Why is Medieval European fantasy so popular?
>>44647643
There's enough variety to it to be adapted to most things and it's before gunpowder dominated but before you were either Roman or shit.
>>44647643because all the losers in the world are whiteboys
>>44647643
Because of the evil heteronormative, racially insensitive patriarchy.
>>44647900
Then why do so many people campaign for diversity and shit in fantasy?
Romanticism.
No oppressive, well-organized states that force your characters to lay low. Lots of room for little wars, superstition and magic.
It's familiar to a lot of people. Most people grew up with medieval European-themed fantasy, Tolkien, King Arthur, stuff like that. The only thing that's really rivaling it nowadays is Japanese culture through anime, or depending on what country you live in, what's local - in America, folk tales like Pecos Bill or Paul Bunyan.
There's honestly only been any real focus on other cultures and their history in the last century or so, and oftentimes it's just so alien to most people they'd rather stick with what's familiar.
>>44647643
A variety of reasons :
It's probably your culture, so you have more affinities with it than with the hindu age of legends (and if it's not, you have integrated enough of it via the american/western cultural hegemony). The structures and motivations are likeable and eay to understand for you.
Fantasy is mostly based around fairy tales, which take place in a kinda medieval setting. Scholastic legends are less present. Why is it so, because it's popular (in the litteral sense) and easily available ; creating a game about african mythos is gonna take a considerable amount of research. And time and money are not something designers have in infinite quantities. Also Tolkien.
It's your own prism : when you see a dragon, you probably think medieval europe (which isn't completely right); when you see a lamia, you think cool monster and not greek mythos. Because you cannot associate those elements to their respective settings if you don't know about the latter.
It's a generally cool period, with the good amount of tech, population, organization and individualism.
It's a virtuous circle for the most part: med-fan sells more, so producers market it a lot, so it sells even more... Until someone makes a good exotic work that creates a new fad.
>>44647643
Because Westerners -- and particularly, Western creators -- have a direct tie to, and are likely to have more knowledge of, the histories that have inspired that kind of fantasy.
Which is a shame, for people that have been overexposed to it and are thus kind of sick of it.
>>44647643
It's cool, has a lot of material to produce content off AND it's quite relatable.
>>44647643
Because motherfuckin' knights.
>>44647643
Because Western society is familiar with it (and Eastern European + Middle Eastern fantasy because those societies interacted with medieval europe significantly).
>>44647900
Make a good Fantasy setting inspired by something else and I'll be happy to play it.
Until then I'll stick with what's available, works, and is fun.
