Transmedia Storytelling
When it comes to the world of transmedia storytelling, no other medium compares to the immersive and seemingly limitless power of videogames. As Henry Jenkins defines, transmedia storytelling:
…represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. (2007, Web)
With this definition in mind, it is apparent that there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that suggests transmedia content is not only supporting the original franchise, but even defining it for a new generation within videogames.
NOTHING is safe from transmedia exposure...nothing.
There are several considerations that must be made when considering the importance of transmedia storytelling in the videogame industry. Firstly, the link between exterior universes and videogames must be recognised in order to comprehend the importance of transmedia adaptation of popular franchises. Secondly, the value of immersion and connection to the consumer of a videogame must be examined to understand the importance of gaming to any given franchise. Finally, after exploring the past and current development of games as adaptive media, a prediction can be proposed in regards to the future of games as transmedia gold mines.
Some things are best left untouched...
When examining the most popular videogames of present and of the past, they all have one thing in common; an abundance of user and fan generated content. This content reaches far beyond the boundaries of virtual space, often evolving to include fan-fiction, music, cosplay, machinima and countless more creations that add to the value of those particular games. They are more than obsessive abnormalities; in fact “each medium makes its own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story” (Jenkins, 2006). (The story being whatever franchises the content was created from) Once a videogame generated a large enough fan-base, such content is not only created, but celebrated. In the early days of gaming, Pac Man generated an enormous amount of transmedia diffusion, with the creation of a cartoon, 8bit music tracks and children’s books introduced shortly after it stormed into the gaming world. To give a contemporary of such diffusion however, is almost pointless; it is everywhere.
The use of transmedia storytelling is a marketing tool too powerful to ignore. The theory that different universes can “be experienced separately and still be enjoyable each component…part of a single unified storytelling experience” (Long, 2007, Web) has been adapted by almost every form of contemporary media. Game designer Neal Young coined the term “additive comprehension” to describe the allowance for “some viewers to have a richer experience without in any way diminishing the experience of someone who encounters the story on a single platform.”(Jenkins, 2006, Web) Creating this valued and rich experience has been the focus of many different forms of media across the past decade, utilising every tool possible to expand the experience of their universe. For example, the Halo series has released books, comics and online access to personal statistics and information about the universe in an attempt to further involve immersion. Halo 3 even gave the player the tools to create their own films within the game which lead to a flood of fan-generated content (E.g. Red vs Blue) to add to their understanding of the Halo universe.
With such a push towards user generated content and deeper understanding of any media franchise,
…the conceptual and practical convergence of the creative arts (individual talent) with cultural industries (mass scale), in the context of new media technologies…within a new knowledge economy, [allow] for the use of newly interactive citizen-consumers. (Hartley, 2005, p5)
Some things turn out pretty cool...
Hence large media franchises rely on the embracing and support of transmedia content to not only promote their products and work, but give it perceived value to consumers but allowing them to explore the content their own way. It could then me argued that the mass-consumption of any new form of media acts as a base of understanding of a certain franchise for the user to then support, explore and most importantly, contribute to. This aids industries, such as game development, to create content supporting or defining a franchise. The interactive world either allows a person to explore and connect with a new character in an immersive environment linked to other media such as comics, or create a completely new storyline and heroin figure for them to idolise based loosely on the plot of the franchise. For example, Prince of Persia, a popular videogame, was adapted and exposed to a mass audience through a film, The Sands of Time. Contrarily, the children’s show Dora the Explorer was adapted to a videogame to allowed children to learn more about Dora by being her.
In summary, any new media that is subject to an unpredictable amount of modification and expansion to enhance the engagement of consumer and the product. Industries such as game development have seemingly limitless opportunity to build off current popular universes or create their own. Transmedia storytelling allows us all to gain our own understanding of the media we love, include or discard what we please and most importantly make a story our own. No franchise is safe. No franchise is the same for any one person. It all depends on where, when, how and why you consumed it.
Something to think about...
References:
Geoffrey Long (2007). On Toys and Transmedia Storytelling. Tip of the Quill. Sourced from: http://www.geoffreylong.com/miscellany/actionfigures.php.
Henry Jenkins (2007). Transmedia Storytelling 101. Confessions of an Aca-Fan (Weblog). Sourced from: http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html
Henry Jenkins (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York University Press.
John Hartley (2005). Creative Industries. Wiley-Blackwell.
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