Cultural influence

Although the series was dismissed or patronizingly reviewed, prior to being aired, by some critics on
account of its genre trappings,[97] its subsequent success has been credited with an increased
popularity of fantasy themes and mainstream acceptance of the fantasy fandom. "After this weekend",
CNN.com wrote on the eve of the second season's premiere, "you may be hard pressed to find someone
who isn't a fan of some form of epic fantasy". According to Ian Bogost, Game of Thrones continues a
trend of successful screen adaptations, beginning with Peter Jackson's 2001 The Lord of the Rings film
trilogy and continuing with the Harry Potter films, that have established fantasy as a lucrative mass
market genre and serve as "gateway drugs to fantasy fan culture".[98] The series's success in
overcoming prejudices against fantasy was attributed by writers interviewed by The Guardian to a
general longing for escapism in popular culture, the series's frequent use of female nudity, and its skill in
balancing fun and serious topics dragons and politics that allowed it to claim the sort of prestige
enjoyed by conventional top-tier drama series.[97]

The series' popularity greatly boosted sales of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, soon republished as tie-
in editions, which remained at the top of bestseller lists for months on end. The Daily Beast wrote that
Game of Thrones was a particular favorite of many sitcom writers, and consequently the series has been
referenced in many other TV series.[99] Together with other fantasy series, Game of Thrones has been
deemed responsible for a substantial increase in purchases (and abandonments) of huskies and other
wolf-like dogs.[100]

Game of Thrones has also been the basis of additions to the popular vocabulary. The first season's
frequent scenes in which characters explain their motives or background while having sex with
prostitutes gave rise to the term "sexposition" to describe the practice of providing exposition against a
backdrop of sex and nudity.[101] "Dothraki", the name of the nomadic horsemen appearing in the
series, was listed fourth in a list of words from television most used on the Internet, compiled in
September 2012 by Global Language Monitor.[102] After the second season, the media began using
"Game of Thrones" as a figure of speech or as a comparison for situations of intense conflict and deceit,
e.g., the court battles about US healthcare legislation,[103] the Syrian civil war[104] or power struggles
in the Chinese government.[105