In a continually shifting age of new technologies, the most recent and quite possibly most dynamic form of media is that of video games. There is a significantly large responsibility for game studios world wide to create and expand an industry that is constantly under the spotlight. This drives developers to design experiences that can parallel or expand the world we live in. Using a wide variety of media, game designers can create universes that can be adapted on before, or after a game has been created. This is called Transmedia Storytelling. The purpose of this blog is to bring attention to the use of Transmedia Storytelling (Jenkins, H. 2007) and it’s affects on how both game narratives and stories are expressed, interpreted, and expanded on by game designers and the game community.

The first instance of Transmedia Storytelling in games can be found from the classic arcade game Pac-Man. Though it is arguable to underpin Pac-Man as having your typically identifiable story template, there is no doubt that the game was expanded on through the use of different medias. The reason that this particular title was able to adapt through other medias is because of its main character, a yellow puck that gobbles up small dots while running away from ghosts.  Apart from the wide range of merchandise that was to follow Pac-Man’s successful release, an animated TV series that ran from 1982 – 1984 created the arguably non-existent story that the game possesses. Since then, Pac-Man has only evolved more, with follow up titles such as Mrs Pac-Man, a hack variant created by a pair of American collage students. Ironically, this fan created hack is generally considered the most appealing instalment of the series, with improved tweaks such as new mazes and more difficult gameplay. (Blinx. Vexx. Bobcat, B. Man, P. 2010)

This is an interesting point to consider when discussing Transmedia Storytelling and its relation to gaming. Through the means of third party individuals or groups, an adaptation to a game’s gameplay, story, or the creation of a story can transform an already established IP to make a more diverse and/or exciting experience for a community or communities of people.  Collective intelligence (Jenkins, H. 2007) is the best way to describe this new phenomenon of communal story telling.  It is through this form of collaboration between third party groups that has created fan made media, such as Machinima.

To give a brief overview, “Machinima is filmmaking within a real-time, 3D virtual environment, often using 3D video game technologies”. (Academy of Machinima Arts & Science. 2005) The creation of Machinima was a step towards individual Transmedia Storytelling, allowing any person with a computer and proper software to create their own story adaptations to a wide range of game focused narratives. One of the most well known Machinima series is Red vs Blue, a spin off series based on the Halo universe. (Machinima.com. 2003)

On the other hand, these new types of individual story telling could be seen as a threat to certain companies’ copyrighted IP. Fans gained the power to change how particular characters or stories are supposed to play out in order to please their view of the tale, a type of creative vampirism. When posed with this question, the creator of the popular TV series Lost and Heroes stated that

“Heroes was designed to have a 360 platform around the show that people could enter…the audience is going to want to participate…some will want to create their own content around the show, so we give them to opportunities to do this…it’s a way to encourage a type of fan fiction” (Kring, T. 2009)

The point then of story driven games, if not all, in a society built around communal networking, is to encourage the expansion of stories and provide a much richer and enticing experience to the gaming community as a whole.

Transmedia Storytelling is a form of expanding a universe without having to use the same media over and over. It allows fans to make up their own stories, or to ponder out what happened during the unseen chapters, thus creating a community of people devoted to a particular story or narrative. In this collaboration of thought, advancement in communal and designer driven story telling can grow and potentially increase the innovations of game designers and game fans within the industry of game design.  

Gameography

Halo: Combat Evolved, 2001, Bungie Studios

Pac-Man, 1980, Namco

Mrs Pac-Man, 1981, Midway

References

Academy of Machinima Arts & Science. (2005, August). The Machinima Faq. Accessed 19^th October, 2010, from: http://www.machinima.org/machinima-faq.html

Blinx. Vexx. Bobcat, B. Man, P. (2010). Critical Mascot. Accessed 19^th October, 2010, from: http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3122102  

Jenkins, H. (2007, March) Transmedia Storytelling 101.  Accessed 19^th October, 2010, from: http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html

Kring, T. (2009, October). “Heroes” Creator Tim Kring on Transmedia Storytelling. Accessed 19^th October, 2010, from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWyo00IoXo8

Machinima.com.(2003, July). Red vs Blue Ep 1. Accessed 19^th October,2010, from: http://www.machinima.com:80/film/view&id=275


YouTube.com. (2009, January). Pac-Man TV Show Video. Accessed 19^th October, 2010, from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrgi-MTOiVw