What makes Steampunk so popular?

[UpSkirtDistress]

I can think of very few examples of steampunk in a game or film that was generally considered great. Still there is a demand for more games to be made steampunk.

What steampunk games so you like and what makes it so popular.

(I don't want to hear an outcry of Bioshock ,it was great yes but besides that if you can)

 

[Flap Jack452]

I have literally no idea what steam punk is, and can't be bothered to look it up, so: BIOSHOCK!

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

[spoiler/][img/]http://api.ning.com/files/FBPVqMSZ1mBtWLlauyumh8d*CCL8-IwD*jE-O3aWRMox7QcObLTSBzYaZ59pgDBqBfZO19G6OE1BH4LdjcBA0ZzvtmXIfzF8/steampunk.jpg[/img][/spoiler]

Because it's history.. but badass.

 

[dragontiers]

I think it's probably the mix of retro feel with techie cool. It's like mixing a cool western with cool sci-fi gadgets. That and rocket packs. There are always rocket packs with steampunk, for some reason.

 

[SmilingKitsune]

Because it's made of pure, liquid win?
A few reasons I love it are the unique aesthetic, the sense of adventure that permeates everything steampunk and because airships are just really really cool.

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

[spoiler/][img/]http://api.ning.com/files/FBPVqMSZ1mBtWLlauyumh8d*CCL8-IwD*jE-O3aWRMox7QcObLTSBzYaZ59pgDBqBfZO19G6OE1BH4LdjcBA0ZzvtmXIfzF8/steampunk.jpg[/img][/spoiler]

Because it's history.. but badass.

I couldn't not make that picture my new desktop.

 

[ThaBenMan]

Arcanum was a pretty sweet steampunk game.

I think it's popular for a couple reasons -

1. It's not nearly as over-used and worn out as your mom a lot of other genres like badass space marine sci-fi or generic Tolkien-esque fantasy

2. The old-timey brass n' gears n' pipes aesthetic is quite beautiful and pleasing (to me at least)

 

[UpSkirtDistress]

Arcanum was a pretty sweet steampunk game.

I think it's popular for a couple reasons -

1. It's not nearly as over-used and worn out as your mom a lot of other genres like badass space marine sci-fi or generic Tolkien-esque fantasy

2. The old-timey brass n' gears n' pipes aesthetic is quite beautiful and pleasing (to me at least)

But Arcanum was sweet because it mixed steampunk and magic/fantasy so well. What pure steampunk games are really good.

 

[Inverse Skies]

It just looks cool, with the ideas of massive gears and pistons and boilers and those sorts of things. It's just... cool, for lack of a better word.

 

[Gitsnik]

Thief.

/thread

But seriously, I enjoyed steampunk from way back in my D&D games, one of the coolest campaigns we ever did mirrored very closely a thief story line (albeit with a party and before Thief came out) - so you can imagine how much fun we had with it. Steampunk seems to be like Pulp Fiction - for no discernible reason some people like it and some people don't, it's kind of arbitrary like that.

 

[snake_charm]

Airships, goggles, and ray guns.
Pure awesomeness.

 

[ThaBenMan]

Arcanum was a pretty sweet steampunk game.

I think it's popular for a couple reasons -

1. It's not nearly as over-used and worn out as your mom a lot of other genres like badass space marine sci-fi or generic Tolkien-esque fantasy

2. The old-timey brass n' gears n' pipes aesthetic is quite beautiful and pleasing (to me at least)

But Arcanum was sweet because it mixed steampunk and magic/fantasy so well. What pure steampunk games are really good.

Hmmm... I'm having a hard time thinking of any purely steampunk games at all - like I said, it hasn't been done to death

 

[Good morning blues]

People like steampunk mostly because it hasn't been run into the ground and to a lesser extent because it's a very unique and appealing aesthetic. It's underused, and accordingly I would like to see it be better used.

 

[Moormur]

2. The old-timey brass n' gears n' pipes aesthetic is quite beautiful and pleasing (to me at least)

This.

For me it's the asthetic (with maybe a bit of nostalgia for Myst Epicness) that makes me enjoy steampunk art. I have about 20 steampunk backgrounds thrown into my regular Screenthemes rotation so every now and then I see some and smile.

This is probably my favorite of the backgrounds:

http://steampunkwallpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/guestglass-clockwork.jpg

 

[Zeraki]

I never even knew what Steampunk was, but pantsoffdanceoff's explanation pretty much cleared that up. Also, the first thing that popped into my head when I saw that picture was 'Steampunk Lincoln', and that is now my favorite phrase... ever. "Lets see that Nancy boy John Wilkes get me now!"-fires wrist mounted Gatling gun-

EDIT

Is Final Fantasy VI considered Steampunk? Because if it is, then I think Steampunk is awesome.

 

[hopeneverdies]

The sheer power that gears and pistons hold, brass is a very pleasant graphic, 19th century was pretty cool. It was the true age of innovation. Steampunk, yeah.

 

[Avatar Roku]

Having recently been playing Metroid Prime 3, the Steampunk planet Elysia in that game sticks out. It's my favorite planet in the game, just because the feel is so amazing (probably helps that it has an amazing soundtrack as well).

 

[Grae]

I prefer cyberpunk any day of the week, and you don't see those much anymore. I prefer anything futuristic to anything old, tbh. But Steampunk's a good enough filler.

Arcanum is one of my favorite games of all time, it's good to know other people have played it lol...but yeah, it wasn't "pure steampunk" if that's what you're looking for. It probably couldn't be called a fad yet, though I understand the feeling.

Bioshock created a huge uproar for a good reason, it oozed atmosphoere. And it at least opened peoples' eyes to this alt storytelling design, so we are seeing interesting things come about since it's release.

 

[theSovietConnection]

Arcanum was a pretty sweet steampunk game.

I think it's popular for a couple reasons -

1. It's not nearly as over-used and worn out as your mom a lot of other genres like badass space marine sci-fi or generic Tolkien-esque fantasy

2. The old-timey brass n' gears n' pipes aesthetic is quite beautiful and pleasing (to me at least)

But Arcanum was sweet because it mixed steampunk and magic/fantasy so well. What pure steampunk games are really good.

Hmmm... I'm having a hard time thinking of any purely steampunk games at all - like I said, it hasn't been done to death

Steambot Chronicles was purely steampunk, and was a pretty good game as well, in my opinion.

 

[sims629]

it is just that it has that old school feel that alot of people, me included, love. i feel it is that retro always sunset type of sceanery. Oh and i just have to say...BIOSHOCK.