Speaking at Nordic Games
I’ll be speaking at the Nordic Game 2011 conference next week in Malmö, Sweden. The theme of this year’s conference is “Creativity and Entrepreneurship” and they’ve asked me to give a keynote on the subject of “Transmedia.” (No, I don’t know what it means, either — I’m putting my presentation together today, so if you have any ideas, shoot them over quick!)
Hope to see some of you there. And Mom, if you’re reading this, Happy Mother’s Day!
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After reading this: http://www.thecreatorsproject.com/blog/cross-platform-storytelling-the-buzz-on-transmedia
I realize my definition of “transmedia” is slightly wrong.
I assumed it was writing different stories on different media, but we also need to add the fact that these stories lie in the same world.
So on top of the topics I listed in my previous post, we could add an interesting subject: how do you describe the world using different means? Do you focus on creating the same emotion, the same “feel” to the world?
Or would you rather stick to well defined facts about the world?
For example, in a book, an author could describe a monster with 4 limbs. But the way this monster moves and lives could FEEL more like a 6 legged monster. In the book version, the author would manage to describe it, but when we get to actually SEE it in a graphic novel/movie/etc, to reproduce the FEEL of the 6 limbs, we need to actually SHOW them.
Another example, i read this book (L’Enchanteur by Barjavel) where Merlin (arthurian legends) was the main character.
In a scene, he was described as being ON a tree. Not in it, not on a branch, ON the TREE.
This event creates a feel of how Merlin uses magic. But how would give the same feeling in a movie?
I think you would have to use different techniques to convey this type of magic.
Maybe that’s what transmedia is all about?
Hi Jordan,
hope Nordic Game was a success. Your online journals are fantastic – I’d like to gain your permission to use copies of your original sketches in a Museum exhibition I’m currently working on. Would you be able to email me and I can send you further information.
Many thanks,
Tom
My take on ‘Transmedia’ would be the grey area between console and handheld gaming. I guess the ability to take the story with you. If I were to design transmedia I would make the console or sit down portion of the game a predominantly multiplayer, avatar-socialization and player skill based experience while the ‘on-the-go’ bit would be stat building or skill setting, perhaps character customization. Depending on the power of the handheld device the mobile ‘game’ may be mini games or text/message socialization. like how the Poke-Walker gave players EXP points with each step, ‘transmedia’ would have some form of passive enhancement/augmentation. players that had their profiles linked to a mobile device would also have an in-game-avatar aesthetic so other players could then invite them to their mobile gaming experience. however mobile players could still use their device in the sit down game as well. perhaps non-mobile-gamers would have to time their button presses to diffuse a bomb or pick a lock while the mobile-gamers could use their device to accomplish said task.
but you already gave the keynote, and some of what I had written is based in part on what has been revealed since.
p.s. i had completely forgotten about The Last Express 8D