The Many Offspring Of Cyberpunk, Explained

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Science fiction is the kind of concept that moves past the description of a genre and into the realm of its own art medium. As a medium, sci-fi is subdivided perhaps more than any other medium thanks to the endless combination and reconnection of countless ideas in incredible new ways.

Cyberpunk was coined by Bruce Bethke in 1980, but the term was given its formal bible in William Gibson's 1984 novel Neuromancer. The term has become enduringly popular for its anarchic aesthetics, liberal application of body horror, and socially relevant themes of societal collapse and corporate technocracy. But, what if fans loved the presentation of cyberpunk, but wanted to see something in the place of all the cool robot arms?

The Cyberpunk Sci-Fi Subgenre Explained

Cyber refers to the combination of organic and technological material, punk refers to the music genre that centers on youthful rebellion. This combination was unique when it was created, but, other creators have taken the concept and applied it to a variety of other traditions. Though the rules are a bit hazy, the central tenants are a gritty lowlife societal outlook applied to a vastly heightened version of scientific achievement. Despite wildly different results, each sub-genre exists thanks to the same simple creative question. Every society has an underbelly, every ruling class has corruption, how do those concepts change when a scientific discipline reaches its apex?

By far the most famous derivative of cyberpunk's example is the steampunk sub-genre. As anyone who has attended a nerd convention can attest, steampunk takes the societal and technological aesthetics and drags them back several hundred years. Where cyberpunk fits mankind with highly advanced prostheses and