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Published 20:36 IST, November 10th 2020

'Game of Thrones' deaths are not so unpredictable, reveals an Irish and UK research

A team of researchers from Ireland and the UK has revealed that the deaths in Game of Thrones are not so unpredictable. See more GOT secrets by researchers here

Reported by: Rohan Patil
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Game of Thrones is considered as one of the most popular TV shows of all time. The fantasy drama series is known for its gripping storyline and unexpected twists and turns. According to a report by ANI, a team of researchers across the UK and Ireland’s five universities recently came together to unravel the secrets of A Song of Ice and Fire. The hit series GOT is based on these books. Irish and UK research has brought forward several interesting findings of the show and the books. Here is a look at the GOT secrets that were unravelled in the Irish and UK research.

GOT secrets revealed by Irish and UK research 

The report mentioned that researchers from five universities consisted of a team of physicists, mathematicians and psychologists from Coventry, Warwick, Limerick, Cambridge and Oxford universities. Irish and UK research team used data science and network theory to analyse the acclaimed book series by George R.R. Martin.

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The research on Game of Thrones books has revealed that the interactions between the characters are arranged similarly to that of how humans maintain their relationships and interact in the real world. Game of Thrones is known for killing major characters in the show randomly in an interesting turn of events. The Irish and UK research on GOT further added that the underlying chronology of characters getting killed is not at all very unpredictable. The team of researchers found that there are over 2000 named characters in A Song of Ice and Fire and more than 41,000 interactions take place between them.

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At chapter by chapter level, these numbers have averaged to be matching what a person can handle in real life. The predominant characters who tell the story averaged out to have only 150 others that they have to keep a track of. This number matches what a human brain has been evolved to deal with.

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George R.R. Martin keeps the level of interest at high by making the deaths look random as the story moves forward. However, the research has shown that when the chronological sequence is reconstructed, the deaths are not random at all. Instead, they reflect how common events have been spread out for non-violent human activities in the real world.

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Researchers talk about the Game of Thrones secret

Padraig MacCarron, a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Social Issues Research and Mathematics Applications Consortium for Science and Industry said, “These books are known for unexpected twists, often in terms of the death of a major character, it is interesting to see how the author arranges the chapters in an order that makes this appear even more random than it would be if told chronologically”

He further mentioned, “Social networks of the most connected characters, while seemingly extensive, mirrored the typical range of social networks that humans maintain. Furthermore, the characters' social networks did not extend beyond the cognitive limit of social connections that humans are able to sustain. Although the time intervals between significant deaths in relation to the story's timeline may appear random, they are not told in chronological order. Re-arranging them in order of which they occur, they follow a pattern more commonly observed in reality”.

A fellow researcher from the University of Oxford Professor Robin Dunbar also talked about the research and said, “This study offers convincing evidence that good writers work very carefully within the psychological limits of the reader”

Image Credits: Game of Thrones Instagram

20:36 IST, November 10th 2020