The intertwining link between crossplatform media and transmedia storytelling

Transmedia story telling derives from ‘transmedia’ which, on it’s own means ‘across media’. Therefore a simple definition of transmedia story telling would be telling a story across media. The theory, coined by Henry Jenkins is defined as “the technique of telling a single story… across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies” (Jenkins, 2011). This form of narrative has become more and more popular within recent years due to the advance in technology as well as the demand of audiences. Nowadays, audiences are more complex – the passive audience does not exist in the 21^st Century. The concept of transmedia story telling has emerged through the rise of cross platform media. Cross platform media is how the mainstream media now presents itself due to the response to technological developments. Karin and Thomas (2008, pg. 130) explained that “the once stable system of mainstream media now faces competition from multi-faceted […] to which people connect through interactive technologies such as computers, mobiles, gaming consoles.” Following from this explanation, it could be argued that transmedia story telling is being used more often due to cross platform media. When looking at The Simpsons, producers have used a variety of ways to keep their audiences and fans engaged with the Simpsons phenomenon. After a season of shorts were successful on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987, the show was commissioned by Fox for weekly half hour episodes. Davidson (2010, p.10) explains that in most cases “cross-media is considered after some media event is successful enough to become a tent-pole and support other related media experiences.” Although The Simpsons did cause some controversy, the show was a huge success and in 1991 The Simpsons Arcade game was released by Konami. “It was a quintessential coin-op beat 'em up that came along at a time when the genre was thriving and Simpsons mania had not long set in.” (Langshaw, 2014) The video game was the first example of transmedia story telling within the Simpsons world.

In the game, the Simpson family are taking a walk in town until Homer bumps into Mr Burns and Smithers who have just robbed a jewellery store. The game begins after Maggie, (who accidentally mistakes her dummy for the precious stone) is kidnapped by Smithers. The game follows the same style and gameplay of Konami’s other arcade games such as X-Men and Teenage Ninja Turtles, however the same conventions are adopted and applied to The Simpsons Arcade Game. The game could hold up to 4 players – one for each member of the Simpsons family and had eight levels. Jenkins (2011) describes transmedia story telling as a deepening of audience interaction, thus the game offers fans to become active and to take control of the Simpsons world whereas before, the TV show only offered limited viewership. Within the arcade game, there are many prevalent references to Season 1 of The Simpsons. The game features many of series iconic sceneries, characters and scenes thus supporting Jenkins idea of telling the same story across various platforms (Jenkins, 2011). The main characters, Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa all have abilities which link into their characters from the show. For example, Marge who is represented as a household mother in the series has the advantage of swinging a vacuum at her enemies. Bart whom is represented as the stereotypical “misbehaving” boy has a skateboard to use as a weapon and Lisa uses a skipping rope as a whip against the ‘baddies’. Iconic sceneries such as Moes Tavern, The Nuclear Power Plant and Springfield Cemetery are prime examples of how the storyline from the TV show has progressed onto the arcade game. By using selected characters, audiences could choose which character best represented themselves leading onto an immersive user experience.  “I always picked Bart, because Bart understood my pre-teen angst and also Bart had a skateboard.” (Pierce, 2014).

Although the game follows arcade ‘pixilation’ – the characters are animated to suit arcade conventions rather the ‘comic’ convention they follow in the series, there is a clear connection between scenes from the series and the game. The ongoing narrative of Moe answering the phone to Barts prank calls within the series is mimicked within the game. When entering Moes Tavern, Moe is seen picking up the phone to Barts pranks. Following from this, Barney – a notable alcoholic in the TV series, is a character featured within this level. Langshaw (2014) explained that “Konami played fast and loose with some aspects of the source material, but the end result felt like it was developed for Simpsons fans, by Simpsons fans.” Another aspect of transmedia storytelling is that it rewards dedicated fans. For example, in the series, Marge Simpson’s strange vertical hairstyle was supposedly used to conceal bunny ears on her head. This was to be revealed in the last episode of Series 1, however the idea was cut after disputes between producers. However if Marge is zapped or if her hair is hoovered in the arcade game her bunny ears are revealed.

Fig 8, Marge's bunny ears (Ward, 2012)

 Jenkins (2007) described how transmedia story telling allows different mediums to contribute its unique influence to the overall unfolding story. Through transmedia storytelling, producers were able to confirm rumours behind Marge’s hair outside of the TV series thus greatly rewarding a Simpson fan. This example of rewarding fans with information that is not disclosed in the series links to Jenkins (2007) idea of “transmedia storytelling expands what can be known about a particular fictional world while dispersing that information, insuring that no one consumer knows everything.” Not every viewer of The Simpsons will understand the iconographies portrayed in the arcade game and vice versa, thus the game and transmedia storytelling as a whole offers a rewarding experience to an observant and dedicated fan.