sub category of fantasy or Sci fi.

Though if push came to shove and I had to choose between the two then I prefer JRPG fantasy then Tolkien rip off fantasy and sci fi is just too nerdy for me.

 

[Breadline]

As odd as this sounds, fantasy usually feels more grounded and familiar to me.

With sci-fi, everyone else has common working knowledge of (and generally access to) future technology, which is basically just sci-fi's version of magic. That often leaves me feeling somewhat disconnected when I'm dropped into this huge universe where every random character probably took calculus in the 2nd grade and the power of future technologies means everybody except me is connected to each other with plenty of common understandings that I am not automatically privy to.

So it often feels like my understanding of the world is constantly dependent on how much other characters will bother to stop and explain it, leaving me feeling like an outsider. In fantasy, I tend to feel much more confident in how the world works and if something magical happens then there's a good chance it's just as much of a learning experience for other characters as it is for me.

I also tend to prefer the visuals of fantasy more than sci-fi. I'm not a big fan of the blue and gray everywhere nor the structure and architecture of robots and ships and future machines.

I do enjoy both, but in general I like the concept of fantasy better.

 

[Imthatguy]

Sci-fi is a subgenre of fantasy...
But I prefer "traditional" fantasy more so than sci-fi.

Hate to burst your bubble but Sci-Fi is a subgenre of speculative fiction

 

[Scorekeeper]

Couldn't be asked reading any of that, You are obviously just insecure.

And with waay to much time on your hands btw, look at that beast you just wrote to try and justify someone else's argument about Star Wars.
Way I see it you are a desperately sad Star Wars nerd, post all the pop culture memes you want it does not win the argument. Or make my argument that he was wrong any less valid.

Plus it is about Star Wars it is a made up world so grow up.

To people like you I just have to respond, GET A LIFE. You must have spent at least a quarter of an hour on that, list and the quotes. Get rid of your toy light sabre and get some vitamin D this weekend huh?

Congratulations, you are now the most deplorable person in this thread. Dismissing your opponent's argument under the speculative supposition that they don't get out as much as you do was getting old 10 years ago. I don't even care about what the argument was, saying something like that on a GAMING FORUM is grounds for digging yourself into one of the deepest holes imaginable.

Oh come on he is trying to prove me wrong about Star Wars and I have just stopped giving a sh*t, take a look at the later posts. If he is willing to type behemoths about made up planets to justify an argument made by another star wars fan what can you do? apart from question if he is making good use of his time.......Wait I know fuck this thread.

Oh, come on, verdant monkai. You're not even going to try? Just a bit? For me? What if I say, "Pretty please with a cherry on top?" Well, I suppose I should thank you for concisely making my point for me. Funny thing is that the last two paragraphs were on topic. Thank you for your time.

On-topic: I don't really care much whether something is fantasy or sci-fi either way as long as it's the type that I like. Judging by pure concept, I'd have to say I find sci-fi more interesting just because the future is more interesting than the pseudo-past.

I'm still waiting for a good hybrid work with massive space battles fueled by magic. Futuristic fantasy, if you will. Maybe something set in the Spelljammer universe. That'd be interesting.

That sounds pretty cool. What is this Spelljammer of which you speak?

 

[verdant monkai]

Oh, come on, verdant monkai. You're not even going to try? Just a bit? For me? What if I say, "Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

Sniff Sniff Nooo you made me cwy...
Oh ok then since you asked nicely, I know I said I didn't want to go down to your level but sigh here it is.
Know that scene from attack of the clones when they chase that bounty hunter into a bar? Course you do! Now imagine I am Obiwan and you are the drug dealer.

You: Wanna argue about Star Wars?

Me: You dont want to argue about Star Wars.

You: Ehheehh I don't wanna argue about Star Wars.

Me: You want to go home and rethink your life.

You: I wanna go ho.. Wait no I don't I Wanna argue about Star Wars.

Satisfied?

Look here matey this argument is not worth either of our time. Lets agree that we both love Star Wars, battle droids are funny and :-

That guy was wrong when he said those three planets were, the only single environment planets there are more.

I over reacted, but I am not as interested, and I don't know or care about Star Wars as much as you two.

And you are officially the guy in the image you posted.

So lets put this behind us ok?

 

[Scorekeeper]

That sounds pretty cool. What is this Spelljammer of which you speak?

Just this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spelljammer

I looked it up on Wikipedia this morning. Seems pretty cool. I'm not a tabletop gamer but I'd be interested in a video game in that setting. Too bad only one's been made.

Oh, come on, verdant monkai. You're not even going to try? Just a bit? For me? What if I say, "Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

Sniff Sniff Nooo you made me cwy...
Oh ok then since you asked nicely, I know I said I didn't want to go down to your level but sigh here it is.
Know that scene from attack of the clones when they chase that bounty hunter into a bar? Course you do! Now imagine I am Obiwan and you are the drug dealer.

You: Wanna argue about Star Wars?

Me: You dont want to argue about Star Wars.

You: Ehheehh I don't wanna argue about Star Wars.

Me: You want to go home and rethink your life.

You: I wanna go ho.. Wait no I don't I Wanna argue about Star Wars.

Satisfied?

Look here matey this argument is not worth either of our time. Lets agree that we both love Star Wars, battle droids are funny and :-

That guy was wrong when he said those three planets were, the only single environment planets there are more.

I over reacted, but I am not as interested, and I don't know or care about Star Wars as much as you two.

And you are officially the guy in the image you posted.

So lets put this behind us ok?

First, thanks for humoring me. His statement that Tatooine, Hoth, and Dagobah were the exceptions to the rule that the planets were earth-like was incorrect. However, so was your assertion that each planet had but one environment.

I'm OK with being the guy in the picture for this conversation, since I don't usually bother with this sort of thing. I don't have enough free time to do this often, anyway. That said, I'm willing to accept your gracious extension of the olive branch and put this argument behind us.

Regarding sci-fi and fantasy, I like it when sci-fi has fantastical elements. Mass Effect is one such example. Its science is usually pretty hard but it occasionally violates the laws of physics. I let it slide because it gives me a chance to use magic in space.

 

[Whitewillow]

Yeesh, pick one? Really? I'm a huge fan of both genres but I have a tendency towards Fantasy. I was reading/playing Fantasy from a very early age but it took a few years extra for me to get in to Sci-Fi.

 

[verdant monkai]

First, thanks for humoring me. His statement that Tatooine, Hoth, and Dagobah were the exceptions to the rule that the planets were earth-like was incorrect. However, so was your assertion that each planet had but one environment.

I'm OK with being the guy in the picture for this conversation, since I don't usually bother with this sort of thing. I don't have enough free time to do this often, anyway. That said, I'm willing to accept your gracious extension of the olive branch and put this argument behind us.

Regarding sci-fi and fantasy, I like it when sci-fi has fantastical elements. Mass Effect is one such example. Its science is usually pretty hard but it occasionally violates the laws of physics. I let it slide because it gives me a chance to use magic in space.

No problem I would much rather be friends than argue, my apologies for saying you have no life, that was a rude assumption.
As for the planets I accept your judgement on them.

As for Sci fi / fantasy, I have never found a good example of it. I saw this thing called Star Grunt once (it was as bad as it sounds) and I vaguely remember others but they to the best of my knowledge were not brilliant. Could you provide some example you have enjoyed?

 

[Scorekeeper]

No problem I would much rather be friends than argue, my apologies for saying you have no life, that was a rude assumption.
As for the planets I accept your judgement on them.

As for Sci fi / fantasy, I have never found a good example of it. I saw this thing called Star Grunt once (it was as bad as it sounds) and I vaguely remember others but they to the best of my knowledge were not brilliant. Could you provide some example you have enjoyed?

No problem. And thank you.

Star Wars, The Matrix, and The Avengers are science fantasy movies. The first two feature "Chosen Ones", prophecies, magical powers, etc. Doctor Who has evolved into science fantasy over the years. Final Fantasy VII is a good example of the genre, as is Chrono Trigger. Kingdom Hearts is firmly on the fantasy side of this, though it features laser-armed spaceships traveling between fantasy worlds. BioShock is this, as one of its themes, "science run amok", places it sci-fi, while shooting lightning, fire, ice, bees, what have you from your hands places it in fantasy. For novels, Heroes Die by Matthew Stover is this.

EDIT:

Science fantasy often overlaps with subgenres like cyberpunk (Matrix) and steampunk (BioShock. I know steam isn't actually used in BioShock but the game's evocative of the aesthetics associated with steampunk. Some, like Star Wars are sci-fi with fantasy, while others are fantasy with sci-fi, as is the case with Kingdom Hearts.

 

[Wintermoot]

I like cyberpunk although I also enjoy mixes between Sci-Fi and Fantasy like Star Wars and Doctor Who.

 

[Scorekeeper]

In a way, it's silly to define something based on superficial characteristics like whether it features dragons or spaceships. If a fantasy book were to deal with science, I'd be more likely to think of it as sci-fi than I would if a sci-fi book were to deal with psychic powers over actual science.

 

[verdant monkai]

No problem I would much rather be friends than argue, my apologies for saying you have no life, that was a rude assumption.
As for the planets I accept your judgement on them.

As for Sci fi / fantasy, I have never found a good example of it. I saw this thing called Star Grunt once (it was as bad as it sounds) and I vaguely remember others but they to the best of my knowledge were not brilliant. Could you provide some example you have enjoyed?

No problem. And thank you.

Star Wars, The Matrix, and The Avengers are science fantasy movies. The first two feature "Chosen Ones", prophecies, magical powers, etc. Doctor Who has evolved into science fantasy over the years. Final Fantasy VII is a good example of the genre, as is Chrono Trigger. Kingdom Hearts is firmly on the fantasy side of this, though it features laser-armed spaceships traveling between fantasy worlds. BioShock is this, as one of its themes, "science run amok", places it sci-fi, while shooting lightning, fire, ice, bees, what have you from your hands places it in fantasy. For novels, Heroes Die by Matthew Stover is this.

EDIT:

Science fantasy often overlaps with subgenres like cyberpunk (Matrix) and steampunk (BioShock. I know steam isn't actually used in BioShock but the game's evocative of the aesthetics associated with steampunk. Some, like Star Wars are sci-fi with fantasy, while others are fantasy with sci-fi, as is the case with Kingdom Hearts.

Now FF7 I have played and really enjoyed you are right there it is a very good example of a combination of the two.
I tend to categorize stuff like the Avengers into the super hero sub genre.
A lot of people are saying that the Star Wars is a mix technically thats true I suppose but, it is generally accepted that Star Wars is a sci fi right.
Although perhaps if I wrote a novel about my romance with Proton, with her Neutron husband as the bad guy that would be a more aptly named science fiction? I propose a new term for this genre FU FI (future fiction) see how much better that sounds?

p.s Hope I have proved my ego is not the size of a Death Star now.

 

[Scorekeeper]

Now FF7 I have played and really enjoyed you are right there it is a very good example of a combination of the two.
I tend to categorize stuff like the Avengers into the super hero sub genre.
A lot of people are saying that the Star Wars is a mix technically thats true I suppose but, it is generally accepted that Star Wars is a sci fi right.
Although perhaps if I wrote a novel about my romance with Proton, with her Neutron husband as the bad guy that would be a more aptly named science fiction? I propose a new term for this genre FU FI (future fiction) see how much better that sounds?

p.s Hope I have proved my ego is not the size of a Death Star now.

Superhero stuff tends to get its own category, which makes sense, since its unified by more than just what kinds of devices you find (magic amulet vs personal shield generator). Classifying it superficially highlights the coexistence of magic, gods, robots, powered armor, etc. Classifying it based on what it sets out to do highlights its superheroic nature, which tells the reader/viewer more useful information than whether it's sci-fi, fantasy, or both.

Star Wars is often viewed as space opera, a subgenre of sci-fi. However, there are a few things that make its classification as sci-fi not work so well. First, it's set a great distance away and in the past, similar to fairy/folk tales and more modern versions of fantasy. Sci-fi tends to be set in the future, even if only the near-future. Second, it has magic, prophecies, and whatnot, classic staples of the fantasy genre. Third, I believe George Lucas has referred to it as "space fantasy".

Yeah, that'd probably be sci-fi. I'm not terribly fond of genre classifications, myself. A romance/horror/sci-fi novel would be awfully hard to place in just one section of a bookstore.

P.S. You seemed to prove that when you apologized and continued in a mature and non-antagonistic manner. I apologize for implying that you had that character flaw. I think we've moved on.

 

[Johnny Impact]

The line isn't really a line, it's quite blurry. Take classic Star Trek, for example. Every third episode involved some capricious being with godlike power treating the Enterprise and its crew like toys -- just like the Greco-Roman gods used to do in old stories. Nonhumans were usually humans with body paint and prosthetic antennae. The show dealt with mind control, interspecies conflict, trust and betrayal, and other universal themes. It wasn't really about the technology, the science, at all. The "science" was just some hogwash the writers made up. Trek was a fantasy, it just took place in space. Convert Trek to historical fantasy and you'd have the same show. Think about it: replace the starship with an ocean-going vessel, the space frontier with unexplored seas, the godlike beings with genies or Olympian deities, phasers with crossbows or magic wands, pastel-colored nonhumans with elves and trolls........is there any reason whatsoever the characters couldn't have had exactly the same personalities and relationships, any reason the same conflicts couldn't have occurred?

 

[SoranMBane]

Depends on the medium, actually. While I like both no matter what, I tend to prefer fantasy in my novels and comics, and sci-fi in my games and films. Probably because the high adventure and intrigue of fantasy are more suited to the longer, slower-paced format of a novel or the more stylized imagery of a comic, while sci-fi provides a lot more of the kind of spectacle and new ideas that make games and movies so exciting. I suppose sci-fi wins out overall, though, since my favourite medium is games and the vast majority of my favourite games are sci-fi.

 

[Cannibal Johnson]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who said this but I like both mainly because of Warhammer 40k. I'ts one of those things that's hard to classify. It obviously has Sci-Fi but it also has Fantasy elements mixed in.

 

[loc978]

I tend to view most "fantasy" tropes with derision, mostly because I've seen them play out too many times before.

That said, hard sci-fi, depending on the subject matter and writing, is usually a bit boring and laden with a bit too much technical jargon.

But I lean toward sci-fi, simply because of the sheer volume of cookie-cutter generic fantasy.

Also... Star Wars isn't sci-fi. It's actually a fantasy space opera, and one of the better fantasy works out there. Mass Effect started as a sci-fi, and then went all in for a space fantasy revamp in the second installment. WarHammer 40k... space fantasy through and through, very few sci-fi elements.

 

[Lunar Templar]

fantasy

simply because there's more fun stuff in 'fantasy' and game wise, more empowerment.

scifi games generally have as a dood with a gun, mowing doods down at a distance.

oh joy ....

fantasy general has you as a big burly dood mowing doods down up close or as a dood mowing doods down with magics.

magic is better then guns, and you can do a lot more with it.
swords are better then guns because guns are for cowards

 

[OZWIN]

Not a fan of either quite frankly, I'd rather watch something more real but that is just me.

 

[shrekfan246]

I popped in to this thread just to ask "Why do people need to prefer one?" just to see that a bunch of other people had asked already... now I don't know what to do.

I dunno what to say, OP, I don't prefer one over the other. I like The Witcher 2 and World of Warcraft just as much as I like Star Trek, Star Wars, or Mass Effect.

I suppose magic for the sake of magic is a bit more interesting than "Biologically engineered abilities harnessed and focused via the use of some sort of technology chip", but then you get something like Star Wars that has "Magic! In space!" (Ignoring the "Magic! In bacteria!" thing that George Lucas added later...)

Swords and axes are more viscerally satisfying than guns, but then you get something like Painkiller that has a gun that shoots shurikens and lightning. Or the mini-nuke launcher from Mass Effect 2. Or any countless number of bolter-type weapons from games like Halo or Gears of War where the shot lodges a bolt in the target that explodes a few seconds later. Or the shotguns in Borderlands that did a wide wave-like spread that bounced and ricocheted off of things.

So I dunno.

EDIT: I suppose that overall, fantasy is a bit more appealing to me than strict "Science Fiction", as things like 2001: A Space Odyssey feel very overblown and bland to me, while The Lord of the Rings is something that I can really get into.