Blending-genres, like blending together certain foods, makes an entirely new dish—something special. You may not realize just how much you love #blended-genre because you haven’t really focused on it, just experienced it, like when watching Aliens, Avatar, Shaun of the Dead, Star Wars and so many other blended-genre (or multi-genre if you must) movies. We like to use the word, blend, as we prefer much of our stories to be not just overlapping genres, but genres that have moved in together and feel more natural, like magic used side by side with technology.
Sure, we all love single genre stuff—those sorts of things grab all the attention and most of the shelf space in book stores (they don’t even have blended or multi-genre sections, despite the huge popularity). I discuss this more in my book, Arcane Synthesis, along with presenting 8 blended-genre stories set within our Cosmoverse Campaign Setting.
Not everyone realizes just how many crazy cool things you can do in a blend of genres, rather than sticking with one, as if a pure genre is somehow superior to a blend, which simply isn’t the case. At QT Games we like a thick blend of genres and have devoted ourselves to publishing only blended-genre fiction and games.
Bacon by itself, like fantasy by itself, is great. Eggs? Yep, many enjoy eggs by themselves just as there are plenty of science fiction only fans, but there’s something really special about blending things together. It may not seem natural at first to blend science fiction and fantasy, but when done right, it’s a beautiful thing. You just need a good chef in the kitchen!
At QT Games, we specialize in writing #blended-genre fiction and games. So, it should come as no surprise that I adore blending genres together. As I posted this morning on Twitter:
The Cosmoverse is #blended-genre adventure! Genres go together like bacon and eggs. Embrace the blend!
Recently, I started a fan club on Facebook called the Blended-Genre Collective!
Here’s the description:
The purpose of this group is to provide a friendly environment to discuss blended-genre fiction, movies, art and games—and our favorites!
Specifically, we will discuss topics in which two or more of the following genres are blended together: sci-fi, fantasy, superheroes, horror, mystery, crime, detective and westerns (and blended sub-genres from different parent genres). Because we also love post-apocalyptic and dystopians, they are welcome here too, even when they aren’t blended with other genres.Genres? But I hate even the notion of genres!
No worries! We know the classifications are imperfect, but as long as you focus on the concepts, not the classification system, and maintain a healthy attitude, we’re pretty sure you’ll have fun here regardless!Blended-genre? But I prefer another term!
That’s okay too. We know there are other terms (multi-genre, genre-defying, hybrid genre, etc.) We have our reasons for calling it blended-genre, but this isn’t the forum for lengthy discussions on the topic. We don’t have to agree on everything, and that’s okay. Discussions about terminology are acceptable as long as they are kept brief.
Embrace the blend!
If the Blended-Genre Collective sounds like something you could sink your teeth into, ask to join our group on Facebook and we’ll slip you in! You can also participate in our blended-genre Play-by-Post game at the QT Games Forums, check out Arcane Synthesis (you can read an excerpt at our site), tell us what you think at our Facebook page—lots of ways to get involved! Thanks and have a great weekend, all!
Bob
Have a question or comment? I’d love to hear from you! Post below or email me at bob @ qtgames.com
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