Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
franchise entry needs to be self-contained so you don't need to have seen
the fi lm to enjoy the game, and vice versa. Any given product is a point
of entry into the franchise as a whole. Reading across the media sustains
a depth of experience that motivates more consumption. Redundancy
burns up fan interest and causes franchises to fail. Offering new levels
of insight and experience refreshes the franchise and sustains consumer
loyalty (97-98).
Jenkins provides a detailed analysis of
The Matrix
as a transmedia story,
pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of every “text” or media type
that is woven into the
Matrix
world.
I want to step back a ways so that we can ground ourselves in some
early examples of transmedia design in popular culture. My fi rst memory
of it was the toys that came in Cracker-Jack boxes. The brand was intro-
duced in 1908, and the “prize in every box” practice began in 1912. The
toys in the box had nothing to do with the product, but the medium of a
toy embedded in what may be the world's fi rst junk food does actually
bring two media together to make a brand story—one that lives to this day.
Most of us probably remember (or still see) costumes, toys, and other
merchandise related to Disney movies. Disney's fi rst videogame,
Mickey
Mouse
, was released for the Nintendo RD1 in 1981, followed closely by
The
Adventures of Tron
for the Atari 2600 in 1982. Disney has produced over
180 games based on Mickey, Donald, various feature fi lms, and amuse-
ment park attractions. Soundtrack records have also been a part of Disney's
transmedia business. Books, radio, television, and Web sites are also part of
the Disney transmedia portfolio.
One way that a transmedia designer can blow it is by tipping his or her
hand with the initial property. For example, in the second trilogy of
Star
Wars
movies, the viewer can immediately identify the sequences that will
or have become part of a videogame. There's nothing wrong with design-
ing a fi lm with games in mind, but one runs the risk of creating the kind
of redundancy that Jenkins describes as a fan killer. Many of the chase se-
quences in particular are on the movie screen too long or are too monolithic
for the fi lm medium. The animated assets can be dropped right into a game,
making the temptation even stronger to design the fi lm
for
the game.
3
3. J. J. is in the process of destroying this property anyhow.
