Steampunk may also incorporate additional elements from the genres offantasy,horror,historical fiction, alternate history or other branches ofspeculative fiction, making it often ahybrid genre.[9] As a form of speculative fiction, it explores alternative futures or pasts but can also address real-world social issues.[10] The first known appearance of the termsteampunk was in 1987, though it now retroactively refers to many works of fiction created as far back as the 1950s or earlier.[11] A popular subgenre is Japanese steampunk, consisting of steampunk-themedmanga andanime.[12]
Steampunk also refers to any of the artistic styles, clothing fashions, orsubcultures that have developed from the aesthetics of steampunk fiction,Victorian-era fiction,art nouveau design, and films from the mid-20th century.[13] Various modern utilitarian objects have beenmodded by individual artisans into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical 'steampunk' style, and a number of visual and musical artists have been described as steampunk.[14]
Print (c. 1902) byAlbert Robida showing a futuristic view of air travel over Paris in the year 2000 as people leave the opera"Maison tournante aérienne" (aerial rotating house) byAlbert Robida for his bookLe Vingtième siècle. La vie électrique, a 19th-century conception of life in the 20th century
Although many works now considered seminal to the genre were published in the 1960s and 1970s, the term "steampunk" originated largely in the 1980s[26] as atongue-in-cheek variant of "cyberpunk". It was coined by science fiction authorK. W. Jeter,[27] who was trying to find a general term for works byTim Powers (The Anubis Gates, 1983),James Blaylock (Homunculus, 1986), and himself (Morlock Night, 1979, andInfernal Devices, 1987) — all of which took place in a 19th-century (usually Victorian) setting and imitated conventions of such actual Victorian speculative fiction asH. G. Wells'The Time Machine. In a letter to science fiction magazineLocus,[26] printed in the April 1987 issue, Jeter wrote:
Dear Locus,
Enclosed is a copy of my 1979 novelMorlock Night; I'd appreciate your being so good as to route it to Faren Miller, as it's a prime piece of evidence in the great debate as to who in "the Powers/Blaylock/Jeter fantasy triumvirate" was writing in the "gonzo-historical manner" first. Though of course, I did find her review in the March Locus to be quite flattering.
Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like "steam-punks," perhaps....
The first use of the word "steampunk" in a title was inPaul Di Filippo's 1995Steampunk Trilogy,[21] consisting of three short novels: "Victoria", "Hottentots", and "Walt and Emily", which, respectively, imagine the replacement ofQueen Victoria by a human/newt clone; an invasion of Massachusetts byLovecraftian monsters, drawing its title from the historic racial taxonomy"hottentot"; and a love affair betweenWalt Whitman andEmily Dickinson.
Japanese steampunk consists of steampunkmanga comics andanime productions from Japan.[12] Steampunk elements have consistently appeared in mainstream manga since the 1940s, dating back toOsamu Tezuka's epic science-fiction trilogy consisting ofLost World (1948),Metropolis (1949) andNextworld (1951). The steampunk elements found in manga eventually made their way into mainstream anime productions starting in the 1970s. Influenced by 19th-century European authors such as Jules Verne, steampunk anime and manga arose from a Japanese fascination with an imaginary fantastical version of oldIndustrial Europe, linked to a phenomenon calledakogare no Pari ("theParis of our dreams"), comparable to theWest's fascination with an "exotic"East.[34]
The most influential steampunk animator wasHayao Miyazaki, who was creating steampunk anime since the 1970s, starting with the television showFuture Boy Conan (1978).[34] His mangaNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1982) and its1984 anime film adaptation also contained steampunk elements. Miyazaki's most influential steampunk production was theStudio Ghibli anime filmLaputa: Castle in the Sky (1986), which became a major milestone in the genre and has been described byThe Steampunk Bible as "one of the first modern steampunk classics."[35] Archetypal steampunk elements inLaputa includeairships,air pirates, steam-poweredrobots, and a view ofsteam power as a limitless but potentially dangerous source of power.[34]
Steampunk used to be confused withretrofuturism.[39] Indeed, both sensibilities recall "the older but still modern eras in which technological change seemed to anticipate a better world, one remembered as relatively innocent of industrial decline." For some scholars, retrofuturism is considered a strand of steampunk, one that looks at alternatives to historical imagination and usually created with the same kinds of social protagonists and written for the same type of audiences.[40]
One of steampunk's most significant contributions is the way in which it mixesdigital media with traditional handmade art forms. As scholars Rachel Bowser and Brian Croxall put it, "the tinkering and tinker-able technologies within steampunk invite us to roll up our sleeves and get to work re-shaping our contemporary world."[41] In this respect, steampunk bears much in common withDIY craft andbricolage artmaking.[42]
Many of the visualisations of steampunk have their origins with, among others,Walt Disney's film20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954),[43] including the design of the story's submarine theNautilus, its interiors, and the crew's underwater gear.
Aspects of steampunk design emphasise a balance betweenform and function.[44] In this, it is like theArts and Crafts Movement. ButJohn Ruskin,William Morris, and the other reformers in the late nineteenth century rejected machines and industrial production. In contrast, steampunk enthusiasts present a "non-luddite critique of technology". In Dutch amusement parkDe Efteling, there is a dive coaster themed to a steampunk Victorian haunted goldmine calledBaron 1898.[45]
Various modern utilitarian objects have been modified by enthusiasts into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical "steampunk" style.[24][46] Examples includecomputer keyboards andelectric guitars.[47] The goal of such redesigns is to employ appropriate materials (such as polished brass, iron, wood, and leather) with design elements and craftsmanship consistent with the Victorian era,[21][48] rejecting the aesthetic ofindustrial design.[44]
Paris metro station "Arts et Métiers", designed in 1994 to honor the works of Jules Verne
In 1994, the Paris Metro station atArts et Métiers was redesigned by Belgian artistFrancois Schuiten in steampunk style, to honor the works of Jules Verne. The station is reminiscent of a submarine, sheathed in brass with giant cogs in the ceiling andportholes that look out onto fanciful scenes.[49][50]
The artist groupKinetic Steam Works[51] brought a working steam engine to theBurning Man festival in 2006 and 2007.[52] The group's founding member, Sean Orlando, created a Steampunk Tree House (in association with a group of people who would later form theFive Ton Crane Arts Group[53]) that has been displayed at a number of festivals.[54][55] The Steampunk Tree House is now permanently installed at theDogfish Head Brewery inMilton, Delaware.[56]
The Neverwas Haul is a three-story, self-propelled mobile art vehicle built to resemble a Victorian house on wheels. Designed by Shannon O'Hare, it was built by volunteers in 2006 and presented at the Burning Man festival from 2006 through 2015.[57] When fully built, the Haul propelled itself at a top speed of 5 miles per hour and required a crew of ten people to operate safely. Currently, the Neverwas Haul makes her home at Obtainium Works, an "art car factory" inVallejo, CA owned by O'Hare and home to several other self-styled "contraptionists".[58]
In May–June 2008, multimedia artist and sculptorPaul St George exhibited outdoor interactive video installations linking London andBrooklyn, New York, in a Victorian era-styledtelectroscope.[59][60] Utilizing this device, New York promoter Evelyn Kriete organised a transatlantic wave between steampunk enthusiasts from both cities,[61] prior toWhite Mischief'sAround the World in 80 Days steampunk-themed event.[62]
Tim Wetherell'sclockwork universe sculpture atQuestacon, Canberra, Australia (September 24, 2009)
In 2009, forQuestacon, artist Tim Wetherell created a large wall piece that represented the concept of theclockwork universe. This steel artwork contains moving gears, a working clock, and a movie of the moon's terminator in action. The 3D moon movie was created by Antony Williams.[63]
Steampunk became a common descriptor for homemade objects sold on the craft networkEtsy between 2009 and 2011,[64] though many of the objects and fashions bear little resemblance to earlier established descriptions of steampunk. Thus the craft network may not strike observers as "sufficiently steampunk" to warrant its use of the term. ComedianApril Winchell, author of the bookRegretsy: Where DIY Meets WTF, cataloged some of the most egregious and humorous examples on her website "Regretsy".[65] The blog was popular among steampunks and even inspired a music video that went viral in the community and was acclaimed by steampunk "notables".[66]
From October 2009 through February 2010, theMuseum of the History of Science, Oxford, hosted the first major exhibition of steampunk art objects, curated and developed by New York artist and designer Art Donovan,[67] who also exhibited his own "electro-futuristic" lighting sculptures, and presented by Dr. Jim Bennett, museum director.[68] From redesigned practical items to fantastical contraptions, this exhibition showcased the work of eighteen steampunk artists from around the globe. The exhibit proved to be the most successful and highly attended in the museum's history and attracted more than eighty thousand visitors. The event was detailed in the official artist's journalThe Art of Steampunk, by curator Donovan.[69]
In November 2010,The Libratory Steampunk Art Gallery was opened by Damien McNamara inOamaru, New Zealand. Created from papier-mâché to resemble a large cave and filled with industrial equipment from yesteryear,rayguns, and general steampunk quirks, its purpose is to provide a place for steampunkers in the region to display artwork for sale all year long. A year later, a more permanent gallery,Steampunk HQ, was opened in the former Meeks Grain Elevator Building across the road from The Woolstore, and has since become a notable tourist attraction for Oamaru.[70][71][72]
AuthorG. D. Falksen, wearing a steampunk-styled arm prosthesis (created byThomas Willeford), exemplifying one take on steampunk fashion
Steampunk fashion has no set guidelines but tends to synthesize modern styles with influences from the Victorian era. Such influences may includebustles,corsets, gowns, andpetticoats; suits withwaistcoats, coats,top hats[73] andbowler hats (themselves originating in 1850 England),tailcoats andspats; or military-inspired garments. Steampunk-influenced outfits are usually accented with several technological and "period" accessories: timepieces,parasols, flying/driving goggles,[74] and ray guns. Modern accessories like cell phones or music players can be found in steampunk outfits, after being modified to give them the appearance of Victorian-era objects.Post-apocalyptic elements, such as gas masks, ragged clothing, and tribal motifs, can also be included. Aspects of steampunk fashion have been anticipated by mainstream high fashion, theLolita andaristocrat styles, neo-Victorianism, and theRomantic Goth subculture.[23][75][76]
In 2005,Kate Lambert, known as "Kato", founded the first steampunk clothing company, "Steampunk Couture",[77] mixing Victorian and post-apocalyptic influences. In 2013,IBM predicted, based on an analysis of more than a half million public posts on message boards, blogs, social media sites, and news sources, "that 'steampunk,' a subgenre inspired by the clothing, technology and social mores of Victorian society, will be a major trend to bubble up and take hold of the retail industry".[78][79] Indeed, high fashion lines such asPrada,[80]Dolce & Gabbana,Versace,Chanel,[81] andChristian Dior[79] had already been introducing steampunk styles on the fashion runways.
William Gibson andBruce Sterling's novelThe Difference Engine (1990) is often credited with bringing about widespread awareness of steampunk.[8][85] The novel applies the principles of Gibson and Sterling'scyberpunk writings to an alternative Victorian era whereAda Lovelace andCharles Babbage's proposed steam-powered mechanical computer, which Babbage called adifference engine (a later, more general-purpose version was known as anAnalytical Engine), was actually built, and led to the dawn of theInformation Age more than a century "ahead of schedule". This setting was different from most steampunk settings in that it takes a dim and dark view of this future, rather than the more prevalentutopian versions.[citation needed]
Nick Gevers's original anthologyExtraordinary Engines (2008) features newer steampunk stories by some of the genre's writers, as well as other science fiction and fantasy writers experimenting with neo-Victorian conventions. A retrospective reprint anthology of steampunk fiction was released, also in 2008, byTachyon Publications. Edited byAnn andJeff VanderMeer and appropriately entitledSteampunk, it is a collection of stories byJames Blaylock, whose "Narbondo" trilogy is typically considered steampunk;Jay Lake, author of the novelMainspring, sometimes labeled "clockpunk";[86] the aforementioned Michael Moorcock; as well asJess Nevins, known for his annotations toThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (first published in 1999).[87]
Younger readers have also been targeted by steampunk themes, by authors such asPhilip Reeve andScott Westerfeld.[88] Reeve's quartetMortal Engines is set far in Earth's future where giant moving cities consume each other in a battle for resources, a concept Reeve coined asMunicipal Darwinism. Westerfeld'sLeviathan trilogy is set during an alternateFirst World War fought between the "clankers" (Central Powers), who use steam technology, and "darwinists" (Allied Powers), who use genetically engineered creatures instead of machines.[89]
"Mash-ups" are also becoming increasingly popular in books aimed at younger readers, mixing steampunk with other genres.Stefan Bachmann'sThe Peculiar duology was labeled a "steampunk fairytale," and imagines steampunk technology as a means to stave off an incursion offaeries in Victorian England.[90] Suzanne Lazear'sAether Chronicles series also mixes steampunk with faeries, andThe Unnaturalists, by Tiffany Trent, combines steampunk with mythological creatures and alternate history.[91]
Self-described author of "far-fetched fiction"Robert Rankin has incorporated elements of steampunk into narrative worlds that are both Victorian and re-imagined contemporary. In 2009, he was made a Fellow of the Victorian Steampunk Society.[92]
Since the 1990s, the application of the steampunk label has expanded beyond works set in recognisable historical periods, to works set in fantasy worlds that rely heavily on steam- or spring-powered technology.[8] One of the earliest short stories relying on steam-powered flying machines is Percival Leigh's "The Aerial Burglar" first published in 1844.[95] An example from juvenile fiction isThe Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart andChris Riddell.
The gnomes and goblins inWorld of Warcraft also have technological societies that could be described as steampunk,[98] as they are vastly ahead of the technologies ofmen, but still run on steam and mechanical power.
The Dwarves of theElder Scrolls series, described therein as a race of Elves called theDwemer, also use steam-powered machinery, with gigantic brass-like gears, throughout their underground cities. However, magical means are used to keep ancient devices in motion despite the Dwemer's ancient disappearance.[99]
The 1998 gameThief: The Dark Project, as well as the other sequels including its2014 reboot, feature heavy steampunk-inspired architecture, setting, and technology.
Amidst the historical and fantasy subgenres of steampunk is a type that takes place in a hypothetical future or a fantasy equivalent of our future involving the domination of steampunk-style technology and aesthetics. Examples includeJean-Pierre Jeunet andMarc Caro'sThe City of Lost Children (1995),Turn A Gundam (1999–2000),Trigun,[100] andDisney's filmTreasure Planet (2002). In 2011, musicianThomas Dolby heralded his return to music after a 20-year hiatus with an online steampunk alternate fantasy world called the Floating City, to promote his albumA Map of the Floating City.[15]
Kaja Foglio introduced the term "Gaslamp Fantasy", for the seriesGirl Genius.[7]: 78 Gaslamp fantasy, whichJohn Clute andJohn Grant define as "steampunk stories ... most commonly set in a romanticised, smoky, 19th-century London, as are Gaslight Romances. But the latter category focuses nostalgically on icons from the late years of that century and the early years of the 20th century—onDracula,Jekyll and Hyde,Jack the Ripper,Sherlock Holmes and evenTarzan—and can normally be understood as combining supernatural fiction andrecursive fantasy, though some gaslamp romances can be read as fantasies of history."[9] Author/artistJames Richardson-Brown[103] coined the termsteamgoth to refer to steampunk expressions of fantasy andhorror with a "darker" bent.
Mary Shelley'sThe Last Man, set near the end of the 21st century after a plague had brought down civilization, was probably the ancestor of post-apocalyptic steampunk literature. Post-apocalyptic steampunk is set in a world where some cataclysm has precipitated the fall of civilization and steam power is once again ascendant, such as inHayao Miyazaki'spost-apocalyptic animeFuture Boy Conan (1978, loosely based onAlexander Key'sThe Incredible Tide (1970)),[100] where a war fought with superweapons has devastated the planet.Robert Brown's novel,The Wrath of Fate (as well as much ofAbney Park's music) is set in a Victorianesque world where an apocalypse was set into motion by a time-traveling mishap.Cherie Priest'sBoneshaker series is set in a world where azombie apocalypse happened during theCivil War era.The Peshawar Lancers byS.M. Stirling is set in a post-apocalyptic future in which ameteor shower in 1878 caused the collapse of industrialized civilization. The movie9 (which might be better classified as "stitchpunk" but was largely influenced by steampunk)[104] is also set in a post-apocalyptic world after a self-aware war machine ran amok.Steampunk Magazine even published a book calledA Steampunk's Guide to the Apocalypse, about how steampunks could survive should such a thing actually happen.
In general, this category includes any recent science fiction that takes place in a recognizable historical period (sometimes analternate history version of an actual historical period) in which theIndustrial Revolution has already begun, butelectricity is not yet widespread, "usually Britain of the early to mid-nineteenth century or the fantasizedWild West-era United States",[105] with an emphasis on steam- or spring-propelled gadgets. The most common historical steampunk settings are theVictorian andEdwardian eras, though some in this "Victorian steampunk"[106] category are set as early as the beginning of theIndustrial Revolution and as late as the end ofWorld War I.
"Historical" steampunk usually leans more towards science fiction than fantasy, but a number of historical steampunk stories have incorporated magical elements as well. For example,Morlock Night, written byK. W. Jeter, revolves around an attempt by the wizardMerlin to raiseKing Arthur to save theBritain of 1892 from an invasion ofMorlocks from the future.[8]
Paul Guinan'sBoilerplate, a "biography" of a robot in the late 19th century, began as a website that garnered international press coverage when people began believing thatPhotoshop images of the robot with historic personages were real.[113] The site was adapted into the illustrated hardbound bookBoilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel, which was published byAbrams in October 2009.[114] Because the story was not set in an alternative history, and in fact contained accurate information about the Victorian era,[115] some[specify] booksellers referred to the tome as "historical steampunk".
Fictional settings inspired by East Asian rather than European history, especially those inspired byChinese history, have been called "silkpunk". The term originated with the authorKen Liu,[116] who defined it as "a blend of science fiction and fantasy [that] draws inspiration from classicalEast Asian antiquity", with a "technology vocabulary (...) based on organic materials historically important to East Asia (bamboo, paper, silk) and seafaring cultures of the Pacific (coconut, feathers, coral)", rather than the brass and leather associated with steampunk. Liu used the term to describe hisDandelion Dynasty series, which began in 2015.[117] Other works described as silkpunk includeNeon Yang'sTensorate series of novellas, which began in 2017.[118] Lyndsie Manusos ofBook Riot has argued that the genre does "not fit in a direct analogy with steampunk. Silkpunk is technology and poetics. It is engineering and language."[119]
Joshua Pfeiffer (ofVernian Process) is quoted as saying, "As forPaul Roland, if anyone deserves credit for spearheading Steampunk music, it is him. He was one of the inspirations I had in starting my project. He was writing songs about the first attempt at manned flight, and an Edwardian airship raid in the mid-80s long before almost anyone else..."[124]Thomas Dolby is also considered one of the early pioneers of retro-futurist (i.e., Steampunk and Dieselpunk) music.[125][126]Amanda Palmer was once quoted as saying, "Thomas Dolby is to Steampunk whatIggy Pop was toPunk!"[127]
Steampunk has also appeared in the work of musicians who do not specifically identify as steampunk. For example, the music video of"Turn Me On", byDavid Guetta and featuringNicki Minaj, takes place in a steampunk universe where Guetta creates human androids. Another music video is "The Ballad of Mona Lisa", byPanic! at the Disco, which has a distinct Victorian steampunk theme. A continuation of this theme has been used throughout the 2011 albumVices & Virtues, in the music videos, album art, and tour set and costumes. In addition, the albumClockwork Angels (2012) and its supportingtour by progressive rock bandRush contain lyrics, themes, and imagery based around steampunk. Similarly,Abney Park headlined the first "Steamstock" outdoor steampunk music festival inRichmond, California, which also featuredThomas Dolby,Frenchy and the Punk,Lee Presson and the Nails,Vernian Process, and others.[126]
The music video for theLindsey Stirling song "Roundtable Rival", has a Western steampunk setting.
TheBBC seriesDoctor Who also incorporates steampunk elements. Several storylines can be classed as steampunk, most notablyThe Evil of the Daleks (1966), wherein Victorian scientists invent a time travel device using mirrors andstatic electricity.[128] During season 14 of the show (in 1976), the formerly futuristic looking interior set was replaced with aVictorian-styled wood-panel and brass affair.[129] In the 1996 American co-production, theTARDIS interior was re-designed to resemble an almost Victorian library with the central control console made up of an eclectic array of anachronistic objects. Modified and streamlined for the 2005 revival of the series, the TARDIS console continued to incorporate steampunk elements, including a Victorian typewriter andgramophone, for many years.
The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians, (1981) directed byOldřich Lipský, contains steampunk elements.[130] The 1982 American TV seriesQ.E.D. is set inEdwardian England, starsSam Waterston as Professor Quentin Everett Deverill (from whose initials, by which he is primarily known, the series title is derived, initials which also stand for the Latin phrasequod erat demonstrandum, which translates as "which was to be demonstrated"). The Professor is an inventor and scientific detective, in the mold ofSherlock Holmes. The plot of theSoviet filmKin-dza-dza! (1986) centers on adesert planet, depleted of its resources, where an impoverished dog-eat-dog society uses steampunk machines, the movements and functions of which defy Earthly logic.
In making his 1986 Japanese filmCastle in the Sky,Hayao Miyazaki was heavily influenced by steampunk culture, the film featuring various airships and steampowered contraptions as well as a mysterious island that floats through the sky, accomplished not through magic as in most stories, but instead by harnessing the physical properties of a rare crystal—analogous to thelodestone used in theLaputa ofSwift'sGulliver's Travels—augmented by massive propellers, as befitting the Victorian motif.[131] The first "Wallace & Gromit" animationA Grand Day Out (1989) features a space rocket in the steampunk style.[citation needed]
Steamboy (2004) is a Japanese animated action film directed and co-written byKatsuhiro Otomo (Akira). It is a retro science-fiction epic set in a steampunk Victorian England. It features steamboats, trains, airships and inventors. The 2004 filmLemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events contains steampunk-esque elements such as costumes and vehicle interiors. The 2007Syfy miniseriesTin Man incorporates a considerable number of steampunk-inspired themes into a reimagining ofL. Frank Baum'sThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Despite leaning more towardsGothic influences, the "parallel reality" of Meanwhile, City, within the 2009 filmFranklyn contains many steampunk themes, such as costumery, architecture, minimal use of electricity (with a preference for gaslight), and absence of modern technology (such as there being no motorised vehicles or advanced weaponry, and the manual management of information without computers).
The 2009–2014Syfy television seriesWarehouse 13 features many steampunk-inspired objects and artifacts, including computer designs created by steampunk artisan Richard Nagy, a.k.a. "Datamancer".[133] The 2010 episode of the TV seriesCastle entitled "Punked" (first aired October 11, 2010) prominently features the steampunk subculture and usesLos Angeles-area steampunks (such as theLeague of STEAM) as extras. The 2011 filmThe Three Musketeers has many steampunk elements, including gadgets and airships.
The Legend of Korra, a 2012–2014Nickelodeon animated series, incorporates steampunk elements in an industrialized world with East Asian themes.ThePenny Dreadful (2014) television series is a Gothic Victorian fantasy series with steampunk props and costumes.
The 2013–2014ABC3 game showSteam Punks!, seesPaul Verhoeven playing The Inquisitor, who helps teams complete multiple challenges who have become trapped in a bizarre world controlled by an evil genius named The Machine.[134]
The Americanfantasyanimated sitcom,Disenchantment, created byMatt Groening forNetflix, features a steampunk country named Steamland, led by an odd industrialist named Alva Gunderson voiced byRichard Ayoade, first appears in the season 1 episode, "The Electric Princess."[136][137][a] The country is portrayed as driven bylogic and isegalitarian, governed by science, rather than magic, as is the case for Dreamland, where the protagonist,Princess Bean, is from.[138] The country has cars, automatic lights, submarines, and other modern technologies, all of which are steam-powered, and references to Groening's other series,Futurama.[139][140] Steamland appears in three episodes of the show's second season,[b] showing an explorers club as part of the country'shigh society, flyingzeppelins, and robots with light bulbs for heads that chase the protagonists through the streets.[141][142] Some even argued that Steamland is "dieselpunk-inspired."[143]
The 2023 filmPoor Things has been noted for its "steampunk-infused" production design.[144]
A variety of styles of video games[145] have used steampunk settings.
Steel Empire (1992), ashoot 'em up game originally released asKoutetsu Teikoku on theSega Mega Drive console in Japan, is considered to be the first steampunk video game. Designed by Yoshinori Satake and inspired byHayao Miyazaki's anime filmLaputa: Castle in the Sky (1986),Steel Empire is set in an alternate timeline dominated by steam-powered technology. The commercial success ofSteel Empire, both in Japan and the West, helped propel steampunk into thevideo game market, and had a significant influence on later steampunk games. The most notable steampunk game it influenced isFinal Fantasy VI (1994), aJapanese role-playing game developed bySquaresoft and designed byHiroyuki Ito for theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System.Final Fantasy VI was both critically and commercially successful, and had a considerable influence on later steampunk video games.[36]
The Chaos Engine (1993) is arun and gun video game inspired by the Gibson/Sterling novelThe Difference Engine (1990), set in a Victorian steampunk age. Developed bythe Bitmap Brothers, it was first released on theAmiga in 1993; a sequel was released in 1996.[146] Thegraphic adventurepuzzle video gamesMyst (1993),Riven (1997),Myst III: Exile (2001), andMyst IV: Revelation (all produced by or under the supervision ofCyan Worlds) take place in an alternate steampunk universe, where elaborate infrastructures have been built to run on steam power.The Elder Scrolls (since 1994, last release in 2014) is anaction role-playing game where one can find an ancient extinct race called dwemers or dwarves, whose steampunk technology is based on steam-powered levers and gears made of bronze or brass, which are maintained by magical techniques that have kept them in working order over the centuries.
TheProfessor Layton series of games (2007 debut) has several entries showcasing steampunk machinery and vehicles. NotablyProfessor Layton and the Unwound Future features a quasi-steampunk future setting.Solatorobo (2010) is a role-playing video game developed byCyberConnect2 set in a floating islandarchipelago populated by anthropomorphic cats and dogs, who pilot steampunk airships and engage in combat with robots.Resonance of Fate (2010) is a role-playing video game developed bytri-Ace and published by Sega for thePlayStation 3 andXbox 360. It is set in a steampunk environment with combat involving guns.
Impossible Creatures (2003)real-time strategy game inspired by the works ofH. G. Welles, especially "The Island of Doctor Moreau". Developed byRelic Entertainment, it sees an adventurer building an army of genetically spliced animals to battle against a mad scientist who has abducted his father. The player's headquarters is a steam-powered "Hovertrain"locomotive, which functions as both a science lab and mobile command center. Coal is a key resource in the game, and must be burned to provide power to the players many base buildings.
TheSteamWorld series of games (2010 debut) has the player controlling steam-powered robots.Minecraft (2011) has a steampunk-themedtexture pack.Terraria (2011) is a video game developed byRe-Logic. It is a 2Dopen worldplatform game in which the player controls a single character in a generated world. It has a Steampunkernon-player character in the game who sells items referencing Steampunk.LittleBigPlanet 2 (2011) has the world Victoria's Laboratory, run by Victoria von Bathysphere, which mixes steampunk themes with confections.Guns of Icarus Online (2012) is multiplayer game with steampunk themes.
Dishonored is a series (2012 debut) ofstealth games with role-playing elements developed byArkane Studios and widely considered to be a spiritual successor of the originalThief trilogy. Set in the Empire of the Isles, a steampunk Victorian metropolis where technology and supernatural magic coexist. Steam-powered robots and mechanical combat suits are present as enemies, as well as the presence of magic. The major locations in the Isles include Dunwall, the Empire'scapital city which uses the burning ofwhale oil as the city's main fuel source,[147] and Karnaca, which is powered by wind turbines fed by currents generated by a cleft mountain along the city's borders.[148]
BioShock Infinite (2013) is afirst-person shooter game set in 1912, in a fictional city called Columbia, which uses technology to float in the sky and has many historical and religious scenes.[149]
Code: Realize − Guardian of Rebirth (2014), a Japaneseotome game for thePS Vita is set in a steampunk Victorian London, and features a cast with several historical figures with steampunk aesthetics.Code Name S.T.E.A.M. (2015), a Japanese tactical RPG game for the3DS set in a steampunk fantasy version of London where you are a conscript in the strike force S.T.E.A.M. (short for Strike Team Eliminating the Alien Menace).They Are Billions (2017), is a steampunk strategy game in a post-apocalyptic setting. Players build a colony and attempt to ward off waves of zombies.Frostpunk (2018) is a city-building game set in 1888, but where the Earth is in the midst of a greatIce Age. Players must construct a city around a large steampunk heat generator with many steampunk aesthetics and mechanics, such as a "Steam Core."
Because of the popularity of steampunk, there is a growing movement of adults that want to establish steampunk as a culture and lifestyle.[150] Some fans of the genre adopt a steampunk aesthetic through fashion,[151] home decor, music, and film. While Steampunk is considered the amalgamation of Victorian aesthetic principles with modern sensibilities and technologies,[23] it can be more broadly categorised asneo-Victorianism, described by scholar Marie-Luise Kohlke as "the afterlife of the nineteenth century in the cultural imaginary".[152] The subculture has its own magazine, blogs, and online shops.[153]
In September 2012, a panel, chaired by steampunk entertainerVeronique Chevalier and with panelists including magicianPop Hadyn and members of the steampunk performance group theLeague of STEAM, was held atStan Lee'sComikaze Expo. The panel suggested that because steampunk was inclusive of and incorporated ideas from various other subcultures such as goth, neo-Victorian, and cyberpunk, as well as a growing number offandoms, it was fast becoming asuper-culture rather than a mere subculture.[154] Other steampunk notables such asProfessor Elemental have expressed similar views about steampunk's inclusive diversity.[155]
Some have proposed a steampunk philosophy that incorporates punk-inspired anti-establishment sentiments typically bolstered by optimism about human potential.[156] A 2004 "Steampunk Manifesto," later republished inSteamPunk Magazine, lamented that most "so-called" steampunk was nothing more than dressed-up recreationarynostalgia and proposed that "authentic" steampunk would "take the levers of technology from the [technocrats] and powerful."[157] American activist and performer Miriam Rosenberg Rocek impersonatedanarcha-feministEmma Goldman to inspire discussions around gender, society and politics.[4]SteamPunk Magazine was edited and published by anarchists. Its founder,Margaret Killjoy, argued "there have always been radical politics at the core of steampunk."[158] Diana M. Pho, a science-fiction editor and author of the multicultural steampunk blogBeyond Victoriana, similarly argued steampunk's "progressive roots" can be traced to its literary inspirations, including Verne'sCaptain Nemo.[159] Steampunk authorsPhenderson Djèlí Clark,[160] Jaymee Goh,[161]Dru Pagliassotti,[162] andCharlie Stross[163] consider their work political.
These views are not universally shared.[75] Killjoy lamented that even some diehard enthusiasts believe steampunk "has nothing to offer but designer clothes."[158] Pho argued many steampunk fans "don't like to acknowledge that their attitudes could be considered ideological."[159] The largest online steampunk community,Brass Goggles, which is dedicated to what it calls the "lighter side" of steampunk, banned discussion about politics. Cory Gross, who was one of the first to write about the history and theory of steampunk, argued that the "sepia-toned yesteryear more appropriate for Disney and grandparents than a vibrant and viable philosophy or culture" denounced in theSteampunk Manifesto[157] was in fact representative of the genre.[164] AuthorCatherynne M. Valente called the punk in steampunk "nearly meaningless."[165] Kate Franklin and James Schafer, who at the time managed one of the largest steampunk groups onFacebook, admitted in 2011 that steampunk hadn't created the "revolutionary, or even a particularly progressive" community they wanted.[166] Blogger and podcaster Eric Renderking Fisk announced in 2017 that steampunk was no longer punk, since it had "lost theanti-authoritarian,anti-establishment aspects."[167]
Others argued explicitly against turning steampunk into a political movement,[168] preferring to see steampunk as "escapism"[169] or a "fandom".[170] In 2018, Nick Ottens, editor of the online alternate-history magazineNever Was, declared that the "lighter side" of steampunk had won out.[171] To the extent that steampunk ispoliticized, it appears to be an American and British phenomenon. Continental Europeans[172] and Latin Americans[173] are more likely to consider steampunk a hobby than a cause.
June 19, 2005 marked the grand opening of the world's first steampunk club night, Malediction Society, inLos Angeles.[174][175] The event ran for nearly 12 years at The Monte Cristo nightclub, interrupted by a single year residency at Argyle Hollywood, until both the club night and The Monte Cristo closed in April 2017.[175] Though the steampunk aesthetic eventually gave way to a more genericgoth andindustrial aesthetic, Malediction Society celebrated its roots every year with "The Steampunk Ball".[176]
The year 2006 saw the first "SalonCon", a neo-Victorian/steampunk convention. It ran for three consecutive years and featured artists, musicians (Voltaire and Abney Park), and authors (Catherynne M. Valente,Ekaterina Sedia, andG. D. Falksen). It also featuredsalons led by people prominent in their respective fields, workshops and panels on steampunk, and a seance, ballroom dance instruction, and the Chrononauts' Parade. The event was covered by MTV[177] andThe New York Times.[23] Since then, a number of popular steampunk conventions have sprung up the world over, with names likeSteamcon (Seattle), theSteampunk World's Fair (Piscataway, New Jersey), Up in the Aether: The Steampunk Convention (Dearborn, Michigan),[178] Steampunk NZ (Oamaru, New Zealand), Steampunk Unlimited (Strasburg Railroad,Lancaster, PA).[179] Each year, on Mother's Day weekend, the city ofWaltham, MA, turns over its city center and surrounding areas to host theWatch City Steampunk Festival, a US outdoor steampunk festival. InKennebunk, ME theBrick Store Museum hosts the Southern Maine Steampunk Fair annually.[180][181] During the first weekend of May, the Australian town ofNimmitabel celebrates Steampunk @ Altitude with some 2,000 people in attendance.[182]
A steampunk couple at Carnevale 2012 inBoise, Idaho
In recent years, steampunk has also become a regular feature atSan Diego Comic-Con, with the Saturday of the four-day event being generally known among steampunks as "Steampunk Day", and culminating with a photo-shoot for the local press.[183][184] In 2010, this was recorded in theGuinness Book of World Records as the world's largest steampunk photo shoot.[185] In 2013, Comic-Con announced four official 2013 T-shirts, one of them featuring the officialRick Geary Comic-Con toucan mascot in steampunk attire.[186] The Saturday steampunk "after-party" has also become a major event on the steampunk social calendar: in 2010, the headliners included The Slow Poisoner, Unextraordinary Gentlemen, andAurelio Voltaire, withVeronique Chevalier as Mistress of Ceremonies and special appearance by theLeague of STEAM;[187][188] in 2011, UXG returned with Abney Park.[189]
Steampunk has also sprung up recently at Renaissance Festivals andRenaissance Faires, in the US. Some festivals have organised events or a "Steampunk Day", while others simply support an open environment for donning steampunk attire. TheBristol Renaissance Faire inKenosha, Wisconsin, on theWisconsin/Illinois border, featured a Steampunk costume contest during the 2012 season, the previous two seasons having seen increasing participation in the phenomenon.[190]
Steampunk also has a growing following in the UK and Europe. The largest European event is "Weekend at the Asylum", held atThe Lawn, Lincoln, every September since 2009. Organised as a not-for-profit event by the Ministry of Steampunk (formerly Victorian Steampunk Society), the Asylum is a dedicated steampunk event which takes over much of the historical quarter ofLincoln, England, along withLincoln Castle. In 2011, there were over 1,000 steampunks in attendance. The event features the Empire Ball, Majors Review, Bazaar Eclectica, and the international Tea Duelling final.[191][192] The Surrey Steampunk Convivial was originally held inNew Malden, but since 2019 has been held inStoneleigh in southwestern London, within walking distance ofH. G. Wells's home.[193] The Surrey Steampunk Convivial started as an annual event in 2012, and now takes place thrice a year, and has spanned three boroughs and five venues.[194] Attendees have been interviewed byPhill Jupitus forBBC Radio 4[195] and filmed by theBBC World Service.[196] The West Yorkshire village ofHaworth has held an annual Steampunk weekend since 2013,[197] on each occasion as a charity event raising funds forSue Ryder's "Manorlands" hospice inOxenhope. In September 2021,Finland's first steampunk festival was held at theVäinö Linna Square and the Werstas Workers' House inTampere,Pirkanmaa, Finland.[198][199]
PhysicistNicole Yunger Halpern's 2018 Ph.D. dissertation used the phrase "Quantum Steampunk" in the title. Yunger Halpern has discussed the relationship between her research in physics to historical thermodynamics research.[200][201] In 2022 she published the book "Quantum Steampunk", which uses the idea of quantum steampunk to explain quantum physics.[202] While the term has not been widely adopted, Yunger Halpern has promoted and discussed quantum steampunk as a genre, organizing a quantum steampunk writing competition at theUniversity of Maryland.[203]
A 2012 conference paper onhuman factors in computing systems examined the use of steampunk as adesign fiction forhuman-computer interaction (HCI). It concludes that "the practices of DIY and appropriation that are evident in Steampunk design provide a useful set of design strategies and implications for HCI".[204]
^The country is alluded to in the show's first episode when an object looking like a blimp is briefly shown in the background when the protagonist and her friends flee into the forest.
^Specifically the episodes "Steamland Confidential", "Freak Out!", and "Last Splash"
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^Collazo, Stephanie Amy (December 6, 2011)."YRB Interview: Dr. Grymm".YRB Magazine. Archived fromthe original on January 25, 2012. RetrievedMarch 6, 2012.a dangerous tattoo machine, fusing a tattoo machine and an arm. Using a hand massager, projector parts, tube radios, a paint sprayer and miscellaneous parts (such as a glass vial of squid ink), Marsocci created an interesting piece that looks like something you'd find in Mary Shelley's home.
^abCasey, Eileen (August 1, 2008)."Steampunk Art And Design Exhibits In The Hamptons".Hamptons Online. RetrievedMarch 6, 2012.Steampunk is not considered 'Outsider Art,' but rather a tightly focused art movement whose practitioners faithfully borrow design elements from the grand schools of architecture, science and design and employ a strict philosophy where the physical form must be as equally impressive as the function.
^Hartwell, Lane (September 8, 2007)."Best of Burning Man: Fire Dancers, Steampunk Tree House and More".Wired.Archived from the original on January 17, 2012. RetrievedJanuary 5, 2011.Kinetic Steam Works' Case traction engine Hortense glows on the playa. The art vehicle was named in honor of the artist and mother of Cal Tinkham, the steam enthusiast and railroad engineer who originally restored the engine.
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^Pikedevant (Nov 29, 2011)."Just Glue Some Gears On It (And Call It Steampunk)". Youtube.Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. RetrievedDecember 4, 2011.From the video's comments: 'This is Datamancer, the steampunk keyboard guy, and I approve of this video wholeheartedly. In fact, we make this joke at the workshop almost daily. "I can't figure out how to finish off this edge". "Just glue some gears to it and call it done" haha. Well-made song and video.' – Datamancer. 'Glad to see a new contender for the chap-hop crown, and such a relevant message. I love it!' – Unwoman. 'Professor Elemental here, Just wanted to give this my most hearty applause. A fine, fine song by a true gentleman.'
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^Xerin (March 9, 2010)."WoW: Loremaster's Corner #5: A Steampunk Paradise". Ten Ton Hammer.Archived from the original on July 15, 2010. RetrievedMay 30, 2010.World of Warcraft is almost a steampunk paradise if you look at the various technological advancements the gnomes have made. Most engines are powered by steam and there are giant airships floating around everywhere.
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^Kinkade, Scott (August 10, 2013)."Dead Iron – Book Review".Gatehouse Gazette.Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. RetrievedJul 28, 2020.
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^Hudson, Patrick."(Review of) The Difference Engine".The Zone. Pigasus Press. Archived from the original on November 20, 2008. RetrievedFebruary 13, 2009.
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^Fisk, Eric Renderking (March 4, 2017)."Requiem for Steampunk". The Fedora Chronicles.Archived from the original on July 7, 2021. RetrievedJul 28, 2020.
^Garcia, Chris (May 2010)."The Steampunk Fandom"(PDF).Gatehouse Gazette. No. 12. p. 5.Archived(PDF) from the original on July 28, 2020. RetrievedJul 28, 2020.
^Rodríguez, Araceli (March 2011)."Iberoamerica: The Lost World"(PDF).Gatehouse Gazette. No. 19. p. 18.Archived(PDF) from the original on July 28, 2020. RetrievedJul 28, 2020.
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