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Cross-Media Worlds - Connecting Across Games, Film, Books, and More - Extra Credits
Key insights
6 takeaways- 01Physical-digital hybrid models like Skylanders demonstrate how active, cross-platform participation can extend a game's reach beyond the primary console or PC environment.
- 02Modern cross-platform ecosystems, such as the integration between Dust 514 and Eve Online, allow actions in one environment to directly influence the state of another, maintaining world continuity.
- 03Historical precedents like the Pokémon franchise prove that media such as television can function as an effective, repetitive tutorial system to teach complex game mechanics to new audiences.
- 04Transmedia design fosters social cohesion by allowing players with varying skill levels and genre preferences to contribute to a shared narrative or goal through different gameplay styles.
- 05Linking disparate gaming experiences increases player retention and enhances the perceived value of microtransactions by creating functional, symbiotic relationships between platforms.
- 06The transmedia approach moves beyond traditional merchandise tie-ins by creating unified universes that remain accessible to players even when they are away from their primary game.
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Transcript
Hey everybody. Today's going to be a fun episode for us. It's one of those times where we get to talk about emerging trends in the game industry, things on the bleeding edge of design. They're the kind of thing that may amount to nothing or they may become an integral part of how we play, but either way it gives us an excuse to talk about the future of gaming. You might have noticed but we kind of enjoy that here. While it may not seem like it while we're in the middle of our daily routine, games are experiencing a sea change. It's incredible to think about how much things have changed in the last few years. Tablet games, smartphone games, major flash portals, motion gaming, voice controls, touch screens, free-to-play games, Twitter games, the casual revolution. In 2005, if you had told us that the Wii would vastly outsell the PS3 or that the most profitable games out there would include a farming game on Facebook and a 2D bird-tossing simulator that you played on your phone, we would have all called you insane. But here we are, and the changes just keep on coming. So what's
today's topic? Well, many of you have heard of Dust 514. It's a first-person shooter being made by CCP. Now we love CCP and would really really love for them to get another product out, but we probably wouldn't be talking about Dust 514 if it was just another sci-fi shooter. So what's the twist? The hook in Dust 514 is that it's connected to Eve Online. Not just as a spin-off or a tie-in, but actually connected. Actions in Dust will affect Eve. Win a first-person shooter battle in Dust, help define who controls a sector in Eve or what resources are available to Eve players. Now this isn't a new concept in the game industry. We've been bandying it about for years, but for the first time it looks like companies are beginning to experiment with these interconnected experiences as they're realizing that it helps broaden the audience for their games and increases player retention. Moreover, it's a great way to make sure your micro-transaction goods seem substantially more valuable, but it also potentially has a lot of value to the player. But before we get to that, let's take a little trip into the history of the industry. For years now, companies have speculated on creating what we call transmedia worlds, games which the player could access through other media. The most famous
example of this is Pokémon. As many of you are aware, Pokémon's actually a fairly complex game, but it's intended to be accessible to a very young audience. So, how do they manage that? Television. I'm not kidding. Watch the Pokémon TV show carefully. It's practically an extended tutorial for people under 8 years old. Think of young children's TV watching habits. They'll watch the same show 20 times. They'll watch it over and over until they've memorized it. Nintendo understood this and decided to take advantage of it when making Pokémon. Now, some of you might say, "Well, obviously it was a show about the game." But, think back to the Super Mario Brothers show or the Sonic shows. This wasn't the way shows about games were done. All the Pokémon in the TV show functioned just like the Pokémon in the game. They're strong against the same monsters. They need the same items to evolve. The show basically teaches you how to play. At least it definitely did for the first few years. I I haven't really kept up with it, so I don't know what they're doing with it now. But, it's not limited to things like the Pokémon TV show. It could be the Skylanders toys, the World of Warcraft cards that can give you in-game equipment, or that show on the Syfy channel that theoretically will be affected by events in Defiance by Trion.
The underlying theory behind these transmedia worlds is to keep the player engaged with the product for as much of their time as possible. To give them ways to interact with the game world even when they're away from the game. But, until recently, no one asked the question, "How can we get you to interact with our game when you feel like playing something else?" You see, while all these ways to interact with a game increase brand value and help you sell more merchandise and even probably do acquire you new customers, the one thing they don't let you do is reach past the audience who find your fundamental mechanics engaging. But, this new form of trans gaming allows us to do just that. Okay, so great. So, it might help some people make some more dollars. Why should we as consumers or as designers care? Because it finally lets people share the experience they love with the people closest to them without asking anyone to play something they don't enjoy. Dust 514 not only lets you share the Eve universe with your first-person shooter friends, it lets you experience the Eve universe together. If you've ever had that deep desire to share something meaningful of yours with someone close to you, but you simply couldn't communicate why this thing you loved so much was something they might enjoy? Or if you've ever had somebody close to you play a game with
you just so you could have fun together, and you could tell throughout the experience that they weren't really enjoying the game that much. They they just wanted to spend time with you. These multifaceted interconnected worlds could solve that. And the truth is, while I am excited for the possibility to play EVE with my Battlefield and Call of Duty friends, there's something I see in the not too distant future which I'm much more excited for. I believe we may have just found a way to close that gulf between the hardcore and casual community. If my mom could harvest a farm to give me crafting regions in my MMO. If your girlfriend or boyfriend could play Bejeweled to repair your armor, or perhaps even maintain a shield around you while you went adventuring. If I could play my grand strategy game to bring back resources that my friends needed to construct their towns, which in turn helps me recruit more units to field in my Total War experience. I mean, honestly, if I could capture foreign monuments for my friends to erect in their SimCity or Caesarea towns, how cool would that be? Man. Well, here's to hoping that there's a future out there where we can all play together, even if we're playing different games. See you next week.
Summary
The evolution of gaming is increasingly defined by the development of transmedia worlds, where interconnected experiences span across various platforms, media, and genres. The primary thesis is that by linking disparate gaming experiences—such as connecting a first-person shooter to a massive multiplayer online game—developers can foster deeper player retention, increase the perceived value of microtransactions, and, most importantly, bridge the gap between different types of players. This approach moves beyond traditional merchandise tie-ins by creating functional, symbiotic relationships between different games or media forms.
Historical precedents, such as the Pokémon franchise, demonstrate the effectiveness of using television as an extended, repetitive tutorial to teach game mechanics to younger audiences. Modern iterations, including physical toys like Skylanders or integrated digital ecosystems like the connection between Dust 514 and Eve Online, represent a shift toward active, cross-platform participation. These systems allow actions in one environment to directly influence the state of another, creating a unified universe that remains accessible even when a player is away from their primary game.
The ultimate potential of this design philosophy lies in its ability to foster social cohesion. By allowing players with different skill levels or genre preferences to contribute to a shared goal, these interconnected worlds enable friends and family members to participate in the same experience without requiring everyone to play the exact same game. This model offers a promising path toward reconciling the divide between hardcore and casual gaming communities, as it allows for collaborative play where diverse gameplay styles—from resource management to action-oriented combat—collectively support a single, overarching narrative or world.
