Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy
and speculative
fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term
denotes works set in an era or world where steam
power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often set in Victorian
eraEngland—but
with prominent elements of either science
fiction or fantasy,
such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H.
G. Wells and Jules
Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an
earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate
history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such
technology as dirigibles
or analog
computers; these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or with a
presumption of functionality.
Steampunk is often associated with cyberpunk
and shares a similar fanbase and theme of rebellion, but developed as a separate
movement (though both have considerable influence on each other). Apart from
time period and level of technological development, the main difference between
cyberpunk and steampunk is that steampunk settings usually tend to be less
obviously dystopian
than cyberpunk, or lack dystopian elements entirely.
Various modern utilitarian objects have been modded
by individual craftpersons into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical "steampunk"
style, and a number of visual and musical artists have been described as
steampunk.
Steam Punk is becoming a widely
known trend not just within the video games scene, such as with Bio Shock, but
also as a fashion choice.
Steam Punk is a mix of fantasy and
sci-fi, often seen in a strong mix of Victorian styling with a technological
twist, think cogs, gears, goggles, think steam power! Steam Punk fashion finds
itself spreading ever deeper into our ‘nerd world’, with these often
decadent costumes seen widely at anime and gaming conventions that cosplayers
and costume makers are spending hours upon hours working on, no detail is left
untouched.
The mightest foe of the high seas is the cyber-octopus, whose
massive metal tentacles can strangle the life out of even the greatest warships.
Holy crap I am a sucker for this digital painting by concept
designer Alex
Broeckel, who created it earlier this year for steampunk art contest on CGTalk.
Broeckel has worked over a decade in the film industry as a digital lighting
effects designer on movies like Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
You can check out his
gallery, which is packed with more amazing stuff. Hey Hollywood and Gamewood,
Broeckel is freelance and taking on new clients - hire this guy already!
