What a can of worms I have opened up! First I started off letting my children watch the cartoons. The next step led to action figures, followed by the movies. The tip of the iceberg was the game Wolverine Origins. I started out believing that allowing my kids to view, play and interact with this character was pure fun, and no harm or civic impact. I grew up during the 80's a little after Wolverine was introduced as a heroine on the X-Men team in comic books. Wolverine was seen as a hero that teamed up with others to fight off villains. As time progressed Wolverine evolved as well and has become a true depiction of transmedia storytelling. I will give you a brief history of the superhero Wolverine, the movie Wolverine Origins, as well as discuss the game. The question I'm pondering is was there something naratologically lost in the translation?History of Wolverine"Wolverine is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics" He first appeared in Incredible Hulk #180 in October 1974. He then joined the X-Men team in 1975. He was born James Howlett, but commonly referred to as Logan. Wolverine is a mutant that has retracting bone claws, and recovers quickly from any wound. He empowers enhanced physical capabilities and is virtually indestructible. Wolverine branched out into a solo comic in Sept- Dec 1982. As a result of his popularity the storytelling was enhanced by introducing crossing over into television. I will discuss the movie Wolverine Origins shortly before indulging in the game.
Wolverine Origins is yet another layer or the next chapter that summarizes the life of this character. In the movie Wolverine worked with the government in special operations, until he disagreed with the massacres and vicious killing that continuously took place in his unit. Wolverine also known as Logan in the movie, discharged himself and moved to Canada. Eventually his past special ops team and his brother Victor caught up with him. By aid of the government Wolverine was able to have his body injected with adamantium. The adamantium made him indestructible and enhanced his physical abilities. This allowed him to kill another mutant that was created from a combination of all the other mutants.
Now I’ll move onto the next page of this book, the video game Wolverine Origins. The video game on Xbox 360 is basically the same story told in the movie. Although, there has been some transformation or adaptation to the games violent content. Wolverine is known to kill other villians but the game takes the graphic vicious killing to a different perspective. One example of the graphic content consist of slicing heads off with blood emerging out. I had to rethink my position on allowing my children to play this game as well as interact with the character. My youngest son couldn't understand why he was able to play with his action figures, (in which he's had several years prior to the release of the game) but not allowed to play or view the game. I do believe that games can have a civic impact on a player. Exposing a young child to such violent acts, or foul language, or even revealing there is no Santa Claus can desensitize and harm them. I have this same belief when reffering to adults as well. Media content as well as life experiences has and is continually desensitizing our society as a whole. Of course Wolverine has changed and adapted to our sexually explicit, reality show, internet crazed, gaming addicted, violent seeking culture. If the creators don't adapt or assimilate they won't retain their loyal fans, and continue to engage and broaden their fan base. This adaptation is exactly what transmedia is about, this is what makes the story and keeps the pages turning. I as a parent will defintely screen all games now and not just base them on their other platforms of media.
As I mentioned previously I didn't have this view of Wolverine prior to the game. The game narrates the story just as a book does. This game and the crossmedia platforms have proven to me that video games are a true form of literature, as well as a form of art expression. Wolverine Origins video game allows consumers new and old, with or without past knowledge of the X-Men culture, to step into this entry point and not feel lost at all. Wolverine Origins does a great job narrating the story and keeping gamers engaged. I was able to follow along and felt like I was in the movie. That is the concept behind transmedia storytelling. I’ve seen some movies and played the game and have felt cheated or deceived. In the case of this game the only dislike I had was the maliciousness in the killing. I guess I still based Wolverine on the character from the 80’s comic as well as the action figure and cartoon character. So as a parent I felt let down, however that is my responsibility to filter games and movie content not the manufacturers. I do feel the violence in the game was more prevalent then in the movie or the original comics. I also had to think about how our society has been desensitized and violence is prevalent in just about every aspect of our lives. This game was not created or marketed to youth. Wolverine Origins is the entry point for adults to become or re-engage themselves in this culture. Here are some links to view clips of the video game and the movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RD2Pyo3ygo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaegoybYHos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3voynRi3QaE
“Transmedia storytelling also called multiplatform, crossmedia or enhanced storytelling, is storytelling across multiple forms of media. This creates multiple entry points through which consumers can become immersed or interactive in a story franchise’s world. The aim of this immersion is decentralized authorship or transmedia play”. Creating multiple platforms for consumers will greatly increase profits and production. Transmedia has become a popular route to market products over a large, diverse population and culture. Marketing X-Men Wolverine via comics brought that "70”s -"80”s generation (which are now adults), and they then introduced their children to this fictional superhero. As the world emerged into this new age technology Marvel has to progress as well. To reach a larger demographic and diverse culture the gaming industry had to look at various ways to market products and increase revenue. Creating action figures and marketing them to youth would create a lifelong customer. As I mentioned earlier, these children will purchase these products and as they grow into a young adult they will seek other products or platforms of this product. bStarting off with the comics, cartoons, action figures, clothing, lunch boxes, stickers, coloring books, books, etc… By the time they’ve become young adults and in most cases still as a youth, they are ready to see the movie. This transmedia storytelling has captured these consumers as a child and continues to reap profits based on this same character and various stages of its existence. My husband started out reading the comic books in 1982 and is now an avid fan of Wolverine. He has seen the cartoons growing up, watched the movies and has now purchased X-Men Wolverine Origins video game. In addition he has recruited our two sons by purchasing action figures, coloring books, clothes and the video game. As you see this new-age storytelling has changed the way companies market their products. Companies such as Marvel have noticed that Transmedia storytelling creates different entry points for different audience segments. This crossmedia marketing has not only revolutionized the marketing of all media but also the structure of our environment.
In conclusion I don’t feel Wolverine Origins has lost its narratology. I believe Wolverine has evolved with time to market all ranges of consumers. Wolverine creators and manufacturers of all of these cross media platforms have maintained the same storyline and narration throughout the last 30 years. No matter what point in time or what form of media you choose to engage in you will experience the same story, however it will be refreshed and based on different experiences. The concept behind transmedia is to expand the market, keep fans engaged, and loyal, while feeding them new experiences through diverse multiple platforms. Wolverine Origins is a true depiction of transmedia storytelling.
References: http://technologyreview.com/
Hale (2007a) Shematic Instances For Transmedia
http://henryjenkins.org/ ~ Transmedia Storytelling 101
Henry Jenkins (2006) Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide
http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/Transmedia_storytelling
Mavel Comics
Utube
http://gamasutra.com/ MIT: Heroes, Narnia Panel Talks Transmedia Storytelling by Chris Dahlen
Ellen Lupton (Princeton Architectural Press, ,2004) Birth of the User
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