Science Fiction: the stories of speculation.
Terms tend to change over time, particularly in a genre so undefined as is Science Fiction. So, to make sure we are on the same page, we'll go through a quick definition check. Back when I was studying, Science Fiction was divided into three large categories of kinds of stories – Futurism, Science Fantasy, and Space Opera. (Not so long before that, Fantasy was still considered a category of Science Fiction, actually. But that's an interesting fact that's really beside the point.)
Those three are fairly broad categories that aren't used all that much outside of literary discussions, so most people outside of literary circles won't have heard of them, particularly since at least one of those categories is now dead. But, what did they mean? The idea of Futurism is (or possibly was) the concept of taking a few issues from the modern day, projecting those issues a little into the future, and imagining what the future would be like if we continue down the path that those issues represent, or at least what they represent to the author. More often than not, these were 'Warning Tales' – an alarm cry for a fearful future. Prime exemplar of them: George Orwell's 1984.
But, Futurism has been dead for so long now that an entire generation has grown up in a post-Futurism world. Which is an issue we'll come back to...
Read the full article in Infinite Horizons for FREE at RPGNow.
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