What is steampunk?

Section VI of 9

Steampunk films, games, books and music

Seven guides to steampunk on the screen, the page and the stage: the films, the animation, the games, building it in Minecraft, the books, the music, and names and characters. Take something off the shelf to see what each guide covers.

7 guides About 88 minutes of reading

Hands typing on an old typewriter by lamplight

The shelf

Take one down

Seven things on two shelves, one for each guide. Take one down to see what the guide covers and a few of the films, books, games and bands it names.

A modern airship moored on a grass airfield

Films

The Best Steampunk Films

The best steampunk films: what makes a film steampunk, the Verne and Wells adaptations, live-action and animated films, Victorian mysteries, television series and where to start.

In this guide, among others
  • 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
  • The Time Machine (1960)
  • The City of Lost Children (1995)
Read the guide, about 13 minutes
A modern airship moored on a grass airfield

Animation

Animated Steampunk Films and Series

Animated steampunk films and series: Studio Ghibli, Steamboy and other Japanese films, Western films, the television series, family films with BBFC ratings, and where to start.

In this guide, among others
  • Castle in the Sky (1986)
  • Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
  • Steamboy (2004)
Read the guide, about 12 minutes
A heap of brass and steel gears

Games

Steampunk Games

Steampunk games: video games set in steampunk worlds, strategy and city-building, board and card games, role-playing games, games for children with PEGI ratings, and finding more.

In this guide, among others
  • Syberia (2002)
  • Ticket to Ride (2004)
  • Frostpunk (2018)
Read the guide, about 13 minutes
Steel pipes with red valve wheels and brass gauges against a brick wall

Minecraft

Building Steampunk in Minecraft

Building steampunk in Minecraft: which blocks stand in for brass, copper, iron and wood, how copper weathers and is waxed, airships, clock towers, moving parts, mods and playing safely.

In this guide, among others
  • Blocks for brass, copper and iron
  • Copper that turns green, and wax to stop it
  • Pistons, redstone and mods
Read the guide, about 13 minutes
Hands typing on an old typewriter by lamplight

Books

Steampunk Books

Steampunk books: the Victorian novels behind the style, the first steampunk novels of the 1980s, novels since 1990, books for younger readers, graphic novels and where to start.

In this guide, among others
  • The Anubis Gates (1983)
  • The Difference Engine (1990)
  • Mortal Engines (2001)
Read the guide, about 12 minutes
Two smiling steampunks in goggles and decorated hats at an outdoor gathering

Music

Steampunk Music and Bands

Steampunk music and bands: what it sounds like, the instruments it borrows, the bands that call themselves steampunk, Steam Powered Giraffe, Victorian music hall and making a playlist.

In this guide, among others
  • Abney Park
  • Steam Powered Giraffe
  • Clockwork Angels, by Rush (2012)
Read the guide, about 12 minutes
Two steampunks in a bamboo grove: a man in a gauge-covered top hat and goggles, a woman in a riveted top hat and red round glasses

Names

Steampunk Names and Characters

Steampunk names and characters: real Victorian names for women and men, titles, ranks and trades, the inventor, explorer and aviator, famous characters, and writing your own story.

In this guide, among others
  • Victorian names for women and men
  • Titles, ranks and trades
  • The inventor, the explorer, the aviator
Read the guide, about 13 minutes

Section VI

Every films, tv, games, books and music guide

In the order they are best read. Each one is long enough to answer the question properly, with every fact checked and its source listed at the foot.

  1. 34The Best Steampunk FilmsThe best steampunk films: what makes a film steampunk, the Verne and Wells adaptations, live-action and animated films, Victorian mysteries, television series and where to start.About 13 min
  2. 35Animated Steampunk Films and SeriesAnimated steampunk films and series: Studio Ghibli, Steamboy and other Japanese films, Western films, the television series, family films with BBFC ratings, and where to start.About 12 min
  3. 36Steampunk GamesSteampunk games: video games set in steampunk worlds, strategy and city-building, board and card games, role-playing games, games for children with PEGI ratings, and finding more.About 13 min
  4. 37Building Steampunk in MinecraftBuilding steampunk in Minecraft: which blocks stand in for brass, copper, iron and wood, how copper weathers and is waxed, airships, clock towers, moving parts, mods and playing safely.About 13 min
  5. 38Steampunk BooksSteampunk books: the Victorian novels behind the style, the first steampunk novels of the 1980s, novels since 1990, books for younger readers, graphic novels and where to start.About 12 min
  6. 39Steampunk Music and BandsSteampunk music and bands: what it sounds like, the instruments it borrows, the bands that call themselves steampunk, Steam Powered Giraffe, Victorian music hall and making a playlist.About 12 min
  7. 40Steampunk Names and CharactersSteampunk names and characters: real Victorian names for women and men, titles, ranks and trades, the inventor, explorer and aviator, famous characters, and writing your own story.About 13 min
Two smiling steampunks in goggles and decorated hats at an outdoor gathering
The ruins of Whitby Abbey reflected in a pond under a blue sky
Two steampunks in a bamboo grove: a man in a gauge-covered top hat and goggles, a woman in a riveted top hat and red round glasses

Elsewhere on Steampunks

Watched it? Go

Where the films, games and books lead: the gatherings, the clothes and the real history.

UK eventsWhere steampunks gather, with each organiser's own dates. Steampunk Events in the UKThe Whitby weekendThe abbey, the jet and Dracula, and where to check the dates. The Whitby Steampunk WeekendDress to ImpressThe steampunk theme in the Roblox dress-up game. The Steampunk Theme in Dress to ImpressRobots and creaturesAutomatons, clockwork insects and mechanical animals. Steampunk Robots, Animals and InsectsWhere it came fromVerne, Wells and a letter in 1987. Where Steampunk Came From: Verne, Wells and a Letter in 1987
The ruins of Whitby Abbey reflected in a pond under a blue sky The next section, VII Steampunk events in the UK Where steampunks gather, with the dates from each organiser's own site. Go to the section

Everything on Steampunks

The contents

Nine sections and fifty-three guides.

  1. IWhat steampunk isThe meaning, the look, where it came from, and how it differs from Gothic and Victorian.
  2. IIFashion and costumeWomen's and men's outfits, a costume on a budget, Halloween, a steampunk wedding.
  3. IIIHats, goggles and accessoriesGoggles, top hats, masks, corsets, waistcoats, coats, watches, jewellery, boots.
  4. IVHome and decorLamps and lighting, clocks, furniture and ornaments, and a whole room in the style.
  5. VArt and makingSteampunk art and artists, how to draw it, robots and creatures, cogs and gears, props.
  6. VIFilms, TV, games, books and musicYou are here. The films, the animation, the games, Minecraft builds, the books and the music.
  7. VIISteampunk events in the UKWhere steampunks gather, with the dates from each organiser's own site.
  8. VIIIAirships and machinesSteampunk airships, and the real ones that went before them.
  9. IXThe Victorian world behind itVictorian fashion, London, architecture and the Gothic Revival.
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