A Game of Simulation: Modeling and Analyzing the Dragons of Game of Thrones

TL;DR

This paper develops mathematical and simulation models to analyze the physical and ecological characteristics of dragons from Game of Thrones, assessing their plausibility and potential ecological impacts.

Contribution

It introduces two novel modeling approaches—forward and backward—to evaluate the biology and ecology of fictional dragons based on observed and projected data.

Findings

Both models suggest plausible physical features for the dragons.

The models indicate potential ecological impacts of such creatures.

Comparison highlights differences in dragon characteristics based on assumptions.

Abstract

This paper outlines two approaches for mathematical, simulation, modeling, and analysis of hypothetical creatures, in particular, the dragons of HBO's television series Game of Thrones (GOT). Our first approach, the forward model, utilizes quasi-empirical observations of various features of GOT dragons. We then mathematically derive the growth rate, other dimensions, energy consumption, etc. In the backward model, we use projected energy consumption by given ecological impact to model an expected dragon in terms of physical features. We compare and contrast both models to examine the plausibility of a real-world existence for our titular dragons and provide brief analyses of potential impacts on ecology.