The Magitek Trope In Sci-fi And Fantasy, Explained

gamerant.com:

Delineating between genres has become as complicated as it is often arbitrary, but by bringing a couple of genres together, authors can create something special. Sci-fi and fantasy both have ways of explaining things that would otherwise be impossible, but combining science and sorcery gets the incredible innovation that is Magitek.

A work of speculative fiction typically explains to its audience how the new universe works. Whether it's advanced technology or ancient magic, the unique worlds have to have rules. Some systems of magic or incredible technological innovations have defined the works they appeared in, but combining the two can lend to interesting new concepts.

The Urban Fantasy Subgenre, Explained

Magitek (sometimes spelled Magitech) is a combination of magic and technology. Typically, the term refers to inventions that use the form factor of technology and the power of magic. Technology can grant a writer anything they want to do, but it can get a bit hard to explain. Audiences often expect at least some scientific knowledge, and complete techno-babble will often be mocked. Magic is free from any expectation of logical explanation, making it much easier to use. On the other hand, if the rules of a world's system of magic aren't set forth, the audience will be left wondering what anything means. Badly-handled technology in a sci-fi story feels dumb, badly-handled magic in a fantasy story feels meaningless. By combining the two, a work of fiction can solve both problems and invent new realms to explore and understand.

The go-to first example of Magitek comes from Robert A. Heinlein's 1940 novella Magic, Inc. This work is credited with crafting the «Mundane Fantastic» subgenre of fantasy. The story takes place in a